Job Discussion Forums

[Alfie]

Can anyone describe to me basically how teachers are expected to dress for work at HCT? For ladies, how long must their skirts be and are slacks appropriate? Are short-sleeved tops OK? and shoes with open toes?

Also, if the a/c is always on, does it get chilly in the classroom and office?

Thank you.

[veiledsentiments]

This has become more of a personal choice than in the past, but it depends on some factors. The smaller the Emirate, the more conservative the dress. If you are teaching men, I would dress more conservatively than if I were teaching women.

Personally my skirts were mid calf or to the floor. My sleeves were always at least to my elbow. And, I wore open toed sandals every day of the year. After my first year or so in Gulf, I never put on another pair of slacks for work because in the heat and humidity, skirts are 100% more comfortable. Away from work if I wore slacks during the cool weather, I always wore a long tunic top.

Usually you can control the temperature in the classroom and keep it comfortable, but the public areas and offices are usually iceboxes. I always kept a sweater in my office or cubicle and in my car.

But, no one actually ever told me what to wear or what not to wear. Common sense is the key... and how much attention you want to attract. The more skin you show and/or body shape you show off, the more possibly unwanted attention you draw.

VS

[teacherbel]

I am in the Philippines right now, and I only wear spaghetti blouses and slacks for school and knee length skirts..So, I gather I should start having longer skirts made (this is cheap in the Philippines) and buy off the rack blouses then? Is that correct?
Thanks,

[mishmumkin]

Cheap to have both made in the UAE, teacherbel. I prefer trousers to skirts (VS's thighs must not touch one another), and if you can find some nice dressy croppsed trousers that hit below the mid-calf I find that they're most comfortable for teaching. Like VS suggested, lots of 3/4 length blouses are best. There are many great textiles to chose from in the UAE, and tailors do a great job of copying readymade items (usually-ask around for a recommendation).

[helenl]

Cropped pants can be an "issue" for some supervisors - at least in one of the colleges. However, I believe she has since moved on and they are now acceptable. The ladies have always had more leeway with their wardrobes than the guys, who are required to wear shoes and socks year round, ties and long sleeved shirts - bummer

[mishmumkin]

I worked for a school that had a problem with cropped trousers but allowed skirts just below the knee. Not sure what the issues was, unless they trousers looked too casual.

[veiledsentiments]

[tmac-100]

At the 2 colleges I have worked at, the standard for men is "casual business dress" which equates to shoes, pressed pants, shirt and tie. No comment on sox ... Several also wear a sports jacket/blazer.

The shirt can be (in my colleges) short/long sleeved. Ties can be "string" conventional, or... One colleague wears traditional Pakistani shirts which have no tie because of a "chairman mao" type of collar. I have not (personally) seen a bow tie worn at any of the colleges, but I suppose there will be someone who can claim a "first to wear"..

[helenl]

the dress code is standard, it's the enforcement that varies from college to college. I do know of some colleges where the guys can get away with short sleeves, and so far as I know ALWAYS shoes and socks unless you are Emirati in traditional dress.

[globalnomad2]

The HCT dress code for men is/was (as of my departure in 2002 anyway) definitely the same throughout the system for men, VS. Long-sleeved shirts with ties; slacks, certainly office shoes and socks, no athletic shoes. But I used to buy black athletic shoes without markings that could pass for office shoes--after all, they don't have to be shiny.

My sleeves were always rolled up to my elbows at DWC and nobody ever called me on that--and good old Howard saw me practically every day.

[D. Merit]

As in pretty much all other 'International' Education environments, men have to wear a shirt, dress slacks and dress shoes.

And women wear whatever the hell they like - t-shirts, sarongs, flip flops, you name it.


Good for them, eh.

I'm not sure where on earth you can be working, billy bee, with your comments about a relaxed mens dress code.

You say 'rumour has it' at the start of your post, then 'It's absolutely true' at the end.

Make your mind up, my corpulent compadre![/i]

[Sui Generis]

At my college guys had to wear a tie. Women generally did not wear sleeveless tops but I did see some short sleeves. Open toed sandals for women were common. Skirts shouldn't be above the knee, but I saw some of those. Not often. Trousers were fine.
Generally I thought people looked pretty professional, with some noteable exceptions.