Teacher CV examples + guide

Get noticecd by employers and land the best teaching jobs
 

Whether you are applying for primary supply teacher roles, or secondary head of department jobs – you need a strong CV if you want to land job interviews.

A well-written CV will get you noticed and ensure that you get the opportunities you deserve.

This detailed guide, along with 2 teacher CV examples (one primary and one secondary) will show you exactly how to create your own attractive CV, that will have recruiters and schools desperate to meet you.

 

 

 

 

Primary teacher CV example

Primary Teacher CV 1 (style 2)

Primary Teacher CV 1 (style 2)

 

CV builder

 

Secondary teacher CV example

Secondary Teacher CV 1 (style 2)

Secondary Teacher CV 2 (style 2)

 

CV builder

Business teacher CV example

Business Teacher CV-1

Business Teacher CV-2

 

NQT (Newly qualified teacher) CV example

NQT CV-1

NQT CV-2

 

History teacher CV example

History Teacher CV-1

History Teacher CV-2

 

Maths teacher CV example

Maths Teacher CV-1

Maths Teacher CV-2

 

Head of Department CV example

Head of Department CV-1

Head of Department CV-2

 

These 7 example CVs should give you a good idea of how a teacher’s CV looks, and the type of information it should include.

 

CV builder

 

How to write a teacher CV

Now I will provide step-by-step guidance of the exact process you can use to create a winning teacher CV (curriculum vitae).

The guide will show you my recommended structure and formatting, and will also discuss the type of content that recruiters and schools will expect to see in your CV.

See also: Our teaching assistant example CV – Academic CV example

 

 

 

Structuring your CV + style and format

The structure and format of your CV both play important roles in the success of your applications, because they determine how easy it will be for people to read your CV, and how clearly you can highlight the essential information.

The diagram below gives an overview of how your CV should be laid out and styled for best results.

 

CV structure

 

CV sections overview

In line with the diagram above, your CV should be broken down into 5 main sections:

  • Contact details – Added to the top of your CV to ensure recruiters can contact you easily
  • Profile/personal statement – Introductory paragraph to grab readers’ attention and summarise your skill set
  • Core skills – Bullet pointed list of your most valuable skills and knowledge
  • Work experience – List of your previous work with a focus on your teaching roles
  • Education – A summary of your most important and relevant qualifications

 

Formatting your CV

When formatting your CV, it’s best to keep it simple.

Many people are tempted to use flashy designs, images and bright colours in a bid to stand out from the crowd. But in reality, these things often provide a bad reading experience and distract recruiters from the all-important content.

If you want to create a CV that looks professional and allows readers to find the information they need quickly, I would recommend sticking to the following guidelines:

Use a simple clear font that is easy to read and ensure the size isn’t too small.

Keep the colour scheme modest – black text on a white background may seem boring, but it provides the best reading experience.

Break the text up as much as possible – big chunky paragraphs are a reader’s worst nightmare, especially for recruiters who read hundreds of CVs every week.

Keep the CV at 2 pages or under – If your CV is too long, recruiters and school will not read it all.

If you want to create a good CV quickly, you can always use a CV template to take care of all the above.

 

Now I will walk you through each section in more detail, and show you how to write each one effectively.

 

Your CV profile

To catch the attention of busy recruiters and school staff, you must have an impactful profile sitting at the top of your CV.

A profile (sometimes called a personal statement for junior candidates) is an introductory paragraph which sits at the top of your CV. Its aim is to entice readers by summarising your skill set at a high level, and demonstrate your suitability for the roles you apply to.

 

CV profile

 

Keep your profile brief

Your profile is the very first thing a reader will see when opening your CV, and you only have a few seconds to ensure you hold their attention.

For this reason, you need to keep your profile short and punchy by providing an overview of your offerings and not going into too much granular detail.

Quick tip: If you struggle to write with perfect diction, try our quick-and-easy CV Builder

 

Teacher CV profile

See more example CV profiles

 

Sell yourself

Your profile needs to impress recruiters and encourage them to read the rest of your CV with enthusiasm, so ensure that you write persuasively and highlight your biggest achievements.

 

Tailor your profile towards your target teaching roles

For a CV profile to be effective, it must be heavily tailored towards your target roles. Do some solid research into the positions you are applying for, and ensure that you reflect the key candidate requirements in your profile.

 

What sort of info should you include in your teacher CV profile?

 

Qualifications – Teaching is a highly regulated profession and there are understandably a number of educational requirements you must meet, so whether you have a PGCE, bachelor of education, or any other teaching qualifications, you must make this clear very early in your CV.

Subject/curriculum knowledge – Schools need to know exactly what you can teach before deciding whether you will be right for the vacancies they have.

Where you have taught – Education environments can differ greatly, and different styles of teaching are required to suit each one. Give recruiters an early indication of your abilities by stating whether you have taught in inner-city primary schools, private secondary schools, colleges, or anywhere else.

Ages taught – Teaching at nursery level requires a different skill set to teaching 15-16 year olds, so it’s wise to indicate the age groups you have taught.

Responsibilities outside of the classroom – Perhaps you are head of a year group? or subject department? If so, these are great ways of demonstrating your commitment and abilities.

 

Add a core skills list

Underneath your profile, add a short bullet pointed section split over two or three columns which highlights all of your most valuable talents.

 

CV core skills

 

This creates a snapshot of your abilities that can be digested in seconds – great for catching the attention of busy recruiters.

See also: Teacher cover letter examples

 

 

Your work experience

Once you’ve headed your CV up with a profile and core skills section, it’s time to go into detail with your work experience.

In most cases, you should list your roles in reverse chronological order (current to oldest), but do not place non-teaching roles above teaching roles.

For example, if you currently work a part-time bar job, but you did a teaching placement last year – don’t head your experience with the bar role. In this case you need to start with the teaching placement to highlight your relevant experience and ensure the teaching work isn’t missed by readers – the bar work can be added lower down the CV because it is not so relevant here.

Work experience

 

When writing your CV, you should always focus your work experience on your teaching positions – even if you only have voluntary roles, or university placements.

 

Structuring your roles

Your role descriptions provide a great opportunity to show employers how you apply your skills in the workplace, and the impact you make.

The below diagram shows the best way to structure your roles if you want to build context for the reader and display the information in a way that is easy to digest.

 

Role descriptions

 

Here’s how to populate each role segment in a teacher CV….

 

Role outline

Set the scene for readers and build context with 1-2 short sentences to briefly outline your place of work (School/College/Uni) and outline the age group and subjects you are teaching.

E.g. “Class teacher role for high-achieving London primary school leading a class of 32 year 4 students”

 

Responsibilities

To demonstrate your skills in action, include a bullet pointed list of all of the important duties you carry out. Keep them sort and sharp for ease of reading, and try to demonstrate your impact where possible.

 

Impact of achievements in CV

 

E.g.

  • Planning lessons in accordance with curriculum, to ensure a rigid effective learning experience for pupils with maximum progress
  • Implementing strict but fair classroom management policies to allow for a focused class at all times

 

Achievements

Round your roles up by tagging some impressive achievements on the end. Ideally your achievements should show good examples of occasions where you have gone the extra-mile to get results for your students or employer.

E.g

  • Improved exam results across entire class by 30% and achieved passes for 90% of pupils
  • Introduced new sports after school sessions which saw attendance levels of > 30%

 

Your education

List your education at the bottom of your CV for completion.

For most teachers this will be GCSE’s, A levels and degree, along with any vocational teaching qualifications.

 

Education

 

Whilst your full education details should be at the bottom of your CV, you should still mention your most relevant qualifications at the top of your CV in the profile or core skills – such as teaching degree, PGCE etc. Because you don’t want them to be missed.

 

 

Teacher CV skills

Now that you know how to structure and write your CV, let’s take a look at the core requirements for teaching roles.

Here are some of the core requirements that recruiters will be looking for in your CV, but of course there will probably be others – depending on your unique situation. Interpersonal skills are also important within teaching.

 

Classroom/behaviour management – The ability to control students and implement effective classroom management strategies is essential for educating.

PlanningPlanning lessons and resources is a crucial part of long term education delivery, so your CV needs to contain solid examples of planning.

Assessment and performance monitoring – Without the ability to monitor student performance and assess their abilities, it’s difficult to achieve and prove results.

Curriculum knowledge – Whether you have strong KS1 knowledge or focus specifically on maths and English, its crucial to highlight your expertise in your CV.

Special educational needs (SEN) and diversity – In modern education settings you are likely to face a range of educational needs, cultures and languages, so your CV should reflect your ability to deal with these elements

Lesson delivery – Your CV should demonstrate your style of lesson delivery and ultimately show how your lessons benefit students and help them to achieve their goals.

 

Writing a teacher CV – conclusion

As a teacher it’s crucial that you CV proves your abilities to educate pupils and contribute to their long term development.

By starting your CV with a profile that outlines your teaching skills, subject knowledge and age group specialism, you will get over the first hurdle of grabbing recruiters’ attention.

If you pack your roles full of vital teaching skills and demonstrate the impact you make in the classroom you will prove your value and ability to apply your skills and educate pupils.

Combine this info with a slick easy-to-read structure and you will see plenty of application responses and interview requests.

Good luck with your job hunt!

 

CV builder