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"A household based in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled instructor to guide their youngest child on his early path to growing into an British gentleman."

When reading this post, you might easily miss the wording "beginning" as just an expression.

But, it could be the crucial part of this unusual position posting, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a infant.

Hundreds of responses have now been sent in since the unnamed family advertised their call for the highly paid tutor, who has to be "someone very special".

In recent few weeks, the post has attracted notice across the press, with several wondering why?

Progressive Approach

A tutoring expert, head and founder of a global tutoring firm, which is assisting the family in their search, said that notwithstanding initial skepticism, he viewed the plan "far sighted", and "advanced".

When he met the family, he mentioned they appreciated the unusual nature of their demand, and how immature their son is.

However, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to engage a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that stage "cultural influence had already taken hold".

But what does the family indicate by "cultural leaning"?

It's "all-encompassing", he responded. "How you eat, how you speak".

He explained the older sibling had picked up "really subtle, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they did not want this pattern to repeat itself with their infant.

The plan: To engage a British tutor, who needs to speak with standard English accent, to influence the baby right from the beginning.

Subtle Influence

"A lot of the learning at the outset here is somewhat absorbed naturally," stated Adam.

It's through this natural absorption that the family are hoping the child will acquire the English characteristics they aim to cultivate.

Adam noted the tutor needed to be an individual who attended "the appropriate educational institutions – the same kinds of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The tutor just has to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they aren't even aware they're doing, effortlessly," he commented.

Cost Not Relevant

The family explained to Adam the selected educator should ideally also have knowledge of or enthusiasm in horse riding, skiing, creative fields and musical activities so as to inspire the child in a wide range of hobbies.

More than that though, he said the family wanted the tutor to enrol the child on a selection of classes 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, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will lead to success and create opportunities.

"Taking into account the pros and cons of that, because it's certainly a class statement," he comments.

Yet, despite all this tutelage in "English culture", might the child adopt what is termed cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with in any case?

"Yes", answered the CEO. "They realize this could fail, but they've simply adopted the perspective of, 'let's give it a go and let's go as early as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he said.

Impractical

Several in the private teaching field who have those doubts.

Another CEO, head and founder of Blue Education, who provides private tutors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, discovering oneself, is something that must be grown into, not engineered."

Peter wrote that he had moved from China to the Britain at the age of seven, and had been brought up knowing and practicing both cultures. He went on to be educated at Cambridge University.

"The notion that one individual can act as a embodiment of Britishness, someone who can in some way transplant the qualities of a British gentleman to a one-year-old child, seems to me naive and unfeasible," he wrote.

"In my experience, engaging a distinctly English tutor from infancy will does not automatically create the result they desire.

"I never had such a figure, and yet I have been privileged enough to experience several of the situations they aspire for their son."

He added: "The fact is, personal identity can not be dictated from the external environment; it must be selected, and it must originate internally."

Acquiring Englishness

Of course, Britishness is something the CEO hopes can be taught – and marketed.

"In my view the reality that the global community regards us in this respect is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating