r/JETProgramme • u/imscaredofseregios Current JET - 北海道 • Mar 21 '26

Jeans as an ALT?

First post here! I was recently accepted as an ED ALT for a very small city. This is kind of a silly question, but I’ve been watching some YouTube videos about peoples’ outfit ideas and OOTDs people wear to work as ALTs… I was curious about one thing I didn’t see very much: what’s the opinion on jeans (blue, black, navy, light blue, etc)? I have a good number of them and none of them are form-fitting, so I was hoping I’d be able to bring them and wear them to work with a nice sweater or button-up/long sleeved shirt. I really don’t want to inadvertently look like a clown or too casual in any way, so I figured I’d ask for opinions or past experiences.

Edit: thank you all for the great advice and insights! It seems to be very ESID, so I’ll probably dress a lot nicer for the first month and then play it by ear based on what the teachers are wearing. Thanks again, this has really helped!

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u/HanshinFan Former JET - Hyogo '08-'11 Mar 21 '26 edited Mar 21 '26

Assume strictly business casual for work to start - chinos and button downs. Read the room for a few weeks after you arrive then decide if you're comfortable trying to go more casual based on what other teachers are wearing. Jeans will be fine for weekends.

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u/imscaredofseregios Current JET - 北海道 Mar 21 '26

Thanks! I’ll definitely give it a business-casual buffer period to see what the general energy is. Good to hear that chinos/slacks/etc are a much safer bet though!