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"Parents located in the northern part of London is looking for an extraordinary and skilled educator to assist their most junior child on his early path to becoming an British gentleman."

Looking at this listing, you might readily skip the term "first-steps" as just a turn of phrase.

Yet, it could be the crucial part of this distinctive employment listing, as it seeks to find a mentor for a 12-month-old.

Numerous of submissions have already been sent in since the unnamed family posted their request for the £180k-a-year tutor, who must be "someone very special".

Over the last few weeks, the advert has attracted interest across the media, with several asking why?

Forward-Thinking Method

Adam Caller, chief executive of Tutors International, which is assisting the family in their search, explained that in spite of first doubt, he found the plan "forward-looking", and "advanced".

When he spoke with the family, he said they appreciated the unusual aspect of their request, and how early in age their son is.

Nevertheless, they clarified that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to get a tutor, as they had postponed until their older child was five, and by that point "cultural influence had already taken hold".

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

It's "everything", the expert answered. "The manner you eat, how you speak".

He stated the older sibling had picked up "extremely delicate, non-verbal cues" from the family, and had taken on their cultural habits. The family explained to the consultant they wished to avoid this pattern to recur with their younger child.

The plan: To bring in a UK tutor, who must speak with standard English accent, to guide the baby from the very start.

Subtle Influence

"A lot of the learning at the start here is kind of osmotic," stated the expert.

It's by means of this osmosis that the family are hoping the child will adopt the British traits they wish to instil.

The consultant explained the tutor must be someone who studied at "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family hope to send their son to".

"The educator must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be doing things they may not realize they're doing, simply by nature," he commented.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to Adam the successful candidate should preferably also have understanding of or enthusiasm in horse riding, winter sports, artistic pursuits 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 range of courses so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an musical instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "British gentleman" will result in success and open doors.

"For all the pros and cons of that, because it's definitely a social class indicator," he adds.

However, in spite of all this guidance in "UK identity", could the child adopt alleged cultural bias from the international family he lives with in any case?

"Yes", answered Adam. "The parents know this may not work, but they've just taken the attitude of, 'why not attempt it and we should start as soon as we can', because the cost of it is not relevant," he said.

Overly Optimistic

There are some in the private teaching field who express those doubts.

Peter Cui, head and founder of an educational organization, who also offer private tutors, commented that "the journey of embracing two identities, or actually, becoming oneself, is something that must be lived into, not engineered."

Peter noted that he had relocated from China to the UK at the time of seven, and had been educated experiencing and living both cultures. He continued to study at a prestigious UK institution.

"The notion that one individual can function as a embodiment of Britishness, an individual who can somehow transfer the attributes of a UK sophisticate to a 12-month-old child, appears optimistic and unrealistic," he commented.

"From my perspective, having a distinctly English tutor from early childhood will not necessarily produce the result they want.

"I never had that kind of mentor, and however I have been lucky enough to experience several of the experiences they hope for their son."

He stated: "The reality is, personal identity should not be imposed from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."

Acquiring Englishness

Certainly, Britishness is something Adam hopes can be educated – and commercialized.

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