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"Parents residing in North London wants to find an extraordinary and skilled tutor to assist their youngest child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."

When reading this advertisement, you might readily overlook the term "first-steps" as just figurative language.

However, it may be the most significant element of this distinctive position posting, as it aims to hire a tutor for a one-year-old.

Many of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".

During the past few weeks, the post has attracted attention across the media, with numerous wondering why?

Innovative Idea

Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is supporting the family in their hunt, said that despite initial skepticism, he considered the plan "far sighted", and "innovative".

When he consulted the family, he noted they appreciated the unusual character of their requirement, and how young their son is.

But, they explained that they "were unwilling to delay any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that point "cultural bias had already become established".

What precisely does the family mean by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "comprehensive", he answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".

He stated the firstborn had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to Adam they hoped to prevent this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.

The intention: To hire a British tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from day one.

Subtle Influence

"Much of the development at the beginning here is rather acquired indirectly," explained Adam.

It's through this osmosis that the family are aiming the child will pick up the British traits they aim to cultivate.

He explained the tutor needed to be somebody who went to "the right kinds of schools – comparable categories of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The tutor must be the right kind of person, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he said.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to Adam the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to inspire the child in a broad spectrum of hobbies.

Furthermore though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a range of classes so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's perspective, assisting their son become a "UK sophisticate" will result in success and open doors.

"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a class statement," he notes.

But, notwithstanding all this tutelage in "UK identity", would the child pick up alleged cultural leaning from the multicultural family he resides with anyway?

"Absolutely", replied the CEO. "The parents know this may not work, but they've merely embraced the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and we should start as early as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he stated.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

There are some in the education sector who express these reservations.

Peter Cui, head and founder of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, wrote that "the process of embracing two identities, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be experienced personally, not engineered."

He explained that he had moved from China to the UK at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and living both cultures. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.

"The idea that an individual can function as a representation of English culture, a person who can somehow impart the characteristics of a UK sophisticate to a one-year-old child, appears optimistic and impractical," he commented.

"From my perspective, employing a typically English tutor from babyhood will does not necessarily create the outcome they hope for.

"I did not have such a figure, and nevertheless I have been fortunate enough to experience several of the experiences they aspire for their son."

He stated: "The truth is, self-identity cannot be forced from the external environment; it must be chosen, and it must be internally driven."

Purchasing UK Culture

Of course, English culture is something the CEO thinks can be taught – and marketed.

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