Job Discussion Forums

[Bud Powell]

If one works at a better university, he may be the target of catty sniping from young male teachers who wear a dress shirt, tie, and a jacket. That wears off when the weather warms up, though.

Guys, get a haircut. The shoulder length hair is not looked upon as professional. No one may say anything, but your students will think it odd, and the faculty will despise it. But then, if you teach at Lucky Joe's Language school, the owner may be glad to get any round-eyed, warm body and not care.

More and more teachers (male and female) wear CLEAN, UNRIPPED jeans. At least, that was the trend two years ago. Dump the Converse sneakers. The days of the tie-dye shirt passed in the '70's. When it's hot, wear a sports shirt, not an undershirt or a see-through silk or rayon shirt.

If one goes to China to enter the profession of teaching, dress accordingly. Don't dress to show everyone the "real you". (This is the explanation I got when I asked an FT why he wore cowboy boots, shorts, a cowboy hat, and a tie-dye shirt to class one day).

If one wants to be treated like a professional, he should (at least) dress like one.

[cormac]

[Denim-Maniac]

Generally I go with clean jeans and long sleeve shirts ... partly to hide tattoos, partly because I think wearing a crisp shirt goes a long way. Im in the minority though.

Summer time I was given silly red school T-shirts to wear, I grumbled for a day or two about being made to dress like a McDonalds worker, and now I look as bad as the rest of the teaching staff. Red T-shirts, shorts and flip flops.

One key thing I know from my students ... they do talk about what the foreigners wear ... and the style isnt too much of an issue, but cleanliness is. There is one teacher I work with who they dont like to touch / be close to as they have a perception his clothes are dirty. Ive been told that for fun, they sometimes count how many days he wears the same t-shirt / jeans etc.

[NoBillyNO]

[Big Worm]

This thread makes me want to cry. Make sure your jeans are clean and not ripped? WTF? You can get dress slacks and a shirt for less than twenty bucks all in. Dress like a professional. It doesn't take much to put on a tie either. Presentation is important people.

I'm sure some of the people dressing like bums are the same ones complaining about not being taken seriously by their peers.

[Javelin of Radiance]

Some allowance needs to be made for weather conditions here. Winters no problem but spring, summer and fall can be torture expecially without air con in rooms and fans that don't work half the time. But clothes should always be clean and in good repair. And please make sure you have underpants on. Especially when wearing short shorts.

[cormac]

[Miajiayou]

I dress business casual; the exact same way I dressed in an office in the US. Only difference is I pay a LOT more attention to trends and am very careful not to dress too "old" as young Chinese people are very critical when it comes to fashion. Dressing casual or frumpy = LAZY.

I wish I could wear heels everyday, but the ungodly amount of walking I have to do at school ruins them. So, I either wear the cheap heels I buy in China (when I can find my size) or ballet flats.

[mcloo7]

Im asking because I want to figure out what type of clothes to buy before I come. I am going to Hangzhou. I know I could buy stuff there too.

[kev7161]

During the winter in Hangzhou, you'll definitely want to layer as the days and nights are cold and damp (not sub-zero freezing or anything, but once it turns cold, it just stays cold everywhere you go, indoors or out). Bring some thermals or if you are an average build, you can buy what you need here. Thick socks are a must as well. Those are harder (but not impossible) to find.

At school, you can wear a nice sweater over almost anything and you'll be fine. Most teachers and students are bundled up in heavy coats inside the classroom, so it doesn't really matter all that much what you are wearing underneath.

Hangzhou late spring, summer, and early fall are usually quite hot so dress shorts and plain t-shirts or short-sleeved dress shirts are the norm from what I remember when I worked there.

But like most have said, each school's expectations will be different, so asking them about it now wouldn't hurt.