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"A family residing in north London wants to find an extraordinary and qualified educator to guide their smallest child on his first steps to growing into an British gentleman."

Upon seeing this advertisement, you might easily skip the phrase "first-steps" as just figurative language.

But, it could be the most important aspect of this unusual job advert, as it aims to recruit a mentor for a infant.

Numerous of submissions have now been sent in since the anonymous family published their search for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".

In recent few weeks, the advert has received attention in the news, with several questioning why?

Innovative Idea

Adam Caller, CEO and founder of an education consultancy, which is supporting the family in their search, stated that despite first skepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "innovative".

When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the atypical aspect of their request, and how young their son is.

However, they explained that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had postponed until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural influence had by then taken hold".

But what did the family indicate by "cultural bias"?

It's "everything", Adam replied. "The manner you eat, the manner you speak".

He explained the older sibling had absorbed "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural norms. The family explained to the consultant they did not want the same situation to happen again with their younger child.

The strategy: To bring in a UK tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby from the very start.

Osmotic Learning

"A great deal of the education at the outset here is somewhat acquired indirectly," said the CEO.

It's through this subtle influence that the family are aiming the child will acquire the British traits they want to impart.

The consultant explained 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 instructor must be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, effortlessly," he added.

Cost Not Relevant

The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have familiarity of or passion in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and music so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.

More than that though, he stated the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a range of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and starting an tool by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's minds, assisting their son grow into a "English gentleman" will lead to achievement and open doors.

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

But, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child absorb alleged cultural bias from the globally influenced family he is raised by regardless?

"Certainly", replied the CEO. "They understand this might not succeed, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he explained.

Impractical

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

Another CEO, head and founder of an educational organization, who supplies personal educators, commented that "the process of embracing two identities, or in fact, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not designed."

The expert explained that he had relocated from the Far East to the UK at the period of seven, and had been raised understanding and living dual heritages. He continued to study at Cambridge University.

"The notion that one individual can serve as a embodiment of UK identity, a person who can somehow transfer the qualities of a English gentleman to a one-year-old child, appears idealistic and impractical," he commented.

"In my experience, employing a typically British tutor from early childhood will not necessarily produce the result they want.

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

He continued: "The truth is, self-identity can not be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Purchasing UK Culture

Naturally, UK identity is something the expert believes can be taught – and commercialized.

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