Tattoos and Piercings

herisson

Hey!

so im in two minds of becoming a lecturer or secondary teacher ill be applying for teaching next year!

so anyway im planning on getting a tattoo in the next month or two but im just wondering how strict it is?

the tattoo ill be getting will be at the back or my neck or behind my ears!

would i have to cover up the whole time??
For lecturing is it very strict aswell??

Thanks!

danlen

Not that its outlawed or prevents you from doing the job, but imo I would imagine that its hard enough competing for a teaching job these days without the potential drawback of going into an interview with a tatoo on your neck.

Would it be a big deal to change the location to somewhere not visible when wearing formal clothes?

herisson

Thanks for the reply!

Ah not really id just kinda prefer it there!
i was thinking if it was at the back of my neck it would be easily covered coz i have long hair and always wear scarves!
but i could change it to my ankle or something?

scholar007

Pixie-Fairy wrote: »

the tattoo ill be getting will be at the back or my neck or behind my ears!

Why would you bother?

highly1111

Although it shouldn't prejudice against you - the unfortunate fact is is that it would. I'd recommend relocating the tattoo to another part of your body - your ankle as you suggest. Apologies - but that is still the way it is in education - still very very conservative.

Jesus Shaves

scholar007 wrote: »

Why would you bother?

What would you bother answer with such a stupid remark when obviously if the OP wants to get a tattoo at the back of their hair that would be their preference, Maybe the OP has seen a tattoo in a similar place on another person and decided that they like what they seen?

scholar007

darokane wrote: »

What would you bother answer with such a stupid remark when obviously if the OP wants to get a tattoo at the back of their hair that would be their preference, Maybe the OP has seen a tattoo in a similar place on another person and decided that they like what they seen?

OP said: "i was thinking if it was at the back of my neck it would be easily covered coz i have long hair and always wear scarves!
but i could change it to my ankle or something? "

Ergo - Why bother?

spurious

'scholar'007, if you have nothing useful to contribute, don't reply to the thread.

danlen

Pixie-Fairy wrote: »

Thanks for the reply!

Ah not really id just kinda prefer it there!
i was thinking if it was at the back of my neck it would be easily covered coz i have long hair and always wear scarves!
but i could change it to my ankle or something?

No problem, hope it helped.

Usually if you have to ask is it risky to do something, it usually is. The way I see it is that it may not affect your chances of getting a job, but why take the risk. (Then once you become permanent go get one across your forehead!:D:D)

herisson

scholar007 wrote: »

Why would you bother?

dont be ass if you are going to be like that dont bother posting to this....

and for the record it is still visible as i dont have my hair down all the time! some of my scarves dont go far up my neck to cover it....

do yourself a favour dont take things at face value you just end up looking like an ignorant ass!! :rolleyes:

But anyway...thanks to everyone else for the helpful replies...ill have to think hard about it!!

lestat21

I know of a teacher who has a tattoo on the back of her neck and the only drawback is that she cant tie up her hair.. I also worked with a teacher who had a large tattoo on the base of her back and it was very obvious in the staffroom whenevr her top rode up (happened more than ud think) .. but again it didnt effect her colleagues opinion of her.

The danger is that in secondary schools were not supposed to be promoting tattoos, smoking etc as a professional working with impressionable children and some interviewers could def be biased against you..

rainbowtrout

lestat21 wrote: »

I know of a teacher who has a tattoo on the back of her neck and the only drawback is that she cant tie up her hair.. I also worked with a teacher who had a large tattoo on the base of her back and it was very obvious in the staffroom whenevr her top rode up (happened more than ud think) .. but again it didnt effect her colleagues opinion of her.

The danger is that in secondary schools were not supposed to be promoting tattoos, smoking etc as a professional working with impressionable children and some interviewers could def be biased against you..

There's a good few teachers in my school that have tattoos but in places that can be covered up. I have a few piercings myself, but no facial ones. Schools rules for the kids are no piercings except one pair of earrings, so while I couldn't care less what management or kids think of them, at the same time it can be hard to justify the rule to students saying they can't have a piercing in their face for health and safety reasons etc and asking them to remove one, if you have one yourself. It doesn't particularly bother me, plenty of other places to get pierced that can't be seen.

