Tips on Dressing for Your New Role as a Teacher

Congratulations! The application process for jobs in education can be quite rigorous, and the schooling it took to get you there was likely stressful as well. Now that you’ve finally made it, you may be wondering what you’re going to wear to work. While your new school likely enforces a dress code, it can be difficult and even stressful to figure out what to wear when you start your new job. For example, you don’t want to dress too professionally for fear that the students will find it difficult to connect with you. In contrast, you don’t want to dress too casually for fear that you won’t get respect. Thankfully, there are ways to strike a balance. Here are our tips for dressing to impress for your new role as a teacher.

Dress for Comfort

You’ll want comfort to be paramount when dressing for your new role, especially if you’re teaching a younger grade that has you bending over to talk to little faces all day and stooping down to tie their shoes. At the same time, however, you’ll want something that stays in place. This applies for older grades, too. You don’t want to be tugging on your shirt or fiddling with buttons when you’re supposed to be focused on the task at hand. And the fabric should be comfortable, as well. Consider some custom business casual pants that have a bit of stretch so they move with you instead of against you. They’re also wrinkle-resistant, so they come out of the dryer ready for you to wear instead of wasting precious time ironing in the morning.

Invest in Staples That Won’t Break Your Budget

Since you're just beginning your teaching career, you’ll want the clothes you buy to last, be affordable, and be enjoyable to wear. Consider items of clothing that are timeless, like custom work polo shirts or cashmere sweaters and straight-legged pants. If your school sells spirit wear, be sure to order a shirt for yourself. You may be limited to specific “spirit wear days,” but dressing for them can be made much easier since you can just wear a shirt with your school’s logo on it with a pair of pants or even jeans. On other days, stick with clothes that are neutral-colored for any season, so you can mix and match them throughout the year.

Find the Right Footwear

Unless your job as a teacher involves teaching online and sitting at a computer all day, you’ll be on your feet for a good portion of the day. This may take some getting used to, so you’ll definitely want to invest in a quality pair of shoes that puts comfort before fashion. Some brands are notorious for this, but they can also be quite expensive. You shouldn’t have to pay more than $100 for a pair of dress casual loafers with good arch support and enough cushion to last the day. Consider basic black or a neutral camel color to match most outfits. Buying them in leather gives an extra polished look as well.

See what the dress code is for your school in regard to shoes. Some are more relaxed on their footwear guidelines than others, as they understand the toll that teaching can take on your feet and want you to be comfortable and healthy instead of struggling in pain. They may let you wear athletic shoes as long as they’re in good shape.

Show That You’re Organized

Teachers lug lots of things to and from work with them, as theirs isn’t a simple 9 to 5 job. There are papers to grade, lessons to plan, and instructional books to read, and a lot of that is done at home on nights and weekends. You’ll likely be transporting all of that to and from school along with a purse, laptop, and lunch. A durable bag is a must, and a high-quality custom work tote is great for toting things to and from school. Consider one that doesn’t tip over and that is big enough for all your essentials. You can even have it monogrammed or personalized for a special touch.

Starting a new job as a teacher can be stressful. You don’t want to have to worry about what you’re going to wear on top of planning lessons and meeting other teachers, parents, and students. If you dress for comfort yet look professional, you’re sure to feel comfortable and confident enough to impress the principal, too. Having enough tops and bottoms that you can mix and match and investing in a comfortable pair of shoes and a great bag can put you in a position to have a great first day.