Job Discussion Forums

[alc]

I've been to Indonesia several times so I know how to dress appropriately while traveling as a tourist. I've been working in the hotel/restaurant industry since I finished university 7 years ago and have always been provided a work uniform.

Can any of the women working as teachers in Indonesia give me a rundown on the standard dress code for language schools? I don't own one item resembling "professional attire". I'll be stopping off in Vietnam on my way to Indonesia so I'm planning on getting a new wardrobe tailored for my work needs while I'm there. I'm guessing closed toe shoes, slacks/dress pants, etc. will be the answer, just wanted to check. (Obviously skirts and sleeveless blouses are not appropriate, so that doesn't leave too much leeway.)

Thanks, Amber

[missjo]

Hi Amber

I've not found dress codes for female teachers here very different from anywhere else in Asia I've worked. Skirts/dresses are usually ok if below the knee (knee length is fine until you sit down!) and I've never had a problem with 3/4 length sleeves but bare arms are out. You may find that a national love of chilling air con requires a few layers if not thermals

I know some schools do ask for closed shoes but I've never had a problem with sandals.. unless you count buying lots of them.

Have fun at the tailors!

[laughing_magpie06]

This was another bee in my bonnet when I was living there. Women seemed to be able to wear any clothes they liked as long as they were deemed to be neat. On the other hand in Indonesia it seemed a man without a tie might as well have walked into the classroom naked. Now I must admit I found it incredibly uncomfortable getting around in the tropics wearing a tie. In Darwin, for example, business attire is far more relaxed than in the southern cities. Now with Jakarta's extreme humidity, it is downright uncomfortable. For me women being able to choose what they wore and men being told to dress up was a form of reverse gender discrimination. Needless to say since i've been home I haven't worn a tie since.

[wailing_imam]

Well, why don't you leave your ties in the office then?

Most Indonesian men do not wear ties to work. An open necked shirt is fine for most teaching gigs. Any gig that requires wearing a tie sounds suspicious, relying on well dressed white dancing monkeys rather than quality teaching.

[tanyakenapa]

Our office just started a dress code this week. (8th Feb)

Basically no jeans or t-shirts, we had teachers turn up in jeans everyday, even with a button up shirt, the guys do not have to wear a tie.

Ladies nice button up blouse, slacks or skirts, and no sleeveless shirts/dresses.

No opened toes sandals or flip flops allowed. The ladies do not have to wear high heels. I heard that was a requirement at a school somewhere in Jakarta......

[malu]

I worked for more than 2 years at a school where men had to wear ties and women had to wear itchy polyester uniforms. Not nice.

Where I work now there is no such silliness and the teaching staff seem to be quite capable of dressing themselves without any nannying.

If you work in a business English environment then you may have to dress the part, but in the majority of cases where schools have a detailed dress code this is done purely for show and pomp. Even sillier are some of the student school uniforms I've seen around Indonesia. The ones with the various McHaryono and McSoetomo tartans can be the worst - complete with little waistcoats and elasticated ties.

[Vertumnus]

What I've noticed here is the same frustrating double standard that I saw back home. Of course, different workplaces have different standards, and you can sometimes get around the standards.

Guys: don't like wearing a tie? Wear batik, swear you are showing respect for Indonesian culture, and lament the loss of batik as a cultural heritage.

I'm going to give rough guidelines for ladies but, again, it really depends on where you work, and where the bosses come from. I've seen places where strapless sandals, sleeveless blouses and short skirts (not mini) are ok, but I've seen other places where everyone comes in looking like spiffed up in Western-style dress shirts, pants and shoes.

Sleeved shirts/blouses/dresses (no spaghetti strap/strapless/sleeveless) - the longer the sleeve, the better, but short sleeve is often ok
Dresses and skirts should go below the knees when SITTING, and longer is better (unless you enjoy having all the men stare at your panties when you're sitting on the floor)
Sandals, half shoes, or shoes (even a very open design is often ok) but no flip-flops
No t-shirts, shorts or jeans

Most of the time that there are problems with the dress code it's because foreigners don't want to buckle down and accept that they are not at home. I'd say that's often why the rules are made in the first place, although Caucasians often suffer these rules for more abstract and superficial reasons. Americans and Fillipinas (ie: female Phillipinos) are terribly shameless sometimes about their clothing, whereas Europeans and Chinese tend to be more conservative.

Women, unless working somewhere that requires a uniform or color code, are free to wear almost any color/combination. As opposed to men, who are expected to wear monotonous western clothing in the amazingly generous choices of blue, grey, brown and black. To top it off, men are prescribed dress shoes that are hot, while women enjoy breezy sandals. On the flip side, the women are usually cold since they don't stand up to the ACs the way the men can, and they don't have shoes and socks to take off on a routine basis (as it's common to take them off, especially in pre-primary, libraries, teachers' areas, bathrooms, etc.).

Ooops, now I'm griping. Sorry. Basically, you'll find lots of different standards. I've seen places that DO allow jeans and, on some days, t-shirts, although I have yet to find one that allows shorts (I'd be there now if I could).

I've never understood the adoption of uncomfortable western styles in a hot climate but, then, look at the traditional clothing of the old Javanese courts and such....

-D

[ljb]

Hi Amber

I would just like to agree with Miss Jo. As long as you realise that if you wear revealing clothing then the attention you receive will increase. If you can handle this then good for you.

In terms of work, the school I am at has a dress code of smart casual but prefers women to cover shoulders and not display underwear or wear skirts too short. Corporate classes are a little different and if we are teaching in a company a more formal dress code applies.

Men are able to wear Batik daily if they prefer this to a shirt a tie.

Happy clothes shopping Amber and welcome to Indonesia

[Chancellor]

I'm partial to banded (Mandarin) collar shirts and, with a little button cover, it slightly dressier than a standard shirt and tie.

Something like this: http://www.blair.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?storeId=10001&jspStoreDir=BlairCorp&pcats=101603%2C101676%2C101677&productId=36267&categoryId=101677&langId=-1&catalogId=10003&ddkey=ProductIdSearchCmd

Or this:

http://www.travelsmith.com/jump.jsp?itemID=1293&itemType=PRODUCT&sortBy=0&referring_url=CMSHP014

Or this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=350166310881&category=57991&_trksid=p3907.m263&_trkparms=algo%3DSI%26its%3DI%26itu%3DUCI%26otn%3D15%26po%3DLVI%26ps%3D54#ebayphotohosting

Most of mine are the Manzo brand.

And this is what I mean by a button cover: http://cgi.ebay.com/BLACK-SILVER-TUXEDO-SHIRT-BUTTON-COVER-Faux-Onyx-New_W0QQitemZ130273952554QQcmdZViewItemQQptZCufflinks