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"A family residing in North London is looking for an exceptional and qualified educator to guide their most junior child on his early path to turning into an British gentleman."

Looking at this post, you might naturally miss the phrase "initial stages" as just figurative language.

Yet, it may be the crucial part of this unique position posting, as it aims to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.

Many of applications have already been received since the anonymous family advertised their search for the highly paid tutor, who must be "an exceptional individual".

During the past few weeks, the listing has received attention throughout the news, with many wondering why?

Progressive Approach

Adam Caller, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is helping the family in their search, explained that despite initial skepticism, he found the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he spoke with the family, he noted they understood the unusual nature of their request, and how immature their son is.

However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already taken hold".

But what does the family indicate by "cultural bias"?

It's "comprehensive", he replied. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".

He explained the elder child had adopted "really subtle, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family informed him they wished to avoid history to recur with their younger child.

The plan: To engage a English tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.

Osmotic Learning

"A great deal of the education at the beginning here is rather absorbed naturally," said Adam.

It's via this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to instil.

He noted the tutor needed to be an individual who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, effortlessly," he added.

Expense Not a Factor

The family told the expert the chosen tutor should preferably also have understanding of or interest in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.

Furthermore though, he said the family desired the tutor to enrol the child on a variety of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's perspective, assisting their son develop into a "British gentleman" will lead to achievement and create opportunities.

"Considering the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.

Yet, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", would the child adopt what is termed cultural bias from the globally influenced family he resides with in any case?

"Certainly", answered Adam. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and let's go as early as we can', because the price of it is not relevant," he explained.

Overly Optimistic

There are some in the tutoring industry who have these reservations.

Another CEO, head and founder of a tutoring service, who provides private tutors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."

Peter wrote that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the age of childhood, and had been brought up understanding and embodying dual heritages. He continued to learn at Cambridge University.

"The concept that a single person can function as a embodiment of UK identity, an individual who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, appears naive and unrealistic," he stated.

"From my perspective, engaging a quintessentially English tutor from babyhood will not necessarily produce the outcome they desire.

"I did not have such a tutor, and yet I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the experiences they hope for their son."

He added: "The fact is, self-identity cannot be imposed from the outside; it must be chosen, and it must originate internally."

Acquiring Englishness

Naturally, Britishness is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and sold.

"I think the situation that the global community views us in this light is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating