Korean Job Discussion Forums

[wbryant400]

This fall I will be an EPIK teacher in Daegu. I have a question for you. What should I (male) wear? Also, when I go to orientation is their any general preference as to what I should be wearing there? Before I got this job I was a park ranger and most of my nicer clothes have gotten lost or were given away. I need to buy a new wardrobe before I leave and I need your help so that I can figure out what to buy.

[jeremydc808]

Good question, I may be in the same situation in the spring.

[YTMND]

Before I embarked on the journey into the ESL world, I stocked up on suits and bought some expensive shoes. Then, reality struck and each time I moved I left one suit behind because they are simply not needed. As for shoes, I had all my stuff packed during one move and they needed me to come in the morning after I arrived at my new place. With only a shirt, tie, and pants I headed up to the school and bought some shoes at a nearby store.

I wouldn't worry about going out and getting anything new now. Wait until you get to Korea. They will have stores and you will be able to get what you need. Generally, I wear a tie the first time and then just a shirt and pants. If you are out in a rural area they might be just happy to see you show up, so jeans might be acceptable. In that case ask your school specifically. Since you don't already have clothes, why gamble? Ask them.

Each employer is different.

[Seoulman69]

I've never heard a Korean complain about a foreigner being over dressed but I have heard them complain about foreigners being poorly dressed. Koreans are looks obsessed. Dress well and if you feel overdressed then you can dial it back a bit. You shouldn't be wearing denim or t-shirts though. Nice slacks and a decent shirt with a tie. (You can take the tie off if necessary).
Good luck.

[luckylady]

orientation - just be comfortable - it will be very very casual; you might even go on a field trip or whatever - and it is summer after all


teaching - you should be prepared for lax room temps, hot in summer, cold in winter; even in Daegu, bring warm winter clothes and wool socks. leave the suits at home, one maybe for special times

khakis, polo shirts, comfortable shoes. nice jeans lots and lots of cotton socks

cotton and wool are very rare in Korea. think layers.

[schwa]

Standards have changed over the years.

A couple years ago, an official memo went round to Korean male PS teachers suggesting they dress more casually to convey a friendlier classroom presence.

Rules of thumb:
no no-collar shirts
no distressed jeans
no sneakers

You might want to look a bit extra-nice for first greetings but dont go overboard. The honchos will be happy enough as long as you dont look scruffy & have a friendly smile.

I wear untucked short-sleeve cotton patterned shirts these days, as do almost all my K-colleagues, & I rotate jeans (blue, gray, beige) to no one's objection. Maybe I'll put on a tie for halloween -- it would make my girls shriek.

[Squire]

Your own standards are important here. I know many PS teachers who go to work in jeans and a t shirt, but I can't imagine their co-workers think too highly of that. Status here is determined by a lot of factors out of your control, but your appearance is something you can manage. I'd recommend at least shoes, trousers and a shirt, and a suit certainly isn't overdressing either.

On the other hand, in many cases you could dress better than every other male in the school (a nice suit will often be enough) and it still won't make much difference. I see no problem with NETs who don't care about their status and just turn up to teach their classes and leave at the end of the year.

Make your own choice but bear in mind appearance here is more important than it is in the anglosphere

[jonpurdy]

Dress well at first. You'll need at least one full suit for special occasions. Not a bad idea to wear it your first day.

Once you start teaching well and ace a couple of open classes then you can start dressing down (jeans with no rips and t-shirts), if you're young enough and good looking (to Koreans, haha).

Also depends on whether you're teaching elementary or middle/high. Elementary teachers can get away with much more.

[Squire]

[cheolsu]

[AsiaESLbound]

For men, khaki pants, collared button down shirts, a belt, and lots of smile factor works well. If you aren't wearing your smile and an upbeat energetic attitude for longer than a few minutes, that's probably worse than under dressing in jeans and T-shirt.

A couple male Korean co-teachers always wore full business suits in public elementary school like bankers, but the women wore almost anything extremely casual such as really long T-shirts, blouses, shorts, dresses, and all sorts of other skimpy casual outfits I can't accurately describe. For women, the main rule seems to be not showing shoulders, but I never seen the women teachers wear blazers or business attire.

I brought a suit, but maybe a smart sport blazer to match with your regular clothes might be good.

[Troglodyte]

I don't think they'll let you wear blue jeans. Jeans are considered unprofessional here. Black denim, maybe. You can probably wear polo shirts if you don't want to wear a dress shirt. You don't need dress shoes but no sports shoes. Anything made of leather (or fake leather) in a brown or black color is usually acceptable. Koreans like laceless shoes that can be easily slipped on and off. They take off there shoes everywhere.

[s.tickbeat]

Clean, dark-wash denim with no distressing, well-fitted (not skinny jeans, but not 'relaxed' fit either. Go for the straight leg)

Button-up flannel shirts, clean and pressed (with sleeveless shirts to wear under them)

Clean, fitted t-shirts. Nothing baggy, it should fit properly.

Pullovers, cardigans, and wool sweaters for fall (classrooms are unheated in Korea. . . )

Blazers and/or suitjackets, especially for the first few weeks. 3 of these will set you up for the year.

Comfortable shoes in a neutral color, brown or black, if you're only bringing one pair. Otherwise, match your shoes to your outfits as needed.

This is a business-casual wardrobe, perfect for teaching. Your school won't mind you wearing jeans, if your jeans are presentable. That means dark wash, fitted, no distressing - as long as everything is clean, fits well, and is in good repair, no one should complain.

If you're teaching for EPIK, these things will get you through fall and winter. The t-shirts will work fine for the first weeks of September when it's still summer here.

** a note on fit: if you have an alright body, DON'T get your dress shirts in the USA. People seem to like having the back of their dress shirts puff out, making you look like you're wearing a baggy shirt. Come to Korea and get proper-fitting collared shirts, that flow along your back and sides.

[schwa]

Re: slippers. OK, good catch. Slippers have been mandatory in every elementary school I've taught in, but the bulk of my teaching has been in secondary schools where I have never been asked to change out of my street shoes, even though most K-teachers do. Not one comment ever in over a decade.

Thankfully, since I find K-style slippers uncomfortable. My feet cramp up trying to keep them on, especially going up & down stairs.