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"A household based in north London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to assist their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an British gentleman."

Upon seeing this listing, you might easily miss the phrase "initial stages" as simple a turn of phrase.

But, it may be the crucial element of this unique position posting, as it seeks to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.

Numerous of applications have now been submitted since the unidentified family posted their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "someone very special".

Over the last few weeks, the post has received interest in the news, with many asking why?

Forward-Thinking Method

Adam Caller, CEO and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that notwithstanding initial doubt, he considered the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he met the family, he noted they recognized the unconventional character of their requirement, and how young their son is.

However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already taken hold".

What exactly did the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "everything", he responded. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".

He said the older sibling had picked up "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family informed Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to repeat itself with their younger child.

The intention: To bring in a British tutor, who should speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from the very start.

Subtle Influence

"A lot of the development at the outset here is kind of osmotic," explained Adam.

It's by means of this subtle influence that the family are expecting the child will adopt the English characteristics they want to impart.

He explained the tutor needed to be someone who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he commented.

Money No Object

The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have understanding of or enthusiasm in equestrian activities, winter sports, the arts and musical activities so as to influence the child in a wide range of interests.

Furthermore though, he stated the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and starting an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".

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

"Considering the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a status symbol," he notes.

However, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child absorb what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he is raised by regardless?

"Absolutely", replied Adam. "They know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'why not attempt it and let's go as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he stated.

Overly Optimistic

There are some in the private teaching field who express these doubts.

An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the journey of becoming bicultural, or actually, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."

He explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been educated experiencing and living dual heritages. He progressed to study at a prestigious UK institution.

"The idea that an individual can function as a representation of English culture, an individual who can somehow transfer the attributes of a English gentleman upon a infant child, strikes me as idealistic and impractical," he wrote.

"Based on my background, employing a typically UK tutor from early childhood will not instantly produce the result they want.

"I never had such a tutor, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to live numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."

He added: "The reality is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the outside influences; it must be selected, and it must be internally driven."

Acquiring Englishness

Of course, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be educated – and marketed.

"In my view the fact that the world holds us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating