dreads and jobs
People instantly think your a wannabe musician, artsy person, but you definitely have no business being in a real world occupation, a proper job in an office.The first time i started to dread my hair, my boss called me to her office and asked me what the heck i was doing with my hair. This was a job in the public sector with the government. i didnt have to stay long on the job but even after that i knew people still have a loooong way to go to accepting dreads,Im currently on a masters program and ive seen one or two phd students in my school with dreads, My friend is gonna graduate from Med school in a few months, already has a job in a hospital and she has a head full of dreads, encouraging..kinda.lol.
Peter Hollingshead said:
This really sux. i hope you get one real soon.i was turned down from 3 jobs last month because my dreads, and still have yet to find one. Subway said that my dreads were a health code violation, which made no sense. so i explained to them that non-dreaded hair loses about 300 hairs a day while i lose next to none and that i wash my hair every other day, but they didn't listen. A local nursery said that "extreme hairstyles" were against their policy, so i bid them good day. Vons said my dreads were "offensive" even though i treated the interviewer with kindness and respect. apparently who i am doesn't matter...
My 11 year old son's Science class teacher has dreads, so his school evidently don't have a problem with the kind of hairstyles their teacher's have. After all, it shouldn't matter if their hair is purple with green spots, or they have a nose like an elephant, it's the person's ability to do the job that is the important part.My old history teacher went through college with a bright green mowhawk...he was one of the best teachers ever. : )Company's aren't allowed to discriminate on grounds of ethnicity, disability or religion, so why should they turn people down because of a hair style? It's ridiculous.
Dreads are about ethnicity and religion. My ancestors wore dreads, it's pride in my heritage. Someone asking me to cut my dreads would be racial prejudice.
I'm so glad to hear this! Right now I am going to school to be an elementary teacher and have been alittle worried about getting a job eventually. So I'm happy someone knows a teacher who has them! 
Melanie Clark said:
Melanie Clark said: My 11 year old son's Science class teacher has dreads, so his school evidently don't have a problem with the kind of hairstyles their teacher's have. After all, it shouldn't matter if their hair is purple with green spots, or they have a nose like an elephant, it's the person's ability to do the job that is the important part.
My old history teacher went through college with a bright green mowhawk...he was one of the best teachers ever. : )
Company's aren't allowed to discriminate on grounds of ethnicity, disability or religion, so why should they turn people down because of a hair style? It's ridiculous.
i have been employed for the last 5 years as a policy analyst in the ministry of health for the government of new zealand - yes, a complete and utter bureaucrat.shirt and tie most days. 5 years ago, short back and sides. started dread a year ago. i get a few stares on a daily basis, but no one has given a major hassle about the hair. one of the bosses from another area (out of curiosity more than anything) asked me if i grew dread because i was rasta. she thought it added some spark to the workplace.in fact, nobody said anything at first because i wore an oversized beanie for a year. my direct managers / overlings have never brought it up as a problem. did my work before i started dread. it is still getting done now. that is all they are worried about.nz recently had a member of parliament with ankle dread - hon nandor tanczos (his pic is somewhere else on this site). there are a few who play for the national sports teams here (shop dread though). maybe having dreads in the public eye has dulled the suspicion and hassle that might have been expected. i realise that i am in a fortunate spot.on a different level, i have received more hassle from church (mormon) and family about dreads than from the workplace. not enough to put a frown on for though. too much time has passed. the hair has gone well past the 'just-winding-people-up' novelty phase. i am not growing my hair to wind people up. i have always wanted dread ever since i was little. strange that i would wait until almost 40 to start. then again, maybe not so strange after all. but everything in my life is for my wife and my kids. i loved them before i had dread. i love them right now.i am lucky to have a job so that i can provide well for my family. one of the main reasons why i go to church is to care for my family - immediate and extended. i am glad that i live in an environment where i can do these things regardless of the way the hair goes.hope that everyone else finds such a situation.
gosh, how did you get this job?! I'd love to do that; or get my husband to do this, as he's disabled and has trouble finding work 
marlamom said:
marlamom said: i actually have a great job for dreads. i work from home as a medical transcriptionist. no one sees me except for my profile pic on my AIM cause that is one way we communicate. i also do it because i wanted to stay home with my kids, so its a great way to make money and be with my children. and have dreads!!!!