Schools on the whole tend to be quite conservative places, so people do pass judgement consciously or otherwise. As a teacher with four piercings in my ears instead of two (and not so long back short spiky dyed hair), even that is quite radical in the eyes of my students who are used to an overall conservative view of things teacher-wise.

RealJohn

Have to defend Scholar here (though maybe the tone could be improved). If the OP actually wants to work as a teacher or lecturer, maybe she shouldn't get a tattoo, especially when she's willing to move it to her ankle after saying she definitely wanted it on the back of her neck or behind her ear. Doesn't sound like it's as important to her as she's making out.

It isn't really a question of a body decoration or a career but I'm certainly getting the impression that the OP isn't that serious about teaching from her general attitude.

remfan2011

You might be better off putting it somewhere else,it's not worth the risk in a teaching career.

bscm

A teacher in my old school had a tattoo on her foot... we never saw her without tights aside from one occasion, our graduation night out. No tattoos was a strict rule for students, so the teachers had to abide by this by covering up their own.

A lot of schools have strict rules about tattoos. Having one on your neck/visible behind you ear (I know there might be a more discrete behind-the-ear placement) might be a bit of an inconvenience... you'd have to wear high-necked clothing/scarves or your hair down every day, for possibly most of your career.

RealJohn

RealJohn wrote: »

Have to defend Scholar here (though maybe the tone could be improved). If the OP actually wants to work as a teacher or lecturer, maybe she shouldn't get a tattoo, especially when she's willing to move it to her ankle after saying she definitely wanted it on the back of her neck or behind her ear. Doesn't sound like it's as important to her as she's making out.

It isn't really a question of a body decoration or a career but I'm certainly getting the impression that the OP isn't that serious about teaching from her general attitude.

Considering scholar was asked not to contribute by the Category Moderator, there is nothing to defend. Scholar was out of order, end of story. You put the point best. I still disagree with you ( and abhor the conservatism and the discouragement of alternative anything in the modern schooling system) but you said it a better way.

Should she "eff off" for not *seeming* serious about teaching? Absolutely not.

herisson

can i just point out that i did state in my OP that i was in two minds about it!
Since then i have realised that i want to be a lecturer i dont think teaching is cut out for me!

The whole reason for the thread was to ask about it just in case i realised i wanted to teach rather than lecture...i might aswell be informed!

But anyway thanks for all the replies!

rainbowtrout

Deleted User wrote: »

Considering scholar was asked not to contribute by the Category Moderator, there is nothing to defend. Scholar was out of order, end of story. You put the point best. I still disagree with you ( and abhor the conservatism and the discouragement of alternative anything in the modern schooling system) but you said it a better way.

Should she "eff off" for not *seeming* serious about teaching? Absolutely not.

You can abhor it all you like but if you turn up to an interview with visible tattoos and piercings, some people on the interview panel may form a negative impression of you regardless of what your CV says or how well you answer the questions thrown at you. Same goes for other jobs, not just teaching. Teaching is hard to get into these days so if two people go for a job, all things being equal in terms of qualifications and experience and one has tattoos and the other doesn't, I can imagine a relatively conservative school will pick the one without. There will be exceptions of course, but when many schools have strict rules about what jewellery/ make up/ shoes their students can wear, or what kind of hair cuts are acceptable or not, they do not want someone going against the grain on staff.

This is something the OP has to take into account if going for such a job.

I don't think I've ever gone into a bank and seen an employee with visible tattoos or piercings other than a standard pair of earrings, so it's not just teaching.

Pretty Polly

For the teaching profession i think it is important that if you are getting a tattoo that you get it somewhere where it won't be visible. If an interviewer spots a tattoo on your neck at the start of the interview he/she may form an impression of you which may stick. Why risk it?

evolving_doors

Personally, it reminds me of when I was a teen and friends would say,,, " hey wouldn't it be cool if we jumped off this roof into that bush" and I would say "ya that's a great idea, that'd be soo cool, you do it and we'll watch"

So to the OP I say

That'd be soo cool, go for it, to hell with what people think..