Help! Teachers outfits!

[pouraglasshalffull]

I recently retrained as a teacher and I am now entering my NQT year. Last year when I was in the classroom I often felt like I was one the students I just stuck to mostly plain black dresses and ballet pumps, my outfit choices made me want to fade into the background and affected my confidence

Now I want to get an entirely new teacher wardrobe, small heels, more bright clothes, more professional. Something that will make me look tall and confident. I bought a few wide leg floral trousers to pair with some small heels. Any recommendations where to look or what style I should look it is appreciated!

I either stick to dresses or slim fit trousers with either a jumper or a nice top. Got some nice trousers from uniqlo (I liked H&M but the fit gets a bit baggy with wear). I've brought a couple of midi skirts this year too.

I find I prefer wearing bright clothes for teaching- it means the kids can always see you and you don’t blend in!

I haven't heard of uniqlo I will try them thanks!

Yeah I avoided bright colours during my PGCE year and I felt like a student it did nothing for my confidence! I want to move more towards bright colours but not sure how to style it!

Hi, my dress at work now is much smarter than when I first started teaching. At my school, some people are very casual. I find that my classroom management is better when I am smartly dressed though! I don't wear a suit, but do the following:

1. Smart trousers - some slim cropped ankle grazers, some peg leg/tie waist, one palazzo style with high waist.
2. blouses - mainly h and m and Zara, some are loose and floaty and can be worn tucked in or out. All in colours to match trousers.
3. A few skirts - either above knee or pencil.
4. Some nice thin knit jumpers for when it's colder.
5. A few Zara blazers to mix and match with the above
6. Some nice dresses - very easy to wear, no need to sort out clothes the night before. Most of my dresses are Warehouse and H and m.
7. Comfortable shoes - some flat loafers, one pair stilettos (for events!), one pair brogues and one pair small blockheel. Most shoes are black, one pair leopard print and one bright red pair of flats!
8. Two black leather tote bags - one tan and one black.
9. Vests under everything!

That turned into an essay! Good luck in your new post OP!

I wear chinos, striped joules jumpers and a nice bright scarf. A flowery joules shirt under a jumper when the weather is cold. Comfy shoes!

Like others suggest, behaviour management (certainly in secondary) is easier if you look formal (ish) and professional. Try teaching on non uniform day in jeans - it is a bit of a nightmare...

I find 3 pairs of George at Asda suit trousers (£8 each) in navy, black and grey do me nicely. I team with a coloured top. And DEFINITELY comfy shoes.

As a bit of a warning - if school uniform is black/grey/navy and you wear that colour on top then big boys tend to shove you in corridors without meaning to! Wear something brighter and they can see you are staff!

Brightly coloured formal shaped non uniform jackets. Zara is a good source, you need two or three, but buy them over a three month period, so they are not all the same. Beneath the jacket, more or less anything monochrome and neutral will work.

I wear dresses with a jacket mostly. I also wear suit trousers and blouses with a jacket.

I used to always wear suits. None of the women in my current school wear suits and it is mainly dresses and jacket or trousers and jacket.

Jackets are good for instant smartness, warmth and most of all for pockets! Just have a neutral coloured jacket (black/navy/grey) and choose coloured tops to go with it.

I agree that comfortable shoes are important. Standing up for five hours on a full teaching day may make those little heels hurt.

However, there is usually a wide spectrum of outfits on show in the staffroom. If you want to fit in, just buy a few items of office style wear and then observe the other female teachers as to what is considered acceptable in your new school.

Make sure your tops cover you up sufficiently - you will do a lot of bending over to help pupils and stretching up to write on the blackboard.

I'm primary and used to dress relatively casually.

I'm now SLT and dress a lot smarter and actually feel much better doing so - like I can cope with anything. I enjoy smart trousers and colourful tops with a pattern. Can't do heels but have a trusty pair of patent black shoes and some mustard ballet pumps. Oasis are good for dresses.

Depends what you teach! When I taught secondary science my outfits were vastly different to my new job as a primary class teacher- what is tour role? Also worth making sure there isn't a school dress code. For example some teachers will wear smart dark jeans for work but other schools would not allow that.

