Writing a CV/résumé can be daunting if you don’t know how to approach it. There is a wealth of advice on writing résumés out there, but often, different professionals — and levels within them — require slight variations within their résumé.
In this article, we make it easy for you by looking at the best examples that have been written for various teaching roles and highlighting why they work well. Each one is different and has different value points, so you can take note of what works for you and the job in education you’re applying for.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Preschool teacher
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The summary of this résumé states that the candidate is creative, passionate, fun and promotes development, and all of this is reflected in the design which uses pink and blue with rounded patterns. These colours and patterns create a sense of calm, trust and empathy, which are essential qualities in a preschool teacher. This is very clever subliminal messaging.
The rest of the résumé is focused on showing that the necessary skills and experience are present, with a skills section highlighting both hard and soft skills relevant to the role, and a clear line of relevant experience through courses, education and professional roles. All the relevant keywords are present, along with a section showing professional development, which might give this candidate the edge.
Teaching assistant
This resume for a teaching assistant is very well positioned. The candidate uses keywords to reflect how they support teachers, rather than their own teaching. They haven’t pitched themselves as over-qualified, which is quite common.
The experience section highlights some relevant experience and also shows a specialism, working with students with special educational needs. Having an area you know well, or have specific experience in, will also help to sell your skills. The skills section demonstrates hard and soft skills relevant to the role, which make this résumé ATS compliant.
Primary school teacher
This layout is different to a standard chronological résumé, but it does grab the reader’s attention. The contact details are clear at the top, and each section is very easy to find and read quickly by a busy recruiter. If you like this layout, check if the use of a photo is permitted where you are applying.
The résumé is tailored, with examples in the summary, skills section and experience section of everything you would expect from a primary school teacher, with qualifications listed clearly.
High school teacher
This résumé for a high school teacher follows the traditional chronological template. This is a great bet as it’s widely accepted, looks professional and is very easy for a recruiter to quickly read to find all the information they need. Contact details are clearly laid out at the top and each section is labelled and where you would expect it to be, without any text boxes or columns that can be confusing.
The experience section stands out here because it gives an overview of the role before describing individual accomplishments and duties. This gives some background and makes the candidates skills and focus known.
Private tutor
This is another example of a chronological résumé, sticking to a clear, professional looking layout. The profile section gives a strong outline of what the person is like, what’s important to them, and their relevant skills and experience. It’s a detailed profile that gives a lot away, meaning less is needed in the description.
This candidate’s experience is all within the same types of roles, which is clearly shown. This is important because it’s relevant information for the recruiter, as are the language abilities, as this person works privately with a large range of clients. The skills section is very specific and takes into account the keywords and industry jargon, which will be picked up by applicant tracking systems.
English teacher
This resume has a clean modern design, which would be very eye-catching for a busy recruiter. There is a photo, which may or may not suit you, depending on where you are applying.
The text is highly achievement-based, which is excellent, because a recruiter is going to be looking to see what sets a candidate aside from the next. It uses keywords and industry phrases that will make it ATS compliant, as well as highly tailored to the role of English teacher. It’s important that the summary and skills section address all relevant criteria for the role, but also gives solid examples of your achievements, as this résumé demonstrates.
Supply teacher
A supply teacher is someone who’s adaptable, flexible, and can work in unexpected situations, thinking and acting fast. This is reflected well in this résumé right from the start with a summary that highlights these qualities through use of appropriate keywords. It’s not just a teaching résumé, it really addresses the specifics a supply teacher will need and highlights both hard and soft skills needed to do well at the role.
The qualifications and skills section demonstrate that the usual qualities and skills required of a teacher are present, where again, the experience section goes into more details to show how good this person is at slotting into a school and adapting quickly.
Principal
A principal is a senior role in education and this résumé reflects that. The layout is clear and professional, sticking to a single font and colour, with no text boxes or use of symbols or diagrams. It sends a message through the keywords used that this person is disciplined, results-driven and committed to being professional.
This is all put to work in the profile section, which gives a good account of what the person is like and the relevant skills they have. The language is formal and intellectual, which again are qualities that might be admirable in a principal. The experience section shows career progression and the education requirements for the role are clearly listed.
University lecturer
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If you’re looking for a fresh, modern way to present yourself, this résumé template could be it. Rather than being text heavy, it makes use of graphs and timelines to highlight experience and skill levels. While there is very little explanation, the timelines show an obvious career trajectory, which is highly relevant to the role of a lecturer and the skill level is very clear.
The profile is short but packs in information about the candidate’s skills, experience and personality, using relevant keywords. Even with a small amount of text, it has been made clear that this candidate is experienced and qualified.
Academic dean
This résumé is concise, with all relevant sections clearly laid out. Starting with a profile at the top allows the candidate to highlight their credentials and relevant experience and skills in a summary to draw the reader in. A profile like this is excellent for tailoring the resume to a specific role. In this case, it is clear this person is applying for a role as an academic dean, simply by what is written in the profile.
The résumé contains a skills section that is again tailored to the role, covering hard skills and the experience section clearly covers relevant accomplishments, following a clear linear progression. Accomplishments are shown using percentages and numerical values so that they are measurable and specific. This follows the STAR method (specific, task, action, result) which is the recommended format for listing achievements. Overall, this résumé is tailored very well to the role the candidate is applying for and this is very important.
Final thoughts
With these examples, hopefully you will now have some inspiration to write a great résumé. Each section is important in its own right and the CVs/résumés above, give excellent examples of how to write a strong summary/profile, employment history, skills section and education section.
Your résumé needs to highlight all the skills and experience you have that will be needed for a career in teaching. These will be a combination of both hard and soft skills and will need to be present throughout each section. Use relevant keywords, cite your experience and make sure your relevant qualifications are not lost at the bottom of a page.
It’s very important to make sure your résumé is ATS compliant so that it passes screening procedures. To ensure that this is the case, use keywords from the advert and job description of the role you’re applying for.
Did you find these examples helpful? Do you have any other suggestions to add to a résumé for a teaching position? Let us know in the comments below!
This article is an updated version of an earlier article originally published on 4 May 2019.