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"A household based in North London wants to find an exceptional and qualified tutor to guide their smallest child on his early path to turning into an English gentleman."

Upon seeing this advertisement, you might naturally overlook the phrase "initial stages" as simple figurative language.

Yet, it could be the crucial aspect of this distinctive job advert, as it aims to hire a mentor for a infant.

Hundreds of submissions have already been sent in since the unnamed family posted their search for the £180,000 per year tutor, who needs to be "an exceptional individual".

Over the last 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 assisting the family in their hunt, explained that in spite of early doubt, he considered the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".

When he spoke with the family, he noted they recognized the unusual character of their request, and how immature their son is.

But, they clarified that they "preferred not to postpone any longer" to get a tutor, as they had held off until their firstborn was five, and by that age "cultural influence had already set in".

What exactly did the family mean by "cultural leaning"?

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

He stated the elder child had picked up "very nuanced, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had assumed their cultural ways. The family told Adam they hoped to prevent the same situation to happen again with their infant.

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

Osmotic Learning

"A lot of the education at the outset here is rather absorbed naturally," stated Adam.

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

Adam noted the tutor needed to be someone who studied at "prestigious academies – similar types of schools as the family aspire to send their son to".

"The tutor simply needs to be the right kind of person, they'll be performing things they may not realize they're doing, just naturally," he commented.

Cost Not Relevant

The family explained to the expert the successful candidate should ideally also have understanding of or passion in riding, winter sports, the arts and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.

Additionally though, he explained the family wanted the tutor to register the child on a selection of lessons so the child would be "equestrian training and picking up an instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son develop into a "UK sophisticate" will bring about achievement and create opportunities.

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

However, despite all this guidance in "Britishness", could the child pick up so-called cultural leaning from the globally influenced family he lives with anyway?

"Yes", replied Adam. "They realize this may not work, but they've simply adopted the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not a concern," he stated.

Idealistic and Unrealistic

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

Peter Cui, head and founder of a tutoring service, who also offer private tutors, stated that "the process of adopting dual cultures, or indeed, forming one's identity, is something that must be lived into, not manufactured."

The expert wrote that he had relocated from Asia to the Britain at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and practicing two backgrounds. He continued to be educated at Cambridge University.

"The concept that an individual can function as a representation of English culture, an individual who can somehow transplant the attributes of a English gentleman onto a 12-month-old child, seems to me idealistic and unrealistic," he stated.

"In my experience, having a quintessentially British tutor from babyhood will does not automatically produce the goal they desire.

"I wasn't provided with that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to enjoy several of the experiences they aspire for their son."

He stated: "The fact is, cultural identity should not be forced from the outside; it must be embraced, and it must come from within."

Purchasing UK Culture

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

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