Job Discussion Forums

[ella]

what is the dress code for most teachers at k-12 kolejis in istanbul?

any general thoughts on the matter are appreciated.

[gelin]

Well, if you're Ministry-mandated then you have to follow their dress code. For women that includes not wearing open-toed shoes, and no sleeveless clothing. The skirts mustn't be too short and no low-cut stuff. Does that mean that people follow it? Hmmm. The principal at my school was adamant about the shoes -- no sandals, but sleeveless was okay. Ask the school.

[ghost]

When Ghost taught at a K-12 Koleji on the South Coast in 2003, he had to wear a shirt and tie every day. Dress pants and formal shoes were also the norm.

Private schools justify the dress codes, telling you that `serious` teachers in Turkey should dress like serious people.....

The truth of the matter is that the dress codes are part of the image the schools wish to project to the parents and prospective ones. But even in Public (non fee paying schools) schools in Turkey, the teachers are expected to dress formally. A cultural thing.

It is inconvenient because it means a lot of laundry and dry cleaning expenses.

Language schools are more flexible with dress codes. A colleague from South Africa at a language school in Eskisehir used to wear leather trousers and high heeled shoes to class....with a tight fitting dry fit shirt...the students found this interesting, especially the females in his class who found him interesting in other ways too....

[yaramaz]

Ghost, he used to wear that outfit to school in Kayseri too, you know, except the high heeled boots didn't go over so well--- when he visited my grade 6 class my students asked me if they were orthopaedic boots worn because one leg was shorter than the other. I said yes. The kids accepted it.

As for dress code, it is oddly flexible in some ways. I could wear sleeveless shirts and sandals in the warmer months, no problem, but one teacher got reprimanded for wearing a sleeveless shirt in winter, under her coat. Another was told that her knee length skirt worn over black tights was too short. However, there were quite a few young female Turkish teachers who dressed as though headed for the disco, with spike heels, heavy make-up, surreally tight clothes, and seriously blow dried and styled hair.... ready to impress those 7 year olds....

[ella]

i suppose it might be a step up from what i have been wearing here, which might sometimes be close to what i slept in. ha ha. it's okay, throw some glam back into my life. the leather pants man sounds like a blast.

[ghost]

The `leather pants man` was a blast, and he had some unorthodox teaching methods.

His preferred lessons revolved around focusing attention on the words of his favourite songs...which he would play ad.nauseum day after day to his entranced students. Other teaching methods were more conventional....but a lot of his teaching took place outside of the classroom, for the lucky students who won his approval. This guy would get about 10-15 invitations a day to visit students after class, such was his charisma and personal appeal. He was one of the few people still obsessed with Michael Jackson...and he possessed the entire stock of his hits...he would also not hesitate to give a Michael Jackson dance imitation in class.

Although his methodology was somewhat sketchy, he was popular, and we all wish him well....including his former friend and fan - Yaramaz...who has quite a history with said `leather pants man` both having worked at a certain Koleji in Kayseri over one year...

[yaramaz]

Huh?

[dmb]

So Yaramaz. You like men with leather pants(Is that US or UK pants?) Tell us more.

[yaramaz]

*cough*







Hey, ghost, have you ever heard about a thing called discretion? Very handy thing to use on a forum where a lot of people actually KNOW each other and might not want everything to be discussed without permission. Whatever leather-pants-man told you isn't true... Or maybe it is. I dont know. In any situation, it aint none of yo' business.




dmb, I need a beer


p.s. He wears leather trousers, not leather underpants, in case you were wondering. And he is still my friend and I was never a fan.

[dmb]

A beer will be here on your arrival. I need a beer too. I've just got back from Taksim Ilk Yardim. Fractured my wrist coming out the shower this morning- still I've got the day off work

[Bogazicibaby]

oh wow!
gecmis olsun
Do you need a good orthopedic doc? I know one who used to practice in the States- so speaks great English.
Maria

[dmb]

Thanks for the offer. One of my old students is a doctor at Taksim. So he was able to help me miss out the 'queuing system' I was in and out in no time