I am really casual but teach in SEN and it works for me. Any good ideas for chinos anyone? They are so easy to wear with trainers and so hard to find in full length.

It might not be for you, but when I was last teaching in mainstream and got a new job, my mum bought me a House of Colour day - you find out which colours and styles suit you. I enjoyed dressing like that for a few years.

Asda do decent chinos as do M&S- you may find some now as I got mine just before Summer.

I’m a lecturer, so possibly no help, but my work outfits revolve around:

Culottes with slightly cropped (on the waistband, not tummy flashing) fine knit jumpers, or tucked in smart t-shirts
A-line, above the knee skirts, jumpers as above, 100 denier opaques
Black high waisted skinny jeans, blouse, often pussy-bow neck
Midi-dresses

I am not keen on busy patterns or florals, and print-wise stick mainly to stripes and animal prints.

Footwear-wise I tend to wear brogues, black Stan Smiths, Chelsea boots, or biker boots. I always wear red lipstick, and like PP mentioned, vests under everything so no gaps if I am stretching up or bending over.

I teach a creative subject, so am not very formal - people who teach something like law tend to be much smarter, but it’s mainly management who wear suits or jackets.

I'm a HoD in secondary and not especially smart tbh. I'm going to go against the grain and say that how I dress has never made a difference to my behaviour management.

I wear a lot of slim leg trousers from GAP or h&m - either black or patterned (floral, houndstooth etc). Tops are either supima t-shirts, fine knit jumpers, or shirts/blouses from Zara/h&m. I have a few dresses from warehouse and oasis too that I layer up or down with tights, boots, cardigan in winter . And midi skirts have been a recent favourite.

I always wear flats. I really like hamble oak brogues from Clarks. Also have a few pairs of DM shoes and Chelsea boots. And some dressier/less clumpy pointed/studded/ brightly coloured flats from Dune.

Does your school have a dress code? Mine does and it's fairly strict. For example, chinos are not allowed.

I came on to say buy some Hamble Oak brogues; year after year they are a staple of my wardrobe.

H&M's ankle grazer trousers (£12.99) are fab and come in lots of colours/patterns and have a little stretch. They're also high enough at the back not to worry about the sit-on-the-floor-bum-concern I get in reception. Gap's bi-stretch trousers are the only other ones that compare but they're more expensive and don't seem to last any longer.

Warehouse, Oasis and Mint Velvet do nice blouses and cardigans.

In winter I wear H&M skirts with fine knits, opaques and either boots or Hamble Oaks, shorter dresses with longer cardigans and chunky ankle boots (Hogan boots last forever) and a gorgeous bright red parka for inevitable playground duties.

I'm a secondary teacher. My school doesn't require female teachers to wear suits or jackets.

I wear plain black Skechers Go Walks as I have plantar fascitis. They are great for standing up and walking / running around school all day - our building is over 5 floors as well so lots of stairs throughout the day. You can also sneak up on people in Skechers.

I buy most of my teaching clothes from H&M, otherwise Zara and Mango. I wear skirts just above the knee with a shirt, or long sleeved top, or short sleeved dresses, with fitted, lightweight round or high-ish V necked jumpers when it's colder. Also opaque tights in the colder months (invisible socks in summer). Sometimes I wear a scarf too, most of mine are from White Stuff.

My colour palette is black / dark grey for skirts (also have one navy with windowpane check and one plum),
white for shirts,
white, cream and Breton striped for tops,
pale pink, dirty pink or blood red for jumpers,
and various colours for dresses including denim-y blue, pale pink, dove grey, blood red, black and white pattern, white with a pattern, and two that are Breton striped.

Don't buy too much at once as you'll take a while to figure out what you most like wearing and also what suits the temperatures of the rooms you teach / have meetings and assemblies in.

Agree with other posters to say check the staff dress code...and also see how it's applied when you get there.

Depends what age group but I would certainly err on the smarter side. My kids are in primary and when I sit and look at all the teachers in assembly there seems to be a direct correlation between smart snappy dressers and better respected teachers. Way too many Boden jersey dresses going on though. The male teachers are generally in suits/trousers and jacket and look so much better!