Writing a Teaching CV

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Index
● Looking for jobs? Go to The LA Job List.
● Want information about teaching in Peru? Go to A Country Guide to TEFLing in Peru.

Writing a Teaching CV
Updated 24 October 2009

This article has also been featured in the ELT Times.

Your CV allows you to present yourself to a prospective employer and needs to portray your achievements accurately and in a good light. Follow the tips below to create a great CV. In addition to the tips below, you can find more info at Jump to a New Career. If you're looking for jobs, find links in the Job Sites article. Once you have a great CV, it's time to write your cover letter.

If you're getting into teaching from another career, try reading this article about Transferrable Skills. If you have little teaching experience, you might want to consider a Functional Format, look at example 1 and example 2. Here are a few more websites that have information for teachers on how to write a CV and cover letter CV Tips, ESL Cafe, Free Resume Tips, Resume Templates.

Things to Include
There are many layouts, but all of them should include essential information. There are three sections: personal information, work and education, and other. As far as including references/referees, that's up to you. Personally, I leave that information off until the employer asks for it. I just don't feel comfortable giving out contact information to just anyone. If an employer specifically asks for references, I add that to the email, at the bottom.

Top Section
At the top you will probably want to have the following.
● Photo (For many countries this is the norm)
● Your name
● Date of birth
● Sex, nationality
● Contact information: address, email, phone number with country code.

Middle Section
In the next section you will either have your work experience or your education. As a general rule, if you're a new college grad, your education goes first. If you've been out of school for a few years and have work experience, put that first.
● Work: include the dates, company, city and country as well as your responsibilities. If you won any awards, such as teacher of the year, were given other responsibilities such as giving placement tests, or were a level coordinator, don't forget to include that.
● Education: include the dates, title of your degree, GPA, honours received, name of the university, the city and country and an outstanding things you may have done. For example, if you work a thesis or did an internship or studied abroad, include that too.

Last Section
The last sections can be separated if you have enough different items (usually three is the minimum in a section) or lumped together into a section called "Highlights and Achievements", "Continuing Development" or something similar.
● Workshops given
● Conferences / Workshops attended
● Publications
● Professional Affiliations
● Other Skills (languages / computer)
● Hobbies

Dos
● Proof-read your CV and fix the mistakes.

● Look at adverts to see what they require. Consider using similar wording in your CV.

● Make sure your layout is consistent layout.

● Put your DOB rather than your age.

● Remember that putting your DOB and civil status is usually optional.

● Include an updated professional pictures.

● State that you’re a native speaker.

● Include contact information, such as your email and phone.

● State when you are available to start working.

● Give explanations about your jobs.

● Put the information in reverse chronological order. Meaning your last job is first.

● Play up any teaching or training experience that you have. If you don’t have teaching experience, make the most of it. Did you train new employees? Did you create schedules? Did you chair meetings? All of these can be valuable for a teacher.

● If you have experience living in another country or working with people from other cultures, mention that. Or talk about how you could deal with culture shock or homesickness. (Living in your own country, but doing a drastically different job, such as working at night could show how you adapt.) Discuss how you would deal with being the only foreigner at the school or in the area.

● Do use specific words. Read this article on which words you should use.

● Talk about your own language learning, if any.

● If you know which country you want to work in, try to get experience working or volunteering with people from that country.

Don’ts
● Include unnecessary information such as your passport, Social Security Number, or license.

● Send extra information such as scans of your passport, degrees, or certificates.

● List too many jobs. You don’t have to list all the jobs that you’ve had; the last three should be sufficient.

● Use informal language or contractions.

● Overcrowd the page. Make it easy to read.



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