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"A household residing in the northern part of London wants to find an remarkable and qualified tutor to assist their most junior child on his early path to growing into an English gentleman."

When reading this listing, you might naturally skip the term "initial stages" as just figurative language.

But, it may be the crucial part of this distinctive position posting, as it seeks to hire a teacher for a one-year-old.

Hundreds of applications have since been sent in since the unnamed family published their request for the highly paid tutor, who needs to be "someone very special".

Over the last few weeks, the advert has gained attention across the press, with numerous asking why?

Forward-Thinking Method

A tutoring expert, chief executive of an education consultancy, which is assisting the family in their search, stated that despite initial scepticism, he considered the concept "visionary", and "progressive".

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

However, they explained that they "didn't want to wait any longer" to hire a tutor, as they had waited until their elder sibling was five, and by that age "cultural bias had already taken hold".

What precisely does the family refer to by "cultural bias"?

It's "comprehensive", the expert answered. "How you eat, the way you speak".

He explained the firstborn had absorbed "very nuanced, unspoken signals" from the family, and had taken on their cultural norms. The family informed him they did not want the same situation to repeat itself with their infant.

The strategy: To engage a English tutor, who should speak with RP, to guide the baby from day one.

Subtle Influence

"A great deal of the learning at the outset here is rather acquired indirectly," stated the CEO.

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

Adam noted the tutor had to be somebody who attended "the right kinds of schools – similar types of schools as the family plan to send their son to".

"The tutor must be the appropriate candidate, they'll be performing things they don't even know they're doing, just naturally," he said.

Expense Not a Factor

The family explained to him the chosen tutor should preferably also have knowledge of or passion in horse riding, alpine skiing, creative fields and instrumental training so as to influence the child in a wide range of hobbies.

Additionally though, he said the family hoped the tutor to sign up the child on a variety of lessons so the child would be "pony-riding and learning an instrument by the time they are around three years old".

In the family's minds, guiding their son become a "English gentleman" will result in success and provide access.

"For all the advantages and disadvantages of that, because it's undoubtedly a status symbol," he adds.

However, despite all this tutelage in "Britishness", might the child adopt alleged cultural influence from the multicultural family he resides with in any case?

"Absolutely", said he. "The family know this could fail, but they've merely embraced the attitude of, 'we should try and we should start as soon as we can', because the expense of it is not a concern," he said.

Overly Optimistic

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

Another CEO, 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 experienced personally, not engineered."

Peter explained that he had emigrated from the Far East to the United Kingdom at the age of 7 years old, and had been raised knowing and living both cultures. He went on to learn at the University of Cambridge.

"The concept that one individual can act as a representation of UK identity, a person who can possibly impart the characteristics of a British gentleman to a infant child, strikes me as naive and unfeasible," he commented.

"In my experience, employing a distinctly British tutor from infancy will does not instantly create the goal they desire.

"I did not have that kind of mentor, and yet I have been privileged enough to enjoy many of the opportunities they hope for their son."

He continued: "The reality is, cultural identity cannot be dictated from the outside; it must be selected, and it must come from within."

Buying Britishness

Of course, Britishness is something Adam believes can be educated – and sold.

"I think the fact that the international society holds us in this regard is something that we should be cherishing|valuing|appreciating