Teachers are promoting themselves - and their schools - with the help of image consultancies who, for just under Pounds 100 for a day course, will assess their colour, shape, and style.
Some claim that having a close look at their image helps boost their self-esteem and allows them to get on with the business of teaching.
“I’ve got a lot more confidence in knowing I look good. I am happier giving talks, dealing with pupils and in talking to parents,” says one. Another believes that teachers’ images are part of the wider selling of education.
“Nowadays, you have to market your school. You can’t just open your door and expect parents to come flooding in. Every teacher has a part to play. Some do dress reasonably; other seem to think that anything will do.”
House of Colour is a Watford-based image consultancy running an increasing number of courses for teachers.
Lynn Elvy, a director, says that for the most part teachers “look like scruff bags. They don’t honour their profession. They go into classrooms in the scruffiest of states and then wonder why they haven’t got enough respect. ”
Changing the way they look has helped teachers meet some of the demands placed on them. “Many teachers have to deal with ghastly teenagers. They often need to keep them under control.
“Pupils have respect for teachers who dress better; they decide whether they are better initially on the basis of who is dressed well. They talk all the time about whether staff wear stained trousers.”
Ingrid Brindle spent 10 years as a primary headteacher before joining House of Colour. “I had my colour and image done six or seven years ago and was absolutely amazed about he difference it made to my confidence.
“It would be nice if we didn’t make judgments on the way that people dress. But we do. Think of a bank manager in combat gear, for example. More than ever, teachers need to be aware of the effect that their image has on other’s perceptions. They are dealing with more people now - parents, teachers, OFSTED.”
House of Colour offers a half-day session dealing with colour for Pounds 50 or a full day dealing with colour and image for Pounds 95. These prices are for women - men can get the full works for Pounds 75. They advise clients which colours best suit their skin and look at body shape and suggest what clothes might be most appropriate. Finally, they consider clients’ personalities and their profession, and advise on style of dress.
“There’s a feeling in our culture that being aware of how you look is somehow vain. I even had one client whose Welsh grandmother use to tape newspapers over the mirrors because looking in them was vain and sinful,” says Ingrid.
Investment dressing is the key: “Most people wear 15 per cent of their wardrobe 90 per cent of the time but feel as though they’ve got nothing to wear. We urge them to buy clothes selectively. Spend more money on less outfits.”
In the end it’s about realising that everyone says something, whether they like it or not, simply in the way that they present themselves. For one teacher this was crucial: “It can give pupils an idea of what a professional should look like. It also shows them that you care enough about your appearance and about them that you are prepared to make an effort.”
