Bizarre dress code at private school: polyester & PE pants

[onlycw]

Image is everything - I get it. But I can't wear high end dress shirts or any pants unless they are black.

Those polyester shirts are a nightmare for men who sweat and then stink. Taking showers is not an option do to a high work load.

 

Kids now can have longer hair? (I recall and angry Thai teacher cutting off chunks of whoever he thought had too long hair, forcing them to get the mess corrected by a real hairdresser). And teachers can't just follow the standard dress code known as business attire?!?

 

None of the foreigners is teaching PE. And no, it's not just for 1 day of the week!

[thequietman]

A simple 'NO' should be sufficient.

 

Take a stand and if they don't renew, then fine but I would refuse to wear such garments. If you are clean shaven, dress shirt and trousers, then that should be sufficient.

 

I really don't understand why foreign teachers cannot or won't stand up for their principles. I say no to my faculty on a regular basis to the point that they no longer ask me. They do renew me however. Good luck.

[Scott]

Dress codes are fairly important to Thai schools and businesses.   I have known people who were given some leeway if they had a very good reason -- We had a teacher who was heavy and had an enormous neck.   Wearing a dress shirt with a Thai simply wasn't an option.   Fortunately for him, he had an advanced degree, and would be hard to replace.   I know a few other examples, but they are rare.  

 

I also know people who were fired (or contract not renewed) due to their appearance.  

 

There are two problems.   First is not wearing the 'uniform' of sorts, and second is not conforming or obeying superiors.   However, you approach it, try not to make it an act of defiance.  

 

 

[Falcon]

Can’t comment on the uniform given that teachers have to wear at schools here in Thailand but I can comment about the comment of “no foreign teachers teaching pe”.

 

the reason there’s no foreigners taken on specifically for pe. Reasons a threefold, 1. The pe teacher traditionally takes the male students enrolled in the raw daw (army cadets) either for their weekly meetings and this cannot be done by a foreigner. 2. The pe teacher traditionally is in charge, or takes the classes for the weekly scouts rubbish, err, meetings and again, foreigners aren’t allowed to run these classes. Third reason is that, here in Thailand, there is NO actual pe lesson as we in the west know it. PE or, physical education, consisting of running, push ups and general exercise are not taught in thai schools, what the Thais know as pe, is what we know as sports.

[Katia]

Thailand loves polyester clothing... this is surprising to you??

[ozmeldo]

Every teacher should be in a collared, button down shirt. In better schools, a tie as well. That is the dress code although even Thai teachers are slacking.

 

I see farang in jeans at their waist, untucked shirt. Slovenly. The kids never respected him either.

 

Or the moron that wears pub clothes to work. Specifically, an all black long sleeve shirt.

 

The women are the worst dressers. Cheap, light, flimsy one piece dresses, look more like a 500kg sack of rice. Thai teachers 55+ years old dress nicer.

 

They just don't care and all should be terminated.

[sensei]

I agree with your sentiments.

Polyester? Poly-NO-sir!

The fabric sticks to the body when you get a bit of sweat and smells no matter how often you shower and perfume/cologne doesn't match well with the scent coming out of the fabric.

 

There were times when the school handed out such shirts (one time a WOOL shirt). It went straight to the bin. I bought similarly colored cotton shirts and had it printed with the school logo.

i don't understand why they choose polyester when it is clearly not suited for Thailand and the kind of weather here.
 

 

[Andrew108]

Get a very light weight merino wool t-shirt to wear under the polyester one. I always used to wear a vest under my shirt when I was teaching in Thailand. Merino is better than cotton. 

[quandow]

Lots of schools looking for teachers. Find another school.

[Scott]

7 hours ago, Falcon said:

Can’t comment on the uniform given that teachers have to wear at schools here in Thailand but I can comment about the comment of “no foreign teachers teaching pe”.

 

the reason there’s no foreigners taken on specifically for pe. Reasons a threefold, 1. The pe teacher traditionally takes the male students enrolled in the raw daw (army cadets) either for their weekly meetings and this cannot be done by a foreigner. 2. The pe teacher traditionally is in charge, or takes the classes for the weekly scouts rubbish, err, meetings and again, foreigners aren’t allowed to run these classes. Third reason is that, here in Thailand, there is NO actual pe lesson as we in the west know it. PE or, physical education, consisting of running, push ups and general exercise are not taught in thai schools, what the Thais know as pe, is what we know as sports.

