Bwahaha! God no! Think moreover and flowy than that!
Ah yes, the random blazer fashions - I had forgotten about that / paired with the socks and indoor sandals!
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
Bwahaha! God no! Think moreover and flowy than that!
Ah yes, the random blazer fashions - I had forgotten about that / paired with the socks and indoor sandals!
Last edited by Randomgirl; May 14th, 2014 at 09:02.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
Most female JETs dress fairly terribly.Originally Posted by Tako
Female Japanese teachers, unless you're in the highest level of academic high school in a large city, have a lot of freedom. New Japanese teachers may well wear a black suit in the beginning, (usually with a skirt, wearing a trouser suit is a bit uncool in Japan) just to make a good impression but the two female teachers in my school that just started already ditched theirs. However you will need a suit for many ceremonies and conferences during the year so make sure you bring at least one. Day to day, shirts, blouses, cardigans, sweaters, anything not super casual, are all fine, slacks and conservative skirts for the lower half, though honestly you'd be fine with anything not jeans. Colour/pattern is not hugely important, though if in doubt stick to white, black, navy, grey or generally muted colours. The most important thing is not to wear anything that shows your neckline/collarbone (and absolutely no cleavage) no matter what you might think isn't that much, or much of your upper arms. Make sure you keep that covered up or people will think you're dressing a bit provocatively. Weird double standard, but Japanese girls in general will happily wear the tiniest of skirts/shorts without dreaming of wearing a remotely low cut top.
It is a lot harder for women to figure out I can appreciate, but basically imagine you're dressing to go meet your religious boyfriend's conservative parents for the first time and go for that. The basic idea is to present a certain image to the students that shows you're making an effort to follow the school rules/standards, so as long as you don't look like a slob or like you're dolled up for a night on the town you'll be fine. Oh yes, make sure your makeup is conservative/natural as possible too.
Finally, remember that ALTs get a lot of leeway and there won't be any consequences for being more casual than the teachers, especially at ES/JHS level where you're usually not a regular member of staff.
Oh, for footwear;
Basically no rules, though again, don't wear anything "provocative". Plenty of teachers wear the horrible "sandals" or tennis shoes/sneakers, though the sportswear look is a little uncool for women. If you wear shoes, as I do, then make sure you only wear them at work. Black shoes with a small heel or just pumps would probably be the best balance of style and comfort.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
Mods should make a clothing thread of the last few pages.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
This is a really apt description of what you should think. The other thing I would suggest, now that I was thinking about some of the other ALTs, is nothing particularly skin tight. Loose fitting describes most Japanese fashion, so you don't want to show up wearing Yoga gear top to bottom, or being a bigger person shoved into a sausage casing.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
Right, to me that would be obvious for dressing "conservatively" but good point. Wearing yoga pants is a double combo of dressing provocatively and like a slob.
My female teachers wear fairly close-fitting stuff, nothing super loose anyway. But you probably want to avoid kids and gym teachers ogling your exotic assets as much as possible. Nothing skin-tight, especially if you're anything larger than skinny.
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Good advice, I agree with Jiggit. You should be decked out in a full-on bondage suit. Nothing but latex and pvc. If you are still confused, think Halle Berry in that Catwoman film.
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This may vary depending on your schools. Some won't care if the ALT turns up in polo shirts and black jeans, others will start dropping passive-aggressive hints about "being cold/hot" or making other comments about your outfit.
As a general rule of thumb, you should look at the "average" clothing in your staff room; your vice principal will likely represent the high end, and PE teachers the low end. You should be somewhere a touch more casual than that average. Your vice principal's attire is also a good thing to watch for seasonal changes such as jackets, lengths of sleeves, etc. Change when they do.
...because Japan.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
I don't count those as consequences. If you want to make a good impression/fit in then you should follow how everyone else dresses, sure, but if you don't care then they'll give up fairly quickly.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
I tend to agree, but telling new ALTs there are "no consequences" to how they dress is misleading.
...because Japan.
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I didn't really say that though. Also you're talking about male teachers, whereas I was talking about women. Men have to dress more formally than women.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
At the risk of derailing things... You said "there won't be any consequences for being more casual than the teachers". I'm not sure how that and "telling new ALTs there are 'no consequences' to how they dress" are different. Also, nowhere did I mention male and female teachers.
...because Japan.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
Being "more casual" than teachers doesn't mean "dress however the fuck you want". I prefaced it with a bunch of advice about how to dress conservatively and what your coworkers will think if you don't. I think people have the ability to infer what that means.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
you need to wear a suit/tie/formal shit on your first day. after that just look at what everyone else is wearing and copy them. simple
Great men of action never mind on occasion being ridiculous; in a sense it is part of their job.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
Doesn't help if you bring wrong stuff with you and can't fit into Japanese sizes.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
then ask your pred, they can tell you what you need to bring. no point telling people on here to bring 3 suits and 15 dress shirts if they only need to wear a suit 3 times a year.
Great men of action never mind on occasion being ridiculous; in a sense it is part of their job.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
Except your pred might be an idiot. Also no-one has told anyone they must buy three suits and fifteen shirts, L2readingcomprehension.
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I never said they did, L2readingcomprehension
Great men of action never mind on occasion being ridiculous; in a sense it is part of their job.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
OK well please continue your very valuable service of telling no one not to say something they never said.
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
As I patiently await my placement news, a question popped into my head about them.
Do US ALTs usually take the placement of a departing US ALT? Does the JET Programme usually replace the departing ALTs with a new ALT from the same country, or is completely randomized??
Re: T minus one week until We start finding out!
This is done at the request of the CO. They can request another Aussie if they had a good experience with one. However, if they have no preference, then a U.S. JET can be replaced by someone from another country, and vice a versa.
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