What to Wear
Business suits, smart casual, any old shirt ...???
Teachers often wonder what they should wear when turning up for a new teaching job. Here are a few fashion tips we have put together based on the feedback we have received from teachers working around the world.
Contents |
Clothes
Generally speaking, formal attire (such as suits) is not expected in private English schools. Smart casual is more common. Unless you are tutoring corporate students or are a professor at university a suit is a bit of an overkill, sometimes even at interviews.
As a man you don't get the choice between a skirt (or dress) and trousers so you are ok there but as a woman a neat shirt and a pair of trousers will see you a long way. Sometime, especially if you teach young children, you may need to sit on the floor for some of the activities or mess with crayons and glue so a skirt or dress might be awkward.
- Bear in mind that in some Middle Eastern countries trousers may not be the ideal attire for women, who generally are expected to wear more feminine clothes.
- In Japan some schools provide their teachers with a uniform - suit & tie for men; black trousers or skirt & white shirt for women.
- In Germany students expect their teachers to be professionally turned out and clothes tend to be more formal than in, say, Korea or China.
Regardless though of where in the world you are teaching, forget short skirts, tight tops or provocative décoltés!
Overall smart casual seems to be the dress code most teachers advise to wear, regardless of which country you are in. This is for three main reasons:
- It is comfortable and allows you to go about teaching without worrying about where you are sitting, what shows when you are leaning on a student’s desk, and so forth.
- It makes you look approachable yet you don't stand out from your students, as you would if your clothes were too casual or too formal.
- It helps you fit in with the school staff.
Business casual look also works for some.
But, aside form personal preferences, remember that different schools have different perspectives of how teachers should dress, so when in doubt ask your employer. And, of course, once you are at school be aware of what your colleagues wear and try and see what is the reaction of both the school staff and the students.
Footwear
Don’t neglect to pay attention to your footwear, which should be clean and comfortable - you’ll probably will have to do quite a lot of standing up and walking around the class. No flip flops (even if it is 40 degrees and muggy) nor trainers and no open toed sandals (remember in some countries showing your foot is deemed offensive). In fact, you’ll find many schools include wearing closed shoes in their regulations.
If you are teaching Business English to adults you may want to wear a shirt and tie to look smart without having to wear a suit.
Plan for the Occasion
Business classes: (men) suit or shirt & tie; (women) suit or formal dress
Children classes: casual trousers & polo shirt or button shirt
Job interviews: (men) suit or shirt & tie; (women) suit or formal dress
Parent/Teacher meetings or special school events - (men) suit or shirt & tie; (women) suit or formal dress
To Sum Up
IN
- smart trousers/skirt
- neat shirt/blouse/top
- shirt and tie (jacket optional)
- proper shoes
OUT
- denim or ripped jeans
- short skirts
- low cut tops, or seethroughs
- sandals or trainers