Not exactly correct.   Quite a few schools have foreign PE teachers.   There are varying degrees of participation in the scouting activity.   I don't know any foreign teachers that participate in the military training.  

[quandow]

3 minutes ago, Scott said:

Not exactly correct.   Quite a few schools have foreign PE teachers.   There are varying degrees of participation in the scouting activity.   I don't know any foreign teachers that participate in the military training.  

The school I worked at had a foreign PE teacher for every Thai PE teacher. They weren't allowed to do anything but stand there, so stand there they did. I and all my fellow homeroom teachers were required to attend their "scout" (military) classes. Same thing, do nothing but stand there while the kids sat on the ground and had some idiot yell at them for an hour.

[Scott]

3 minutes ago, quandow said:

The school I worked at had a foreign PE teacher for every Thai PE teacher. They weren't allowed to do anything but stand there, so stand there they did. I and all my fellow homeroom teachers were required to attend their "scout" (military) classes. Same thing, do nothing but stand there while the kids sat on the ground and had some idiot yell at them for an hour.

The scouting activities are different from the Cadet training that happens when they are in upper Mathyom.   That is generally done off site at many schools.   The scouting activity is done by every school.

Some schools do not have foreign personnel involved in scouting because it is mostly done in Thai.   I suspect you have worked at the few that do.  In general, it is a little like participating in the Thai traditional dance instructions.  

 

We are straying off-topic, however, in that the dress code for PE is different, but at this OP's school, he's not talking about PE uniforms.  

 

 

[melvinmelvin]

3 hours ago, sensei said:

I agree with your sentiments.

Polyester? Poly-NO-sir!

The fabric sticks to the body when you get a bit of sweat and smells no matter how often you shower and perfume/cologne doesn't match well with the scent coming out of the fabric.

 

There were times when the school handed out such shirts (one time a WOOL shirt). It went straight to the bin. I bought similarly colored cotton shirts and had it printed with the school logo.

i don't understand why they choose polyester when it is clearly not suited for Thailand and the kind of weather here.
 

 

polyester is a lot cheaper than pure cotton or linen or wool

thats why I guess

[Katia]

28 minutes ago, melvinmelvin said:

polyester is a lot cheaper than pure cotton or linen or wool

thats why I guess

That was my understanding, yes. 

 

Gotta love Thailand.  Polyester clothing and plastic shoes (I'm not talking el-cheapo sandals, I mean cutesy shoes that women apparently buy, couldn't find a pic but you know the ones, they look like regular dress shoes but they're plastic).  Every time I'd look at them and think "I like those!" I'd cringe as I thought of my sweaty feet sticking to the inside.

[melvinmelvin]

I know this is about dress code in private schools, but

was wondering if the dress requirements are similar in government schools?

 

[Damrongsak]

41 minutes ago, Katia said:

... Polyester clothing and plastic shoes ...

One of my Dad's business partners showed up at work one day in a new suit.  My Dad said "Nice suit, Al".  Al replied "Yeah, it's all polyester!"  ????

[ozmeldo]

3 hours ago, melvinmelvin said:

I know this is about dress code in private schools, but

was wondering if the dress requirements are similar in government schools?

 

Yes, there are dress codes, they are just ignored in the same way farang ignore everything else. Dress poorly, show up late, leave early, no deadlines, poor quality work, no lesson plans. Absolutely.

 

Look to the public school teachers. They are rarely discussed with foreigners because they will be ignored anyway and that's just conflict. As Scott stated, you can be fired or more likely contract not renewed. Smelling bad is absolute kiss of death.

 

As for the poly. If you haven't figured it out yet, East Asia is a drip dry world. Poly reduces wrinkles. Nice cotton blend shirt reduces wrinkles. I would just not wear the school shirt if it's one day a week. If this is daily, especially if I had to buy the shirts which I would never do - I'd be looking for another job.

[sensei]

This has a lot to do with their passion with football. Most of the football uniforms are made out of that same material. I agree with one post here, wear an inner cotton shirt under that polyester one. 

 

[otherstuff1957]

Government schools tend to follow a set pattern, though that pattern will vary somewhat from one school to another.  A typical pattern would be:

 

Monday - school polo shirt

Tuesday - khaki (civil service uniform)

Wednesday - scout uniforms

Thursday - shirt/dress/blouse in the school color (each school has their own badge and color or colors)

Friday - button down shirt/trousers or female equivalent.

[certacito]

14 hours ago, ozmeldo said:

That is the dress code

 

Please post the legislation that states this.

[certacito]

5 minutes ago, otherstuff1957 said:

Government schools tend to follow a set pattern, though that pattern will vary somewhat from one school to another.  A typical pattern would be:

 

Monday - school polo shirt

Tuesday - khaki (civil service uniform)

Wednesday - scout uniforms

Thursday - shirt/dress/blouse in the school color (each school has their own badge and color or colors)

Friday - button down shirt/trousers or female equivalent.

 

Actually, Monday is the day that they wear the Khaki uniform.

[otherstuff1957]

^ It's been many years since I worked at a government school, so my details are probably off!  Also I think each school may have a different day for scouting.

[LammyTS1]

I wear long sleeve shirts that are 65% polyester & 35% cotton, 3 days of the week and no problems with the heat.

The scouts shirt is thick and heavy duty, so although short sleeved, tend to sweat a bit when doing activities.

PE uniform is OK but the polo shirt is quite thick. 

[sensei]

10 hours ago, otherstuff1957 said:

^ It's been many years since I worked at a government school, so my details are probably off!  Also I think each school may have a different day for scouting.

It's usually the brown uniform on Monday. Thursday is scouting day in my school.

Wearing those set of uniforms are for Thai teachers.

The contract that I have with the school states that male teachers should wear long sleeve shirt and black pants. 

 

Female teachers are supposed to wear dresses that are long enough to go below the knees. But to be honest, I have seen teachers wear the tourist type pants in school. I also see a male teacher wear a long sleeved shirt with a tie while wearing cargo pants with lots of pockets and a pair of rubber shoes.

 

 

 

[wwest5829]

On 10/30/2018 at 8:09 AM, Scott said:

Dress codes are fairly important to Thai schools and businesses.   I have known people who were given some leeway if they had a very good reason -- We had a teacher who was heavy and had an enormous neck.   Wearing a dress shirt with a Thai simply wasn't an option.   Fortunately for him, he had an advanced degree, and would be hard to replace.   I know a few other examples, but they are rare.  

 

I also know people who were fired (or contract not renewed) due to their appearance.  

 

There are two problems.   First is not wearing the 'uniform' of sorts, and second is not conforming or obeying superiors.   However, you approach it, try not to make it an act of defiance.  

 

 

Agree. The issue appears to be polyester...so, approach in a mannerly way and offer that cotton shirts be substituted. That would address the material and I hope concerns about BO. 

[BurgerGung]

Thai schools should cherish cultural differences. Who has a problem with Western men wearing suits? What makes a Thai director want to belittle her underlings by applying the logic of Vietnamese kindergarten classes and Chinese tour groups? 

 

English tweed, Italian suits, - let us choose silk & linen and 100% cotton in this heat! 

[scorecard]

On 10/30/2018 at 5:14 PM, Falcon said:

Can’t comment on the uniform given that teachers have to wear at schools here in Thailand but I can comment about the comment of “no foreign teachers teaching pe”.

 

the reason there’s no foreigners taken on specifically for pe. Reasons a threefold, 1. The pe teacher traditionally takes the male students enrolled in the raw daw (army cadets) either for their weekly meetings and this cannot be done by a foreigner. 2. The pe teacher traditionally is in charge, or takes the classes for the weekly scouts rubbish, err, meetings and again, foreigners aren’t allowed to run these classes. Third reason is that, here in Thailand, there is NO actual pe lesson as we in the west know it. PE or, physical education, consisting of running, push ups and general exercise are not taught in thai schools, what the Thais know as pe, is what we know as sports.

My Thai grandkids have attended two primary / high schools English program both had foreign PE teachers. One school was bigger had an English guy as head PE teacher and another English guy under him, both well qualified, both had Thai teaching license etc.