Korean Job Discussion Forums

[optimus d]

another thread in one of the other forums got me thinking about what most of you wear to work. some went as far as saying they wore suits - im assuming theyre at uni jobs - and i have friends in japan that wear ties. when i started at my hagwon i wore typical office job clothes, but then i got progressively more casual as time passed - mainly b/c my korean coworkers would, so now i do the same and wear jeans, runners, hats, etc.. i realize how unprofessional this looks but if my coworkers do i figure its alright. do you go by what your coworkers wear or do you try to look as professional as possible?

[J.B. Clamence]

From what I've gathered, it varies widely from school to school. Some schools will expect you to wear a tie. Others are happy as long as you keep your shirt on. It all depends on the place that you work, but not necessarily the type of place you work. A lot of uni teachers end up dressing more casually than some hakwon teachers, and vice versa. It all depends on what your school expects of you, and expectations are different from boss to boss.

[inthewild]

I wear jeans and a dress shirt, maybe a sweater. This is a what my K-coworkers wear, too.

[fondasoape]

Try not to wear your underwear on the outside.

[nrvs]

I work at a hogwan and I usually wear what would be called "business casual" in the United States.

A button-down dress shirt, a pair of D1ckies pants (black or khaki), and non-sneaker shoes (I have a pair of black Coach shoes and a pair of brown Clarks). On occasion I will wear jeans with a more casual button-down shirt and sneakers. I have a bunch of vintage western shirts that look nice with jeans. I call the days I wear that stuff "casual Fridays," just like I would at home.

My coworkers wear t-shirts and jeans almost exclusively, but I've never worn a t-shirt to work. I feel more...authoritative with the kids if I'm wearing nicer clothes. All of the Korean teachers and staff wear dressy clothes so I figured I'd try to fit in.

I wore a suit to my first interview and a shirt and tie to my second, but I'd never wear really nice clothing to work. Do you know what the pink dry-erase marker ink will do to your clothes? Permanent stains!

EDIT: Can you believe the swear filter tried to *beep* my choice of work pants?

[sadsac]

My previous position was shirt and tie. My current position jeans and polo shirt. Far more casual and I don't mind it.

[Wisco Kid]

There's no dress code at my hagwon, but I choose to wear a button-down dress shirt, slacks and dress shoes. (No Tie).

I guess I feel more like a teacher if I'm not wearing a T-shirt etc....

[peppermint]

I normally dress very professionally, but my school is only semi heated, so I have the option of dressing nicely and shivvering, or jeans and a sweater and being able to teach- sorta.

[Daechidong Waygookin]

9/10 times a full suit and tie. Usually 3 piece suits (pants, vest, jacket). I have several so I dont wear the same suit two days in a row. Sometimes I will wear slacks and some kind of vest/sweater or just with a suit and tie.

[thorin]

Right now I'm wearing a suit with long underwear and two pairs of socks.

[Wangja]

Almost always a suit, usually 3-piece, trousers, waistcoat and jacket - but not in summer ... minimum rig is blazer and trousers. Saturdays, I sneak in wearing jeans and shirt. I am not a T-shirt person ....

[SuperHero]

suit and tie

[jurassic5]

school's closing at end of december...so these days, sweat pants and sweatshirt.

[I_Am_Wrong]

the only rule my public school has is no jeans. The Korean teachers are allowed to wear jeans but I'm not. For my first month I was all shirt and tie but now it's usually sweater with buttoned shirt underneath (grad student style). Just sorta neat and warm (my school is only semi-heated).

[Daechidong Waygookin]

Do you guys LIKE wearing your suits to work? Personally I like wearing suits more than jeans or slacks. What would your preferred choice of attire be if it was up to you?