English teacher’s hair color?

This may sound like a silly question, but are there restrictions on English teacher's hair colors in Japan?

I ask because I am an English teacher here in Australia and they allowed me to dye my hair fire engine red. However, there is an opportunity for me to teach in Japan and I wonder if I will have to dye it back to a natural hair color.

It depends a lot on the environment where you will be teaching, but schools tend to be conservative and having red hair probably makes you less hire-able. Also, many schools have dress codes that don't allow anything too wild. They usually give foreign teachers a little more leeway but its probably the rare situation where the school would embrace fire engine red hair.

Thank you!

I have no problem dying my hair back to its natural color (dark brown). I was just curious.

As long as the color is natural looking you should be fine, fire engine red might be a bit extreme. ^^

having red hair (dyed, not natural) will make you unacceptable for 99% of all english schools

public schools and large generic eikaiwa in particular.

smaller schools may be more forgiving if you start with natural hair color and slowly lighten it over time.

i no longer teach but when i did, i started with black hair and wore a suit. gradually i changed my wardrobe to be more and more stylish (i like japanese visual rock and normally wear that kind of clothing). at the same time i slowly changed my hair style and color to be more and more flashy.

it got to the point where if i came into work WITHOUT flashy clothing people wondered what was wrong.

i think if you do it slowly you can probably get away with it at small schools like i did.

To winterwolf,

That's a smart move u made. Haha!
When I taught English at a senior high school, my students asked if I dyed my hair a little brown. This is a big issue because in Singapore, students are NOT allowed to dye their dye, not at this level & not even if the colour is natural-looking. So if my students thought that I dyed my hair, I wil be setting a bad example to them & possibly, I will be summoned for a one-to-one talk with the Head of Department.

And no, I did not dye my hair. I guess to be taken seriously in the classroom, it may be better not to be too fashionable. This is my two cents' worth.

It does depend where you work as each company will have their own rules on dress regulations. But the rule of thumb is as long as it's a natural hair colour (not necessarily your natural colour but a possible natural one) then it's okay. So fire-engine red may not be the best choice, a more natural redhead shade would be fine.

Also, like another poster mentioned, if you do decide to make changes to your hair or style, it's best to do it slowly as to not freak out your coworkers and students. I have naturally curly hair and whenever I straighten it for the day I have so many students and staff asking me about it.

So be prepared for staff and students to notice every change be it weight, fashion, hair or makeup and to comment on it.

as said it depends on the environment though generally you should start 'out there' rather than suddenly show up with an 'out there' appearance. Far more acceptable to have piercings, dyed hair, etc... from the get go than to suddenly just come in one day with it.

I totally disagree with that comment about 99% of companies wont hire you with red hair! I agree it does depend on the company, and whether its eikaiwa or a public/private school, but if you dont say anything they will most likely assume that it is your natural colour anyway. I am an English teacher in Japan and have very short, spiky , blonde (bleached) hair...which is what I had when i was hired 5 years ago. To any westerner it is obvious that it is dyed, as i streak it, not overall colour. However all Japanese think its natural...despite the roots growing out and my hair becoming almost entirely dark brown every month! I often get Japanese people who won't believe me that I am an English teacher here, because of my hair! But, Japan is slowly (maybe very slowly) being forced to accept that westerners are different, and are never going to fit into the Japanese mould. A friend of mine here colours her hair multicolours (blue, red, purple) and YES, she is an English teacher in a public school here. So my advise is go with whatever you feel comfortable with! It's as much about cultural exchange as it is about teaching.
On a side note....as a proud Aussie surrounded by American English in this country, I am disappointed in your spelling....if you are infact teaching in OZ! :(

Wow, thanks for so many responses! I would reply to each and every one, but it is hard to do on my mobile. Like I said, I have no problem dying it back to my natural hair color. This red is hard to maintain anyway!