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"A household located in north London is looking for an remarkable and skilled tutor to assist their smallest child on his first steps to becoming an English gentleman."

When reading this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "beginning" as just a turn of phrase.

But, it might be the crucial aspect of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a infant.

Hundreds of submissions have now been sent in since the anonymous family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who has to be "a uniquely qualified person".

During the past few weeks, the listing has gained attention throughout the news, with many asking why?

Forward-Thinking Method

Adam Caller, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding early skepticism, he considered the idea "forward-looking", and "advanced".

When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unusual character of their demand, and how young their son is.

However, they stated that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had waited until their firstborn was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already become established".

What precisely does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?

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

He said the firstborn had adopted "really subtle, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their younger child.

The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to shape the baby from day one.

Natural Absorption

"A lot of the education at the start here is rather acquired indirectly," said Adam.

It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the English characteristics they want to instil.

The consultant noted the tutor had to be someone who went to "the appropriate educational institutions – comparable categories of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The tutor just has to be the suitable individual, they'll be carrying out things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he added.

Expense Not a Factor

The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have understanding of or interest in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.

More than that though, he explained the family desired the tutor to sign up the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".

In the family's view, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will result in achievement and open doors.

"Taking into account the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's definitely a class statement," he adds.

Yet, despite all this guidance in "UK identity", might the child absorb so-called cultural influence from the international family he resides with anyway?

"Certainly", said Adam. "The parents know this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as early as we can', because the price of it is irrelevant," he stated.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

There are some in the private teaching field who share those concerns.

An education leader, CEO and founder of Blue Education, who provides personal educators, stated that "the journey of embracing two identities, or in fact, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not designed."

The expert noted that he had moved from China to the United Kingdom at the period of childhood, and had been educated understanding and embodying two backgrounds. He went on to be educated at the University of Cambridge.

"The notion that one individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can possibly impart the qualities of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he stated.

"In my experience, engaging a typically UK tutor from babyhood will does not instantly achieve the goal they want.

"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to experience numerous of the experiences they hope for their son."

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

Acquiring Englishness

Naturally, UK identity is something the expert thinks can be educated – and marketed.

"In my view the situation that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating