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Professional Dress expectations HCT

 
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vamanos12



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 58

PostPosted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 8:38 pm    Post subject: Professional Dress expectations HCT Reply with quote

Hi,
I'm looking for advice on exactly what I should/shouldn't plan on wearing in the classroom working for HCT Dubai Men's College. (as a woman)

1. Dress pants/skirts (length, color)?
2. Blouse specifications, color, etc....?
3. Shoes?

I'll obviously leave the tube top and mini skirt at home, but I really want to get it right in terms of professionalism.
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optimistic



Joined: 04 Aug 2010
Posts: 43

PostPosted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 9:52 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

a good teacher is never judged by what he/she is wearing. so, take it easy. Very Happy
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bin There



Joined: 16 Jun 2012
Posts: 20

PostPosted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 11:05 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

A teacher in Dubai is likely to be judged on what they are wearing if it falls outside cultural norms. Students do comment, and quite possibly in front of you.

Skirt / Dress below the knees or pants. A blouse that doesn't reveal too much. Good-looking sandals, or shoes.

Many female teachers wear T-shirts and skirts. There are "codes of dress" that come around every so often that says no T's, but a lot of teachers don't follow this to the letter.

Best to err on the side of conservative. Once you're at DMC, you'll get a better feel.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Fri Aug 24, 2012 11:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I would try to touch base with someone there to check. I agree... err on the conservative side. Find out if they allow pants. (when I was at ADW, pants were not allowed) If they are, I would suggest tunic tops. Keep the skirts long... sleeves to the elbow... avoid tight fitting anything. And IMHO, all of those are more comfortable in the heat. Also the interiors are nearly always over-air-conditioned, so I always kept a sweater/jacket at my desk. Obviously when teaching men, you want to be exposing as little skin as possible.

I lived in sandals 365 days a year over there... with my long skirts, no worries about hose. Cool I wore semi-dressy sandals... comfortable, but no Birkenstocks. Arabs tend to be a bit more formal than we often are.

Colors don't matter. Wear what you like.

VS
(if you are in the US... DEVA - makes a lot of cool cotton stuff that is appropriate. many of the catalogs carry lots of beautiful long skirts... like Serengeti and such...)
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nomad soul



Joined: 31 Jan 2010
Posts: 11454
Location: The real world

PostPosted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 1:53 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

veiledsentiments wrote:
I would suggest tunic tops. Keep the skirts long... sleeves to the elbow... avoid tight fitting anything. And IMHO, all of those are more comfortable in the heat. Also the interiors are nearly always over-air-conditioned, so I always kept a sweater/jacket at my desk. Obviously when teaching men, you want to be exposing as little skin as possible.

I lived in sandals 365 days a year over there... with my long skirts, no worries about hose. Cool I wore semi-dressy sandals... comfortable, but no Birkenstocks. Arabs tend to be a bit more formal than we often are.

Colors don't matter. Wear what you like.

This is pretty much describes the dress code for female uni teachers in conservative Saudi Arabia, except our skirt/dress length is to the ankle. And that's for working in an all-female environment!

Vamanos, in addition to what VS provided, you'd probably be fine with skirts that are at least mid-calf length. By the way, the topic of expat women's offensive dress style in Dubai recently made international news. See http://www.dubaifaqs.com/dress-code-in-dubai.php for more on dress codes in the UAE.
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vamanos12



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 58

PostPosted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:01 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

thanks for the tips
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sat Aug 25, 2012 2:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As my years there went on, my skirts kept getting longer. Not because anyone told me how I should dress, but I found that it was so much cooler and more comfortable... mainly because there was no need to wear hose. Nothing worse than hose in the heat and humidity. Laughing

VS
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Haloolah



Joined: 09 Feb 2011
Posts: 22
Location: USA

PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 1:35 am    Post subject: HCT Dress Reply with quote

Hi Vamanos -

If you got a job at HCT, check your materials HR sent you - there's a section on to how to dress, etc. in your new-hire materials that came with the contract. PM me if you hav add'l questions.
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Eisenhorn



Joined: 25 Oct 2009
Posts: 146
Location: HCT Land. UAE

PostPosted: Sun Aug 26, 2012 11:15 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Several women at my branch of HCT (not DMC or DWC) have gotten a "warning" for having on slacks that show their figures or for not having blouses/covers their bottoms.

Generally wear 3/4 sleeves, don't have plunging necklines and cover your bum... and it should be ok.
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vamanos12



Joined: 26 Jan 2012
Posts: 58

PostPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 2:40 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Well, several hundreds of dollars and shopping trips later I think I have an appropriate wardrobe. It was a job in itself for someone like me that doesn't love to shop. Here's hopping the clothes will work.
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veiledsentiments



Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA

PostPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 1:54 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

No hopping allowed!! Laughing

The internet and catalogs were invented for those of us who hate shopping. I can't remember the last time I purchased an item of clothing in an actual store - other than underwear or shoes.

VS
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Sirens of Cyprus



Joined: 21 Mar 2007
Posts: 255

PostPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 3:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

optimistic wrote:
a good teacher is never judged by what he/she is wearing. so, take it easy. Very Happy


If you are politically correct you can get away with a lot, but that doesn't make you a good teacher. Ha! You should change your name to "optimistic and naive."
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Gulezar



Joined: 19 Jun 2007
Posts: 483

PostPosted: Fri Aug 31, 2012 4:58 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

vamanos12 wrote:
Well, several hundreds of dollars and shopping trips later I think I have an appropriate wardrobe. It was a job in itself for someone like me that doesn't love to shop. Here's hopping the clothes will work.


Hey, guess what? We do have shops in the UAE and do we ever! Women of size can have problems finding things that fit properly, but then there are always the tailors and the fabrics are wonderful here.
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crocus



Joined: 01 Feb 2004
Posts: 79

PostPosted: Sun Sep 02, 2012 5:48 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Hubby once said that the best thing is to ensure that every major joint apart from ankle and wrist should be covered. I think this works pretty well for women in the classroom.
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