Korean Job Discussion Forums

[jamesandjessica]

I have seen a few posts regarding men and grooming, but I am curious about what most women wear when teaching classes? Do most of the schools have some type of dress code for teachers?
Thanks, Jessica

[peppermint]

Business casual is a safe bet. If you're teaching kindy, you can go a little more casual, if you're teaching business men- dress professionally

Koreans are somewhat more conservative than westerners- bare legs or shoulders are a big nono at work and showing any amount of cleavage will only draw negative attention.


I generally wear a knee length skirt and shirt most of the time. Most skirts take up very little space in a suitcase, don't need ironing, and they look professional but keep you cool in summer.

[ilovebdt]

I work at a high school. I always wear trousers and a nice shirt or jumper with smart, but comfy, black or brown flat shoes.

Just what your teachers used to wear when you were at school.

When I worked at a hagwon, I would wear t-shirts, smart jeans and trainers or shoes.

[Yu_Bum_suk]

Women can get away with jeans easier than men, but if no other teachers at your school wear them, it's not a good idea. Dressing sexy if teaching teenage boys would not be a good idea. Like with men, it really depends on where you're working.

[crazylemongirl]

I would advise against skirts... kindy kids will lift em up and older boys will look up em. Just a pain.

Nice pants and shirts. Though some schools are ok with jeans. Just look for what the other teachers are wearing.

[simone]

Nothing like a good tailored vest to cover the boobs. I had one black one made that was tapered in the waist a bit - it was always flattering.

When I first came here, I had only western-style bras, ie, not padded, and whenever the aircon was on high I noticed the attention level of my students dropped. Of course, for many of the guys, they hadn't been reminded of the existence of nipples in many a day.

I also find that an untucked dress shirt is more "dressy" if you have a vest over it.

Knee length pencil skirts may be harder for kids to look up? Loose ones have that "flash" effect that may be too much a temptation for the little ones.

Definitely bring at least one pair of dressy comfortable shoes - as high as is comfortable. Damned hard to find here. At least once a year I'm shelling out close to 150 bucks for Rockports.

[thursdays child]

As already said..... guage appropriate dresscode from your co-workers.

I'm at a girls high school - so the occasional flash of skin (I mean the tiny gap bewtween pants and top) doesn't get a hysterical reaction like when there are young kids or boys about.

When I first started I was told there was no dress-code. I know the foreign teacher before me wore jeans everyday and the Korean teachers seem to go from ultra-smart to ultra-casual day by day.

Defitnly dress smarter when somebody important is coming to the school.

As for shoes..... this is my 4th year (5 schools) and I've always had to wear slippers. Which I hate coz I'm a shoe gal. And it's cold i the winter!

[Pak Yu Man]

G stings are Okay at my school.

[jacl]

Here's a good example of what female teachers should wear:

http://galleryimage.naver.com/1/2003-10/30/23/23m2228m0.jpg

[jamesandjessica]

Thank you (most of you) for the advice. As far as slippers... do you mean you actually wear slippers while teaching?

[The Man known as The Man]

the less the better


princess, it's true

[peppermint]

[plattwaz]

I've had various ranges of dress codes at my different workplaces -- two of the schools required quite "smart" dress - nice trousers and dressy shirts, no jeans or khakis, no trainers.

One KG that I worked at actually INSISTED that we wear jeans and t-shirts or very casual pants and t-shirts...I got soaked one day walking there in the rain, and only had my gym clothes to change into and the director was THRILLED, said I looked "cute"...her rationale for this dress code was that she wanted us to always be active with the children and didn't want us in any way to worry about getting dirty. We also wore "slippers" that she provided, which were a pain, but it saved my shoes from hundreds of paint accidents and little ones stepping on them.

Currently, my school is "anything goes" and my own attire ranges daily from dress pants or skirts to jeans and nicer tops. The Korean teachers come in some days looking like they are going to a ball, and the next day looking like they are in their PJs. If I wear jeans I try to wear a nicer shirt, if I wear a shirt, I try to dress down on top a bit.


Sooooo, in other words -- ask your employer what the dress code is BEFORE you pack your suitcase! If you are coming over without a job, I would suggest the more conservative clothes, as it would probably be the most normal dress code.

[jamesandjessica]

Thank you for taking time to answer all my questions.

[Yu_Bum_suk]