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"A family residing in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and skilled educator to assist their youngest child on his initial journey to turning into an British gentleman."

When reading this advertisement, you might readily miss the term "initial stages" as just an expression.

But, it may be the most significant part of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to recruit a mentor for a infant.

Hundreds of submissions have since been sent in since the anonymous family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".

During the past few weeks, the listing has attracted notice across the media, with numerous questioning why?

Progressive Approach

The CEO, chief executive of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their search, said that in spite of initial skepticism, he viewed the concept "forward-looking", and "innovative".

When he consulted the family, he said they understood the unconventional character of their demand, and how early in age their son is.

However, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had held off until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already become established".

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

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

He stated the elder child had picked up "extremely delicate, body language" from the family, and had taken on their cultural ways. The family told the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their infant.

The intention: To hire a British tutor, who needs to speak with RP, to shape the baby from the very start.

Osmotic Learning

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

It's by means of this osmosis that the family are expecting the child will acquire the British traits they want to impart.

He said the tutor needed to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The instructor simply needs to be the suitable individual, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.

Cost Not Relevant

The family informed him the successful candidate should ideally also have knowledge of or passion in riding, alpine skiing, artistic pursuits and instrumental training so as to shape the child in a diverse set of interests.

More than that though, he explained the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "horseback riding and starting an instrument by the time they are approximately three years old".

In the family's perspective, helping their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will result in accomplishment and provide access.

"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.

However, despite all this instruction in "English culture", would the child pick up what is termed cultural influence from the globally influenced family he lives with regardless?

"Certainly", answered the CEO. "The family know this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'let's give it a go and we'll proceed as quickly as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.

Impractical

Several in the education sector who share those concerns.

Peter Cui, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer personal educators, wrote that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."

He explained that he had emigrated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been brought up understanding and embodying both cultures. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.

"The notion that one individual can function as a representation of UK identity, a person who can in some way transfer the qualities of a British gentleman to a infant child, strikes me as optimistic and impractical," he stated.

"In my experience, employing a typically British tutor from babyhood will does not automatically achieve the goal they desire.

"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been fortunate enough to live several of the experiences they aspire for their son."

He added: "The reality is, cultural identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must come from within."

Buying Britishness

Of course, English culture is something the CEO believes can be educated – and commercialized.

"I believe the reality that the international society views us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating