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"A family residing in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified instructor to support their smallest child on his initial journey to becoming an English gentleman."

When reading this listing, you might readily skip the wording "first-steps" as just an expression.

Yet, it might be the most significant part of this unique position posting, as it seeks to hire a mentor for a one-year-old.

Many of responses have already been submitted since the anonymous family advertised their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "a uniquely qualified person".

During the past few weeks, the post has gained notice throughout the media, with many wondering why?

Innovative Idea

Adam Caller, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their quest, explained that notwithstanding early skepticism, he considered the idea "visionary", and "advanced".

When he spoke with the family, he said they understood the unconventional character of their request, and how immature their son is.

But, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already set in".

What exactly does the family mean by "cultural bias"?

It's "comprehensive", Adam answered. "The way you eat, the manner you speak".

He said the elder child had absorbed "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family informed Adam they wished to avoid this pattern to happen again with their new baby.

The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby right from the beginning.

Osmotic Learning

"A lot of the development at the outset here is kind of osmotic," said the CEO.

It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will pick up the UK customs they wish to instil.

The consultant said the tutor had to be an individual who went to "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The instructor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be carrying out things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he added.

Expense Not a Factor

The family informed Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, alpine skiing, the arts and music so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of interests.

Furthermore though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a range of classes so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's perspective, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.

"For all the rights and wrongs of that, because it's certainly a social class indicator," he notes.

But, despite all this instruction in "Britishness", could the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with regardless?

"Yes", said the CEO. "They know this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the view of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as quickly as we can', because the expense of it is irrelevant," he said.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

There are some in the tutoring industry who share similar concerns.

Another CEO, CEO and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer individual instructors, commented that "the process of becoming bicultural, or in fact, becoming oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."

Peter wrote that he had moved from the Far East to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been educated experiencing and living dual heritages. He continued to learn at the University of Cambridge.

"The notion that one individual can serve as a embodiment of Britishness, a person who can possibly impart the attributes of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, strikes me as idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.

"Based on my background, engaging a distinctly English tutor from infancy will will not instantly produce the result they hope for.

"I wasn't provided with such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to live many of the opportunities they desire for their son."

He added: "The fact is, self-identity should not be forced from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Buying Britishness

Naturally, English culture is something the expert hopes can be instructed – and sold.

"I think the situation that the world views us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating