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In January I started teaching at a community college. Although there is no dress code, I do dress somewhat formally while on campus. Every day I wear a short-sleeve polo shirt, black dockers, and black dress shoes. Even though I could dress more casually then that and not be in violation of any rules, I don’t primarily because I am young (28 years old) and I don’t want to be mistaken for a student, and also because I want my students to take me seriously, respect me, and see me as an authority figure. I also do it to look professional to my colleagues.
But I am truly a casual dressed at heart. VERY casual. Outside of work, I prefer to just wear a T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops (nice leather flip-flops, not the cheap rubber kind) while out and about. Right now, that’s no problem for me as I live about 45 minutes away from the city that I work in, so I never have to worry about running into either a colleague or a student while dressed very casually.
But next semester, I will most likely be living in the same city that I work in. What worries me is that I will inevitably run into colleagues and students while out and about. I guess what bothers me about it is that it would just be awkward for me to run into a colleague or a student while I’m dressed very casually (T-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops), as that may affect their perception of me. Is this an unreasonable concern? Should I simply keep my work life separate from the rest of my life, and dress as casually as I’d like outside of work without worrying about what effect it may have on how colleagues and/or students perceive me?
I just feel really torn on this, because on the one hand I don’t want to dress formally 24/7, but on the other hand I don’t want my casual dress to have a possible negative influence on how students and colleagues perceive me. Please share your thoughts on this!
Einstein never did his hair and was quite well respected...
If you know your stuff, don't worry about it. And you are no longer in high school - your students as well - they tend to act more grown up - again don't worry about it!
If this is an issue for you, I'd dress less casually when I was out and about for a few months. I imagine after a few months of this, you will feel more secure about dressing your normal way.
But I don't think this is an issue, really. Do what you feel comfortable doing, even if it means you put good tennis shoes and long pants on. I mean, if you are worried about meeting people you know, you won't enjoy dressing in shorts and flip flops.
I would find a happy medium. I wouldn’t push the envelope on going too casual because you want your dean to know you have a sense of pride in your position. You are representing the institution when you are there and not your personal taste. I wore a tie on my first day of teaching in a community college. It was a little much but I had a meeting with the college president on my first day and it was his first day on the job too.
Jeans, tennis shoes and a shirt with buttons were the norm where I taught. I was a little older when started teaching so when I came home it was off to my kids school stuff so I didn’t feel I was over dressed when I wasn’t teaching, which BTW was all the time in community college jobs. I do recall that guys who taught the important transfer classes like; history, math, science and were very good at it could dress anyway they like.
Seems like I had just as many students who were older than me as were younger than me and when I saw them away from teaching it was okay for them to see me dressed the way I "normally" dress. IMO It conveys that you have clear boundaries between your personal life and professional life.
Last edited by thriftylefty; 02-07-2015 at 06:15 AM..
In January I started teaching at a community college. Although there is no dress code, I do dress somewhat formally while on campus. Every day I wear a short-sleeve polo shirt, black dockers, and black dress shoes.
Excuse the indirect response but my college teachers always wore shirt with tie and jacket. Your attire would've been more like that of a typical student.
Excuse the indirect response but my college teachers always wore shirt with tie and jacket. Your attire would've been more like that of a typical student.
Mine too.
Anyways, I wouldn't worry about it. Most professionals dress casually outside of work and sometimes run into other (casually dressed) colleagues and students, clients, patients, customers, etc.
You teach at a college and you wear a short-sleeve polo shirt and black Dockers???? Where is this community college, in the Bahamas? If you are concerned about your appearance and want respect, put on a long sleeved button down shirt and necktie, and at least a sport jacket. I say "at least a sport jacket" because if you can manage a couple of suits on your salary, they should be in your everyday classroom rotation, along with several sport jackets. You can take your sport jacket off while in the classroom teaching if you desire.
Don't worry about how you look when you are not on campus. You have a life off campus and your students and colleagues know that. All professionals, even ex-presidents, wear jogging suits, shorts, jeans, flannel shirts, and t-shirts when running or running errands. But while you are on campus, you need to look like a teacher, not a student.
Ahh academia where a short sleeved polo shirt is formal
Most importantly, make sure the clothes are clean, non wrinkled, and have somewhat of a new appearance. It helps a casual look being different than a homeless look.
A few ideas to keep things casual and comfortable but not too much.
- flip flops are never really okay except at the beach. A pair of loafers go great with jeans, shorts, or slacks. Still very comfortable,
- if you do shorts and it's not the middle of July, go with a casual button up shirt. Looks great with loafers.
- if you wear jeans, a t shirt is fine. I'd advise against shorts and t shirt if it's not summer.
- a polo shirt can go with anything - slacks, jeans, and even shorts depending on time of year.
I really think Americans dress way too casual. Jeans and a nice t-shirt always works well.
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