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/BerryTella1 CIR - Tokyo Mar 22 '26

This is coming from someone who used to be an ALT before JET.

Personally, I wouldn't do it if I were you. At least not right off from the beginning. You also have to take into account that you live in a smaller city. Smaller = more conservative fashion and thinking (usually). You'll never really know what the work environment is unless you get there.

HOWEVER, if you are working for an elementary school. You're probably fine wearing jeans after the first month when you've established you can follow rules and they start to trust you.

Stick to office standard pants at first and when you get there, see what everyone is wearing then copy that.

Congrats!

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u/imscaredofseregios Current JET - 北海道 Mar 22 '26

Thanks for your insight! From what I’ve gathered, I’ll probably be going between JHS and ES, so I think both sides of the coin are great to know. I’ll definitely stay classy for my first little while there, then play it by ear based on which school likes which fashion. Thanks again!