Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Richardjw84]

Hi everyone, new member here. I'm flying out to join the EPIK program orientation in a few days (a little late due to delays in getting a visa) and will be working in a school in Seoul.

Forgive me if this has been asked before but the search function doesn't seem to be working...I'm looking to get some information about the kind of work clothing that I will need to bring, I gather that Korean teachers are generally expected to dress smarter than their English counterparts but I was wondering to what extent this is. For example, do I need to wear a tie each day? Can I only wear plain shirts or will patterned ones be ok?

Any advice you can give me would be very much appreciated.
Thanks!

[Weigookin74]

Mostly jeans and a t shirt is what I wear. Occasionally, I'll wear dress pants and a button up shirt. The younger K teachers will dress down too. Older ones will dress up. But, I'm popular with my students and my schools like me. If they didn't and I were a lousy teacher, I might get crap I suppose. Dress up your first day or two, after that don't sweat it. But you'll get a milliion different pieces of advice here.

[Weigookin74]

But shorts, track pants, muscle shirts ought to be a no no. Just common sense.

[jrwhite82]

I usually wear a pair of dockers and a button down shirt in the winter. (Sometimes tie) In the spring/fall I wear a polo and dockers or jeans. During summer camp I wear shorts and a polo. During winter camp I wear jeans and a polo.

I think wearing dockers and a button down is on the dressy side. But that's the way I roll. Anywhere between slacks/button down and polo/jeans is where you want to be. A suit is too much for a Public School job. Shorts, ripped jeans and tshirts are too little in my opinion.

[jvalmer]

It all depends on the culture of the school. However the NET's will have a lot more leeway than Korean male teachers. I've worked in schools where every male wore suits even in July/August. Others where teachers wore those long training pants. To be safe bring one suit and a few pairs dockers and collared shirts. You can use the suit for special occasions if your school doesn't require it.

[Modernist]

Jesus, don't wear a jacket. During the summer it'll cook you. A tie will be nearly as bad. Wear one on your first day to make a nice impression on the principal and VP, and into the closet it goes.

I wear polos and certain kinds of button-ups in the summer, and that's hot enough as it is. In winter I wear button-up collared dress shirts, but no TOO dressy. Slacks should just be basic chino type, no cargo pockets, no creases, no cuffs, no rivets. Uniqlo sells an excellent line for 50K. Jeans should be worn only rarely; female teachers get much more leeway on this.

[pkang0202]

Business Casual. Khaki's and a polo shirt or button up with a collar.

Those of you who where a T-Shirt and Jeans....come on. Granted, if you've been at that school for a long time and the atmosphere is pretty relaxed then it should be fine.

As for a newbie coming to Korea and teaching for the first time, dress business casual. I would wear a tie for the first week or 2 and then do away with the tie.

[matthews_world]

The school knows me for my trademark Levi's cargopants and carpenter jeans. ^^ However, I will where nice brand polos or short sleeve wool button-downs in warm weather and a nice button down with a suit jacket or peacoat in the winter with slacks.

If you are hard to size - above an XL shirt or 36in waist then clothing will be hard to find here unless you go to big size shops in Itaewon, for example.

Bring some spare T-shirts and jeans. You can get stuff tailored rather cheaply and conveniently here.

[Bruce W Sims]

I noticed that noone has mentioned how the Korean staff dress. Anyone have any comments?

Best Wishes,

Bruce

[northway]

[itiswhatitis]

This is one of the MANY reasons why I'm glad that I am no longer working at a public school..........

I've been in Korea since November 2007, done a hagwon for a year, then a public school for a year and now I've been back at a hagwon for 2 years.

The dress code and the atmosphere in general is much more laid back at a hagwon. Frankly speaking, you should have went for a hagwon job instead. But now that you've got a public school job, here is my advice:

Principals are usually extremely strict about the dress code in public schools. If you want to get off on the right foot, I urge you to go to your principal's office on your first day (with someone who speaks English at your school-likely you co-teacher) and to ask him how he wants you to dress. This would be a strange thing to do in America/Canada etc but remember: you are in Korea.

If you make it through your year at the pubic school and you want to stay in Korea for longer (it's a wonderful country so you probably will) then you ought to definitely move to a hagwon after you are finished your year at the public school.

Good luck!

[pat258]

I teach at a public school, and I wear a plain t-shirt and a nice pair of jeans to school most days. In the winter, nice jeans and a v-neck sweater. Usually dress shoes too, although recently I've been wearing sneakers. Occasionally I'll dress it up a little more with a collared shirt, tie, and dress pants.

My first week here I wore a suit the first day and dress clothes for the first few weeks to make a good impression. I slowly eased my way into wearing more casual clothing, but I'd never wear a shirt with something written on it - always plain v-necks in varying colors (Uniqlo sells nice and cheap quick-drying shirts - crucial when doing laundry in the summer).

The Korean teachers at my school dress similarly, especially in the summer months when the heat and humidity becomes unbearable. You'll find that the older teachers tend to dress up more, while the younger teachers dress smart but fashionable and more relaxed.

Honestly, if you prove yourself to be an effective teacher and the important people like you a lot, you can get away wearing just about anything. Maybe I just got lucky with my school and everyone is really relaxed, who knows.

[wishfullthinkng]

just remember, here is no different than anywhere else in terms of a general ideal for professionalism.

whenever i'm walking down the street and i see a well dressed foreigner i do a little mental hat-tip to them because they seem to know what it means to be an adult and how to act like one. and to be bluntly honest the better dressed foreigners tend to be more successful than their peers and i'll explain why below.

when i see a foreigner in shorts, sandals, and baggy t-shirt or the ilk i cringe and think that they are perpetual children and that being here is nothing but a vacation for them.

but hey, maybe it's a vacation for you too and if it is, that's great, but wouldn't it be nice to immediately treat it like it's a professional job in case you happen to like it here and want to stay? plus for those fresh out of college it'll ease you into the mindset of how you should use your appearance if you decide to go down the corporate road because it really does matter. not to mention korea puts an incredible weight on a persons appearance and will be very verbal about it as other posters have mentioned. the way koreans speak to people is indirectly direct. for example, if they are calling you a little piggy, even if it sounds nice or like a little tease, is not intended to be just a little cute quip, it's indirectly and quite judgementally telling you to cut the chub. it's harsh, but that's how it works here.

lastly, if you fit the general build of most korean males here, don't waste the space or money buying clothing in the states and bringing them here. you can get dress pants, shirt, shoes, and ties on gmarket for ridiculously cheap and shipped to you in a day or two for free. a nice fitting and stylish full outfit of slacks, button up shirt, shoes and a tie can be had for less that 100k won. if you don't then i don't really have much advice besides hit the gym.

[jeremysums]

First day you should dress up nice. After they get to know you, just dress decent, no flip flops or plain tshirt.

[koreatimes]

I found Uniqlo is a nice place to get pants. It's a Japanese store, and Japanese tend to be shorter. So, if you get wider pants, the length will still match you. In Korea and China, it's hard to find clothes big enough where the sleeves and pant legs aren't too long. Uniqlo will also shorten the pants.