<p>My S is off in a few weeks to teach English in China. Will be in a combination middle school/college for a year. Today we were discussing appropriate footwear, and realized that neither of us has a clue. His one pair of ‘good’ shoes from HS prom have served him well on rare necessary occasions, and will go along. Aside from those, he’s never worn anything but athletic shoes and sandals, so this is new for him. Our non pretentious midwestern town does not give us much to go by in terms of examples. My experience of athletic shoes overseas, is that they immediately mark the wearer as American, and excessively casual. </p>
<p>My S, who also teaches, really likes Clarks - they’re conservative yet stylish and very comfortable - almost like wearing a slipper, and they come in many styles.</p>
<p>I’m not sure if young people wear these, but my father has worn Rockports for years. They aren’t as fancy as dress shoes, but come in classic colors and professional styles. They also last a long time and are extremely comfortably, according to my dad, who suffers from flat feet and associated foot problems.</p>
<p>if you are interested, their site is: <a href=“http://www.rockport.com%5B/url%5D”>www.rockport.com</a></p>
<p>My father loves Allen Edmonds. I think they’re expensive, but he says they last for years and are super comfortable. If you go to a store, they really size your feet, and their sizing goes beyond 9-10-11 to make their shoes fit perfectly. It might be more than a college boy needs, though.</p>
<p>Husband has been wearing Allen Edmonds for several years. I have sent a pair or two for refurbishing (?)-makes them brand new but about $100. Nordstroms sale is over-but that’s when I buy them.</p>
<p>I bought son some Eccos last year, they are comfortable and look nice w/ causal, suits, he even wears them w/tux. He has no trouble running(when necessary) with them. His had Bostonians-but they were hard to run in.</p>
<p>A friend’s son loves the Rockports, he is in retail sales.</p>
<p>Many companies now make ‘athletic shoes’ in colors other than white. It is the big ol’ white sneakers that scream “American Tourist” so a pair in beige or brown would be the comfortable shoes he’s used to without labeling him. My mother and her guy, who travel everywhere, wear Pumas a lot. They’re very popular in other countries and come in a wide range of colors.</p>
<p>Pumas are a great suggestion. I know they’re pretty popular in Europe (or were last time I was there). You can get comfy Puma sneakers that are brown suede and would likely blend in well.</p>
<p>Marite – They wear mostly counterfeit shoes they can buy for cheap from vendors. Nikes are too expensive to be purchased by everyday Chinese young people.</p>
<p>They’re durable and comfortable to walk in (and going to UMD-CP, I do a lot of walking) They look good with jeans, or even khakis and a polo/button up (pretty much any sort of non-black pants).</p>
<p>I once stayed next to a shop that sold only counterfeit handbags–0Gucci, Chanel, Prada, you name it, the shop had it. I should have been less cryptic. This is a young man who will be teaching young people. He does not want to come across like an ibanker in the making but someone who can relate to young people. It would perfectly fine to wear sneakers and jeans and a polo shirt, or black or brown walking shoes and khaki pants and a polo shirt. I’d worry more about being comfortable standiing on his feet for hours on end. And he can always buy shoes there. They’re cheaper.</p>
<p>S spent last year in China and wore his Brooks Brother oxfords nearly everyday. The Nikes he bought there fell apart almost instantly. His Merrills were the best but he grew out of them by January. We didn’t send another pair because he never told us!<br>
BTW = S would be very interested in English teaching job in China. Can you share your resources?</p>
<p>Thanks to all for replies! Will check the various links and send this to him. Your postings made me aware of the importance of something comfortable as well as attractive…he’ll be walking plenty enroute to his job, as well as on his feet all day. Teachers in China, as in much of the rest of the world, travel to the classrooms, rather than the kids changing classes. </p>
<p>As he wears size 14, he needs to get something appropriate here, for all the shoes he might be wearing in the next year. His size is not easy to find, even in this country. And I do think we care more than many places about comfort vs style. </p>
<p>My Ds love Pumas, when we can find them on sale. Will have to see about male styles. </p>
<p>Marite-who knows, the students might be aspiring ibankers! Back in another era, I taught ESL in Hong Kong, and was blown away by the ambition and discipline of my students. </p>
<p>Woody, he searched around on line, and came up with a program adminstered by Marshall University in West Virginia. They placed him. I found something similar when I was looking at the site for CIEE, which has many interesting programs. </p>
<p>The students may be aspiring bankers, but they won’t dress like ones, and neither should your son.</p>
<p>By the way, even profs here dress more and more informally. When I was a student, male profs were expected to wear a jacket and tie and forgo jeans when going to the Faculty Club. All my male profs wore a jacket and tie for class. Nowadays, it seems the jacket and tie wearers are in a minority and senior profs in a number of departments seem to wear jeans all the time.</p>
<p>Great Lakes Mom – Check out <a href=“http://www.sierratradingpost.com%5B/url%5D”>www.sierratradingpost.com</a> for shoe sales. I zipped over there to take a peek for you. They have 19 different shoes <em>on sale</em> in size 14, many at half price including Allan-Edmonds – they’re still 150 but that’s better than 300!</p>
<p>I don’t know where your son will be teaching - Shanghai, Beijing, or more rural areas. Chinese have great respect for their teachers. I wouldn’t be surprised if your son were to get invited to some family’s home for dinner, especially if he is from the US. If he is going to be in the city, he should have some nice loafers (lace up dress shoes are not necessary), dress shirts and pants. Chinese are class conscious(like so many Asian countries). You are judged by what you wear. </p>
<p>My nephews(they live in HKG) just went to Shanghai for 2 weeks to live with local families to learn Chinese. Both families had drivers to take them around. My sister-in-law was glad to have packed nice polos and shoes for the boys.</p>
<p>Americans tend to be very casual and are known to wear sneakers a lot, so the locals wouldn’t think it’s strange for your son to wear sneakers while teaching. But I like some suggestions made above.</p>
<p>I would also pack a suit if he has room for it. Asians tend to be more formal than Americans.</p>
<p>Last summer we toured Europe and were told that wearing athletic shoes “marks you as an American tourist.” D forbade H from wearing his athletic shoes in public! Somehow I doubt the same “fashion rule” applies in China, but don’t know for sure.</p>
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