Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Demonicat]

conversly, dressing nice is a heart breaker if you teach the young kids who have a propensity for spilling things. I used to dress nice, until my khaki slacks had paint stains, my white shirts had kimchi marks, and mt ties were covered in glue and sparkles.

[crazylemongirl]

[desultude]

I think if I taught small children, I would wear plastic clothes! I got stains on a brand new suede skirt last winter at camp.

There is nothing wrong with nice casual- too dressed up can be stiff and intimidating. But tee shirts and jeans, mismatched hanging out clothes, etc., give a bad impression.

A person can be casual and really well turned out, or dressed sloppily in a suit and tie. How you wear the clothes matters, too.

[gotokorea]

ok... I think I will try to take the proffesional yet casual approach. I'm just worried cucause most of my clothes now are Calvin Klein OR Abercrombie of Armani Exchange. I just don't want to destroy them. Should I buy some less expensive clothes for teaching? I always want to look fabolous, but I don't want to ruin anything from the lovely little ones.....

[Qinella]

gotokorea, if you're teaching at a hagwon, what you have is perfect. I brought over a bunch of button-up shirt and ties when I moved here, and constantly kick myself for not bringing more A&F, Polo type clothes over. The tie thing gets in the way, and didn't last a single day at the hagwon. Button-up shirts are just too uncomfortable and sweat-inducing during the summer. I wore them only occasionaly, but never tuck them in. Tuck in is too formal for the hagwon environment.

FYI, the Korean teachers at my school dress like they are at home. I can't imagine people in Korea even going out in public looking the way they do sometimes, but they sure do it! I mean, beat up tennis shoes, saggy pants and a t-shirt? Wtf?

Basically, dress casual is a great place to be, in my opinion. If you're a guy, collared shirts and decent pants with comfortable, but dressy shoes. If you're a girl, I'd go with pants and blouses. Skirts... don't think so. Not at a hagwon (refer to crazylemongirl's post about boys). People here are ultra-sensitive to female bodies aka sexuality.

Cheers,
Qinella

[gotokorea]

alright, sounds good to me. So the object is to try and look alittle better than the Korean national teachers for respect for ourselves and our country where they see us as a sloppy dressing nation... but don't over-do it. OK

[the_beaver]

[gotokorea]

So then, what are you all wearing to school for Halloween??? I'm thinking of being a sexy vampire with a shot gun. Would that be aloud ??

[The Man known as The Man]

Corporal, this thread is in dire need of a spelling and grammatical nerd

[VanIslander]

Tie and dress shirt and no jeans.

A professional dress code by my own choice.

Though I do roll up the sleaves, unbutton the top and loosen the tie, and often wear casual slacks.

[mysteriousdeltarays]

I usually wear a thrift shop suit with a polyester tie, but then I am a much revered leader of the neo nazi movement.