Job Discussion Forums

[Elegantstatue]

Those teaching positions requiring professional attire always gets me. Especially if you work with kids or teenagers. And those in recruiting think they know 'first impressions count'. It's what one says, how they enunciate and articulate words, and teacher education, not professional presentation that makes a teacher. I agree formal presentation or attire is best. Say a business shirt with an open collar, and clean pressed jeans or cotton formal pants are enough. (Newish clothing without holes or frays). Whenever I had to wear a suit in a classroom I felt like I was being strangled by my own tie. I wish organisations would reform their code of dress..

[scot47]

I have never had the misfortune to work for an employer who required a suit.

[spiral78]

European academic jobs require a maximum of business casual, thankfully.

[nomad soul]

[Elegantstatue]

Sidney Poitier, sure he was really cool. I think Americans have got it right. Look good and smart, but without the suit and tie. Unlike Japanese organisations that expect a teacher to wear a suit in a high school context! In Australia that does not exist, unless it is a personal choice of fashion. Or one works in a prestigious grammar school.

[gregory999]

SCHOOL DRESS CODES
Some schools already set their own uniform policies for staff.

St Ignatius College in Enfield, north London, say that men must wear a shirt, tie, trousers and smart shoes. Females should wear smart dresses or separate blouses and skirts which should be no shorter than “just above knee length”.

It also says “extreme hairstyles” are banned, visible tattoos are discouraged, jewellery should be discreet and piercing should be restricted to the ears, although single nose studs may be worn for religious reasons.

Further rules ban denim, clothes that are faded or worn, “revealing or excessively tight” items, inappropriate footwear such as flip flops and strapless tops for women.

Rules drawn up by Lampton School in Hounslow, west London, says all staff should wear “smart business dress”.

It says that “extremes of fashion” are not acceptable, including hairstyles, makeup, clothes and visible body piercing, except in the ears and nose.

The guidelines say that cropped T-shirts or trousers, visible underwear, skirts above mid-thigh and any clothing with “excess flesh visible” do not “portray a professional image and should not be worn”.

It also says that members of staff should “not chew gum or use their mobile phones when in the presence of pupils”.

North Leamington School in Warwickshire says in its dress code that staff should adopt “smart professional work wear” that sets a “good example to the students”, including no jeans, shorts or leggings, low cut tops, short skirts or see-through garments.

All staff should wear suitable footwear, meaning flip flops, excessively high heeled shoes and Ugg-style boots worn outside trousers are banned. Trainers can only be worn by PE teachers.
ttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/10630792/Ofsted-launches-new-clampdown-on-scruffy-teachers.html

[Elegantstatue]

The world does not revolve around London grammar schools, nor does it revolve around America. A clean pressed business shirt, business pants, or formally styled pants (not garish pants or shirts), are enough to convey conservatism. A suit is too restrictive. In Australian universities almost no academics I knew wore a business suit. One can look professionally presentable without a suit. I think that is one thing Australian and American teachers have in common, dress professionally without looking like an international banker. Being choked by your own tie is subconscious suicide.

[RedLightning]

I'd rather this extreme than the other

'Business Casual' has come to afford us sneakers, brown jeans, and a wrinkled blazer, while my female counterparts best suited for a night of club-hopping

[schwa]

When Micronesia became a country in 1986, the first governor of Yap State jokingly declared that anyone wearing a suit & tie should be jailed.

Typical local attire (suitable for all occasions!): shorts, flipflops, & a T-shirt. Just a lavalava, bare feet, & no shirt is acceptable too.

[LarssonCrew]

When I worked in Myanmar I went to school on the first day in a full suit[gotta look good!], no tie, but suit, trousers, formal shoes and a shirt.

I had no AC in the classroom and it was over 40 degrees, I sweated so much that it sweated through my shirt and onto my suit jacket. The kids were in hysterics at how sweaty I was.

Anyways I was waiting to be picked up at the end of the day and the school boss said 'why on earth are you wearing a suit?'.

'Well, the center leader told me to wear it[I was ''contracted' to the school through another].

She burst out laughing and said look at her husband, the owner of the school, he was in long yi[essentially a skirt], flipflops and a t shirt.

The next day I rocked up in flip flops, a t shirt and essentially long black swimming shorts and the female boss gave me the thumbs up.

'We want our teachers to be comfortable!' she said, and that was the last I ever heard of dress in Myanmar.

[ExpatLuke]

A lot of the posts in this thread just come across as whining. Pair that with the sense of western superiority you get with a lot of teachers who "love to experience new cultures" and you've summed up your typical EFL teacher.

Maybe consider the values in a new country are different than yours. In many Asian countries teachers are held in very high regard and are expected to conform to certain image above that of the average citizen. If you don't like that, then you've chosen the wrong profession.

As for someone who said something along the lines of "why do I have to dress up for kids and teen classes?"... First of all, the kids aren't your customers. Their parents are paying your paycheck. Second, why would you want you students to consider you as "not a real teacher" because you don't conform their ingrained image of one?

Seriously, pony up... It's not hard to dress up. In fact, if you want to be successful in life, you should always dress a notch above what you're called to, not the minimum. A multitude of studies out there show that the way you dress has a huge effect on how people perceive you, respect you, and how successful you'll be in getting what you want.

[kona]

I think it's criminal to make anyone wear a suit when it's over 35C out. Not even Korea was that strict with dress code. A tie choking your neck makes it all the more worse.

I'm not saying don't dress nice, but when it's hot out, I'd hope that a short sleeved polo shirt, slacks, and dress shoes would suffice.