Can Teachers Have Tattoos in the United States?

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If you are a United States citizen and interested in getting a profession as a teacher, you definitely should take a consideration about your appearance and attitude. Why should the United States teacher’s appearance be considered? However, the teacher comes to the school to educate the students with the best appearance that the teachers can.

Then, how about tattoos? Can the teachers have tattoos in the United States?

Well, if you consider a career in education, of course it is important for you to remember that many school systems in the United States totally do not allow the teacher having tattoos or to only have a limited number of them. In this case, some schools in the US. also do allow the teaching staff or school leaders to have tattoos as long as the tattoos are invisible on their body.


Indeed, it is so hard to say what a school system considers appropriate regarding tattoos because most schools and also hiring staff will vary in requirements in recruiting the educators. In this case, some schools will hire the educators with small visible tattoos while others do not hire them with tattoos even if they are not visible in their body.

As a flashback, for many years, the profession of teacher should refrain from having tattoos or keep them covered during work hours due to them being perceived by other people to be unprofessional as well. So, why is the teacher with visible tattoos so offensive to some people?

What’s actually the problem of teachers with tattoos?

From teaching staff and school leaders to the students’ parents and also children’s carers assume that the visible tattoos on a teacher will deliver a significant upset and judgment. Of course, it is definitely proven with a recent Teacher Tapp Survey that 18% of primary school teachers admitted to have tattoos, but only 14% said that they had a visible tattoo when they wear normal clothing.

What should you do if you are still interested in being a teacher with tattoos on your body?

Well, the great way to figure out if you can teach at a particular school is to look for the information and ask about their tattoos policies whether they have a specific standard in place or not.

Whatever the look of tattoos covering your body and your profession as a teacher, of course they still deliver negative sides. Why? However, the tattoos still have some negative side including:

  • Most people think that tattoos are ugly and distasteful
  • Whatever the visual of tattoos the people have, they still send the wrong message to the children
  • Better the professionals do not have tattoos
  • People with tattoos do not hold themselves to the same standard as those who have no
  • Parents judge teachers with tattoos not serious educators for their children

Nonetheless, there are some certain areas to hire teachers with tattoos, but some areas which have not caught to this trend. Unfortunately, today, most teachers, even parents do not mind tattoos and do not think that tattoos will affect children negatively.

Although tattoos are becoming more accepted, many related people in school should consider the negative side that may be delivered by tattoos.

Do tattoos actually affect students?

Of course, there are exactly proven reasons why teachers should not have tattoos and how it delivers a negative side to the students. In fact, most students do not notice the teacher’s body with tattoos. Instead, they find the tattoos as the attractive and catchy thing to look compared to the negative side as they notice. Well, the positives side of the teacher with tattoos definitely can outweigh any negatives which may be considered.

Then, for most students who learn in an atmosphere that draws them to encourage artistic expression, self-expression and open-mindedness totally will get any benefits compared to those who are not.

After all, one of the biggest reasons for many school systems not allowing teachers having tattoos is due to the negative visuals they expect from parents. Well, most other teachers and school officials probably have not a negative attitude towards body art. Then, for most parents, there will be one of two opinions, they are;

  • The teachers who educate their children should be professionals and have visible tattoos.
  • If the teacher is good at their job, the body with tattoos does not matter at all.

What does the Law say about tattoos?

According to the Equality Act 2010, the employers are not allowed to discriminate againts staff depending on certain protected characteristics that include disability, age, gender, marriage and civil partnership, race, religion, pregnancy and maternity, belief, sex and sexual orientation.

It means that the school staff are allowed to hire the teachers with tattoos as long as they should cover their tattoos in the school environment. Then, the employers could legally dismiss the teachers with tattoos if they do not cover the visible tattoos at school. Somehow, the decisions should be depending on the law and the needs of the organisation, not the personal preferences or beliefs of senior staff.

How tattoos become a gorgeous art?

On the other words, tatto is an excellent way to express yourself and even increase your confidence. Indeed, the sentences are definitely good for people who really love tattoos as art. In addition, the beautiful tattoos will turn your body into a canvas to create the gorgeous art that shows your story to the world.

Unfortunately, some professions do not allow you to have tattoos or look at those with tattoos in a negative way, especially in teaching. Why? As we know that teacher is a profession who must have a good attitude both in their personality and their appearance. Basically, the teachers come to educate, then, their personality and also attitude may be imitated by their students.

Keep in mind when you have a worse attitude as a teacher, we guess that you will be at risk to lose your job. So as with a teacher whose tattoos on their body. Moreover, tattoos which cover the whole of the body will represent the worst thing at all. Of course, it is so far away from the profession of the teacher.

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