Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Neil]

Kindergarten: Casual wear.

Hagwon: Shirt and slacks.

Public school: Same as hagwon but maybe with a tie if asked.

Business classes: Oppa gecko style.

Never did uni classes but would assume it's the same as business,

It really isn't that difficult.

[toby99]

I have no problem with people throwing on a suit to their job, though it can look a little weird depending on the job. Nothing wrong with looking presentable.

What I think is funny is when a guy dresses up to the point where he looks as though he's about to direct a hostile takeover of Nongshim when in reality he's going to teach snot-nosed 4 year olds how to say "I like apples." It's not necessarily wrong, just funny.

Wouldn't little kids be freaked out? If you're teaching business execs then I can certainly see how such garb is appropriate.

[wooden nickels]

Me? NEW BALANCE and jeans. And a nice clean colored T-shirt or sweater.

I'm no Steve Jobs, but I don't have to wear a suit to sell my skills.

[Ginormousaurus]

Hopefully your personal hygene is a little better than the notoriously pungent CEO of Apple.

[wooden nickels]

2 long showers a day, one in the morning then another at night.

Well shaved and well groomed.

[big_fella1]

[Waygeek]

[robbie_davies]

Being on the verge of completing a masters degree. I understand that not looking or dressing the part is going to bring down the value of my new qualification to around 40%, as remaining fat and scruffy will keep my backside on a similar position on the totem pole whilst lesser qualified teachers get the better jobs because they do look smart and are in shape.

I worked with a guy in Saudi Arabia who had a total preppy look and he looked the part - in Korea he was a great success and the Koreans loved him and in turn - he loved Korea and was at a loss why I had a hard time there. Lesson learned.

There is good money to be earned in Asia with the right qualifications teaching EAP, but you need to look the part! Clean shaven, ironed clothes, colour co-ordination. It isn't that hard though it requires some effort and spending some money (Oh no! Shock horror) on a nice wardrobe.

[wooden nickels]

[Ginormousaurus]

[byrddogs]

I'm in the camp that dressing nicely is appropriate as a teacher. I'm also in the camp that wearing a suit to teach kindy is going overboard. We have a dress code in my dept. at my Korean school in China. This is only in my department; the rest of the school teachers dress however they want. For instance, the head of the Chinese dept. wears jeans and brightly colored sneakers everyday. I've got no problem with it, as I would dress that way anyway. What I do find odd is that this dress code only seems to apply to the NET males. The females have a dress code as well, yet they somehow get a pass and wear whatever they want. The Korean teachers certainly wear whatever they want (ie...jeans, sneakers, T-shirts, yada yada). It's a mixed bag of how people dress in this school. The secondary English teachers all dress pretty well, as do the majority of Chinese teachers (sans the dept. head). Many Korean teachers dress nicely, but there are some that bum it up as well.

[misher]

[atwood]

[Squire]

This time of year it's trousers and short sleeve shirts for me until the weather cools down. When it's cooler I'll go suit and tie or v-neck sweater and tie. Part of the reason is to separate myself from the ESL teachers going to work every day dressed like college students. I don't have anything against them, but don't want to be associated with that image.

[Paddycakes]