Job Discussion Forums

[santafly]

I will be starting as an ALT in April - first time in Japan - will be somewhere near tokyo but not in the city. My job said I need to wear a suit at the beginning of my employment but maybe not later. I bought one but would prefer not to spend any more money if I won't actually be using them. Also, I assume it would be difficult (184cm, 85k) or very expensive (more than the $80 I just paid) for me to get more suits in Japan.

So, how often do you wear a suit? how formal is your attire?

thanks

[santafly]

man I must be tired, just edited the title of this thread twice for spelling/grammar mistakes

[fluffyhamster]

If you're going to be working for a dispatcher, they won't be paying you enough for you to afford to buy many suits (at around 50,000 yen for an at all tailored halfway decent large summer suit with two pairs of slacks), so just trousers, shirt, tie and some sort of smartish jacket or coat will probably (need to) suffice. Why should an AET make more effort to look smart than many Japanese teachers (who are being paid more, and more directly, and bonuses etc)? That being said, you shouldn't do your best to look your worst just on principle, because it likely will affect how you are evaluated (no matter how good a job you are doing otherwise).

Lots of suits seem to have had glittering careers in Japan, despite the poor quality of the tailor's dummy underneath.

[southofreality]

If you just need a suit to look professional, and are not concerned about looking super-stylish, you can pick up a suit in your size here for between 20000 and 30000 yen (2 - 3 hundred American dollars). Aoki, Aoyama, and Konaka all sell suits for these prices, but Perfect Suit Factory actually has pretty nice-looking suits around these prices. And, all stores regularly offer buy-one-get-the-second-for-only-1000-yen deals for suits that run 30000 and over. This means you can get 2 really nice suits for less than 500 American.

[Squire22]

I wear a suit at the opening and closing ceremonies each term, at graduation etc., and occasionally when there are special visits. Probably an average of three times per term I would say, and usually not for very long either. I usually just wear black trousers, polo shirt and a respectable jumper. I have found that a good way to tell whether or not you should be wearing a shirt and tie suit affair is when you see the PE teachers in a suit, which really isn't that often. I keep a shirt and tie in my locker at school just in case.

[bradley]

I wore a suit about three times a semester but usually had to wear formal or semi-formal attire (tie, button-down shirt, dress pants but oddly enough slippers)

[degolasse]

A golden rule for not only Japan but in any professional situation for the rest of your life:
It's easier to make a good first impression and dress down later, than it is to make a bad impression and try to dress back up.

What I mean is that you can make a first impression by dressing to the max, and later dress down once you've made it known that you are professional, but it's very difficult to recover an unprofessional first impression by later trying to dress appropriately.

So if you have a suit, wear it on your first day. You probably don't need to, but it will give a statement that you are professional. After that, wear a shirt and tie until you've established yourself as a hard working employee. Then, look at your coworkers and wear what they wear. Chances are most other teachers will be wearing dress pants or khakis, and a polo type shirt or a business shirt with no tie. I found that in Junior High my coworkers dressed a little more formal than they did in Elementary. You will break out that suit again for opening and graduation ceremonies.

For myself, I enjoy feeling professional at work, and was happy wearing a shirt and tie everyday. I lasted 8 months until summer hit and it was just too hot. So I ditched the tie and rolled up my sleeves, and as still usually the best dressed staff at my school.

[Miyazaki]

Professors don't wear suits.

Teachers don't either.

[santafly]

useful info, thanx

[JL]

Incidentally, at 184cm and 85kg, while you'll still, without doubt, be considered tall, there are now plenty of Japanese males who are also tall and well-built. Twenty years ago, I had a good friend who was also exactly 184cm, and he had no problem buying clothing in Japan. Nowadays, should not be an issue at all. All the men's clothing chains which Southofreality lists, are very good options. And since you'll be in the Tokyo metro area, you'll have even more choices. I'm sorry that I don't remember the name, but I once was interpreting at a major judo tournament, and some HUGE Europeans were directed to... the Kanda district(?), I believe it was(?), where there are supposed to be a number of men's clothing stores that carry large sizes. Don't mark my words on it being Kanda, but by asking around once you arrive, you should find the district I'm talking about.

[alexcase]

I agree with degolasse. In Asia (Thailand, Japan and Korea) I wear my suit for the first few lessons, blazer for the next few etc, and then I'm down to beach shorts and flipflops by the end of the year without anyone noticing.

OK, I don't really wear flipflops, but you get the point...

www.tefl.net/alexcase

[JL]

Since we're talking about Japan here, I wouldn't "plan" on dressing down any further than a shirt and tie, along with a nice pair of slacks. If/when you notice your colleagues are maybe wearing a dress shirt, but with just a newer pair of jeans; or have kept the nice slacks but are matching them with a polo shirt, then you can take those as cues to relax it a bit.

Stick with a plan of showing up in Japan with your one nice suit. You'll have it for the beginning, which is still important.