Tattoos/Piercings and Teachers...Okay or Nay?

aoife2k

Hi y'all....

Im currently in the process of re-doing my CV and bombarding schools with it for subbing etc...But what I wanted to know is what the 'rules' are about having visible tattoos and piercings?

I've got 2 tattoos on my right wrist, one a bit more visible than the other and seeing as i'm a sleeve puller-upper it'd be on show quite a bit. I was teachin music in a school last year and no one seemed to mind me having it. The kids of course were fasinated but i dismissed the subject of the tattoo as soon as they started talking about it and the other teachers were just inquisitive...the normal questions like 'was it sore?', 'where did u get it done' and 'how much was it'.....

I'm a tattoo person, if i had my way and all the money in the world i'd be covered in them from head to toe. I want to get one on my baby finger sometime in the future but i'm wondering if it will hinder my chances of teaching.....Has anyone had any experience of this? (sorry for the long post)

spurious

Nobody minded where you were teaching before, so I don't see why anyone else would.
We have teachers with both piercings and tattoos working in our school.

gaeilgegrinds

I think it totally depends on the school. I've always been accepted the way I am but I think if they've a problem you just wouldn't get the job in the first place. Most of the teachers in our school have a tattoo somewhere but most keep them covered. Piercings also commonplace. I don't have either on show but do tend to wear a lot of eye make-up & it's never been commented on. Mostly really bright colours too but I like it & it's who I am & it looks tasteful.
Tyr to cover them for interviews & I doubt there will be any probelms.
Biggest problem in our school this year was low-cut tops. Two teachers had a habit of letting it all out on show & the principal had to bring it up. Have to say I agree they should be kept covered.

aoife2k

gaeilgegrinds wrote:

Biggest problem in our school this year was low-cut tops. Two teachers had a habit of letting it all out on show & the principal had to bring it up. Have to say I agree they should be kept covered.

I agree with that 100%!

I'm thinking about getting my labret (lip) pierced... only a very dinky cute not too noticable one so i hope that won't affect my chances!

cheers for the replies lads

gaeilgegrinds

In fairness I'd be more for piercings than tattoos in the sense that you can take them out if needs be. As for the tops, they'd better have invested in some polonecks this year! I'm far from a prude but one girl literally fell out of her top, not very professional.

kittex

When I trained a tutor had to bring up the cleavage issue. She told the girls to lean down in front of a mirror after getting dressed. If you can see anything then the teenage boys could to!
Not a problem for me, as I have a birthmark on my chest I tend to keep covered with high necked tops, but you'd be amazed how many female teachers dress more like they're off out on the pull than teaching young people in a professional environment.

As for tattoos and piercings, it does depend on the school. Many schools don't allow anything hooped, for health and safety reasons (they could be pulled out more easily/accidentally).
But people can be very small minded - one school I worked in the head thought all people with tattoos were scum, destined for the dole queue. In my current school it's the opposite, some of the teachers have nose studs and back tattoos can sometimes be seen peeking out or through white shirts.
As long as you are not shoving anything in people's faces, it should be OK.

If possible, I'd certainly avoid having tattoos or piercings on display until after my head/colleagues had made a positive judgement about my abilities!

gaeilgegrinds

I just think anything that could be offensive should be best avoided. In fairness we teach a group of diverse students with different values and are there to educate them, not to scare them or look like a bit of eye-candy for them. Crushes are best avoided so by looking as convervative as I can while still having my own personality shining they are less likely to happen.

kittex

Very true gaeilgegrinds. I hadn't even thought of the crushes angle, more the authority/respect point of view.
Also as mature adults, we should be past that teenage mentality of unwillingness to compromise. We usually make the pupils compromise with rules about uniforms, so should set a good example by doing so ourselves.