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"A family residing in North London wants to find an remarkable and qualified instructor to assist their most junior child on his first steps to turning into an English gentleman."

Upon seeing this advertisement, you might readily overlook the wording "beginning" as mere figurative language.

Yet, it may be the most significant aspect of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a 12-month-old.

Hundreds of responses have already been sent in since the unnamed family published their search for the £180k-a-year tutor, who needs to be "a uniquely qualified person".

During the past few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the press, with many wondering why?

Progressive Approach

A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their hunt, said that notwithstanding first skepticism, he found the idea "forward-looking", and "progressive".

When he met the family, he said they recognized the atypical nature of their request, and how early in age their son is.

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

What precisely did the family indicate by "cultural predisposition"?

It's "everything", he responded. "How you eat, the way you speak".

He explained the elder child had adopted "extremely delicate, unspoken signals" from the family, and had adopted their cultural norms. The family explained to him they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.

The intention: To bring in a English tutor, who should speak with Received Pronunciation, to shape the baby from the very start.

Natural Absorption

"A lot of the development at the start here is somewhat osmotic," said Adam.

It's by means of this natural absorption that the family are aiming the child will adopt the British traits they want to instil.

He explained the tutor needed to be an individual who studied at "the right kinds of schools – the same kinds of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The tutor must be the suitable individual, they'll be doing things they don't even know they're doing, simply by nature," he added.

Expense Not a Factor

The family informed him the chosen tutor should ideally also have familiarity of or interest in riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits and music so as to shape the child in a wide range of hobbies.

Furthermore though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "horseback riding and learning an tool by the time they are about three years old".

In the family's minds, assisting their son grow into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and open doors.

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

Yet, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child pick up alleged cultural bias from the international family he lives with regardless?

"Yes", said he. "The parents realize this may not work, but they've just taken the view of, 'we should try and we'll proceed as early as we can', because the cost of it is irrelevant," he explained.

Impractical

A number of in the private teaching field who share those reservations.

An education leader, chief executive of Blue Education, who supplies private tutors, stated that "the process of embracing two identities, or actually, forming one's identity, is something that must be experienced personally, not manufactured."

Peter noted that he had relocated from Asia to the United Kingdom at the time of seven, and had been raised knowing and living both cultures. He went on to study at a prestigious UK institution.

"The concept that one individual can function as a representation of English culture, someone who can in some way transplant the characteristics of a UK sophisticate upon a 12-month-old child, appears naive and unfeasible," he wrote.

"In my experience, employing a typically UK tutor from babyhood will will not automatically achieve the goal they hope for.

"I never had such a figure, and nevertheless I have been lucky enough to experience many of the experiences they aspire for their son."

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

Purchasing UK Culture

Certainly, English culture is something the CEO believes can be instructed – and sold.

"I believe the fact that the world holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating