Appropriate clothing for teachers

Hi

I'm moving to Japan next week (Tokyo then Miyagi) to teach english in a school and i'm trying to pack my case.

I was told that it was required that i wear a suit to work and in some case i could go more casual, like in a pair of chinos and polo shirt (depending on the board of educations specs). I've tried to contact someone from the company but so far no reply so maybe some folk here could help?

It's just in case there's something that's frowned upon, i don't want to cause offence.

1) Are only dark suits permited? I was planning on bringing a black suit as well as grey but also a light tan suit for the warmer weather.

2) Does the jacket have to match the trousers exactly or is it ok if they coordinate?

3) Are short sleeved shirts ok to wear? (If not i'll keep the jacket on.....3(b) or is it not normal to take the jacket off during a lesson?)

4) I was told that i may take part in gym classes and they suggested joggers. But are shorts ok to wear?

5) Tie colours? In my family (maybe the majority of the uk) you wouldn't wear a plain black tie to work because it is customery to wear one at a funeral. So are there any colours or patterns that are not normally worn? Also character ties (nothing striking) but here it gives a laugh but maybe in Japan it would seem unprofessional?

6) Finally, i had my long hair cut to collar (collarbone) length as they asked me to in the interview but it is still of medium length. Is this length ok and am i allowed to tie it back in a ponytail if i need to?

Thanks for any answers. I know there may not be any set rules but just looking for an idea.

I worked for an extraordinary conservative jr. & sr. high school, and everything you mentioned in 1), 2), & 3) was fine. The foreign male teachers usually wore a dress shirt (short or long sleeved) with a tie and a nice pair of (dress) pants. A tie was a must, but the pattern didn't matter at all (except not all black, or all white). Your students will probably enjoy your funny patterns. I know other teachers at other schools, and I don't know anyone who wears polo shirts, but I guess it could depend on the school. As for your hair length and style, it depends on the school. It would definitely not be allowed at my school, but I know someone at another school who has long hair that he wears in a pony tail.

Cheers for that

I know the subject of hairlength has been done to death but can the school really force me to get it cut?

It's just that I think i look like a NED with really short hair and the hair i have just now isn't really long and can look tidy. If it was in a ponytail it would only be 1-1.5 inches long.

I suppose i could always get it cut over there if needs be.

Adam,

can the school really force me to get it cut?

If they think it's important, yes.

Adam, I think you should be most concerned about how you could explain to the students that male teachers are allowed to wear long hair while male students aren't. But in public schools in Tokyo and the surrounding areas, we see teachers with very colorful apprearances.

Hope you have fun in class!

As I said before, I think how long your hair can be and whether you can wear it in a pony tail will depend on the school. But given that they have already asked you to cut it, it seems like this might be something that matters to them. However, I would like to point out that your "can the school really force me to get it cut" question doesn't really seem to match your "...i don't want to cause offence" in your first posting. I mention this because, while I understand why you don't want your hair length/style dictated to you, I think you might be entering a cultural minefield if you take a stand on this. And since you will have other cultural baffleties (nice word-huh? I just now made it up) ahead of you, I would advise you not to make an issue of this particular one, since you will just be starting your new job there. Japanese, and especially Japanese high schools do not value individuality, and they are not going to understand where you are coming from on this. Instead they are going to see you as one of those foreigners who refuses to try to get along or to understand how Japanese do things. Also, in Japan new teachers are pretty much under the power of older teachers. I don't think that will be the case with you, since as a foreigner you fit into a different catagory, but it will make any hair protest harder for them to understand. I'm not Japanese, but I've lived here a long time, and I THINK a more culturally acceptable way to handle this would be to cut your hair as short as they want it. Then, gradually, each time you get it cut, leave it a little longer, until it's the length you want it. Then start wearing it in a pony tail when you come to school, but take it out when you get there. Then...well, you get the idea. I hope this doesn't sound too negative, because I've had a very positive experience at my high school. But sometimes you have to figure out when something really matters to you and when to compromise, even when you don't think it makes any sense.

I would suggest going conservative and conforming on the suit side, and leaving your hair as it is, because that's what/how they asked you to do before :) Just keep it tidy, that should be OK, but see how they react.

Hiring a non-Japanese teacher should be at least a bit of a learning process (about different individuals having different preferences) on the side of the school as well, at least a bit, while you've compromise a bit with your haircut already and conform with your suits and everything. I admit it sounds like a real conservative place though... Good luck in everything!

What about women? Hair up? suit?

Thanks for the posts guys.

Uco - If a student was to ask me then maybe i should word it the way my mother did to me, "When your big and ugly enough you can make those kinds of decisions by yourself". Meaning, respect and follow the wishes of your parents until your an adult, then you can decide if that really suits you. But maybe i'll make something else up. :)

M - the ponytail thing wasn't what i want to wear, it just makes my hair look like its been cut short from the front, i thought it would e a good common ground. I totally respect different cultures and i intend in following them but the way i've told about this job is that i will be teaching my culture at the same time. Although it sounds like i'm being stubborn, i'm not, i just don't give this topic a second thought over here.

Being at school (catholic) over here there were a lot of rules like no long hair, guys shouldn't have earings, no beards, girls should only wear skirts (even in winter). I think all generations evolve and try new things, some things work others don't and society will change because of that. At school i only ventured a beard (long hair at uni), and priciple teachers gave me talks on how this sort of behaviour would effect my grades i was becoming a stereotypical lay-about. I just told them to look at my grades (they were fine) and i was happy. The school now (wee brothers) has become more relaxed on those rules although they still come to light every now and then.

AK - I'm totally wearing suits :) I can't stand poloshirts. As you mentioned i've went halfway with the hair but if they don't understand it and really want it "to the bone" i'll explain my reasons and then get it cut again. It's only hair!

Miko - For women for my company i heard it was suits as well. Trousers or a skirt from the knee down. But i also heard on a forum that they have to keep their arms covered (maybe a taboo thing). That's why i was asking about the short-sleeved shirts for guys.

But either way, it should be great fun :)

Got some feedback from the company to those questions. The clothes issues were mostly all fine.

She mentioned that japan is still conservative and since the board of education still cosists of a majority of old timers they may not like wild ties or tan suits. But i guess it can't hurt to give it a try.

I was told that the hair thing (length) should be ok. She warned me that japan is prett hot just now but i've been there in late summer with shoulder-length hair, i'll just have to deal with it or have at it with a pair of scissors (^_^).

Yeah, the heat is a problem in summer- I have hair just past my shoulders (am female) and can't stand to have my hair down most of the summer, especially these 35- 38 degree days we have been having the last 2 weeks.

If I do have my hair down the ends of it get drenched in sweat in about 10 minutes.

I see Japanese women with their hair down but don't know how they stand it.

I think that the lady Adam talked to was refering to the enormous record-breaking heat and humidity that had been dominating Japan during the last week. It's nothing you can compare with the other summers.

Btw though, I have short hair now and miss my long hair because it was cooler being able to tie it up and show my neck completely. The inch of hair covering my neck was even unbarable until we finally had rain last night.