When looking for teaching resume tips and advice, many teachers don’t know where to turn, especially if they have been in the workforce for some time. We are in a time in education where some teachers are deciding to polish off their resumes to see what else the realm of education may have to offer them. It is important to plan for teaching resume excellence to stand out from the crowd.
Looking for Teaching Resume Tips
If you have been a teacher for at least 5 years, many of the resumes online will not help you. Many generic resume tips and advice say to keep it simple, direct, and only a page long. This is good advice if you are a new teacher or looking for your first teaching job. However, as an experienced educator, this advice is not helpful at all.
Your teaching experience is what puts you a step ahead of many other candidates, so it’s time to show off your skills and talents.
One idea for teaching resume planning is to make sure you have an education section on your resume. This should be one of the first sections after your contact information. When listing coursework, do not write down every single course that you have taken, especially if they are all the same. For example, instead of “Biology I, Biology II, Biology III” try something like “Human Anatomy & Physiology”.
Instead of listing everything in your employment history under “Teaching Experience” break it down into categories. Categories could include preschool through 8th grade, elementary Language Arts, middle school Social Studies, or high school English. You can also break it down by what kinds of roles you had such as classroom teacher or enrichment teacher (Supply Teacher). If you didn’t have a role in a classroom setting and only tutored students one-on-one, list that under your “Related Experience”.
When listing your accomplishments, make sure they are professional and education-related. Instead of saying “Taught Kindergarteners” say “Managed a classroom of 25 students including 13 hard-to-manage kindergartners”. In this example, it can be assumed that the student was managing more than just kindergarteners but because she had a hard time with 13 of them, the teacher was able to point out her management skills.
Instead of putting past jobs under their own employment section, list your teaching experience at the top with an “Education” section below it. Then include every other category in reverse chronological order (Most Recent Job First). Try to keep it at 2 pages or less.
Ideas for Teaching Resume Tips and Advice for Experienced Teachers
What do experienced teachers need to look for when searching for a new teaching job? Ideas for teaching resume excellence will help you stand out from the crowd. Here are some things you may want to consider:
Above all, remember for teaching resume perfection, it should have real examples of your past work. You are an expert in education, so use that to your advantage! Use the information you have already written down on what you did at past job postings and turn it into professional points of experience.
Don’t be afraid of using different fonts or making the font larger on your teaching resume. The paper should not look like it is from the 1980s, and your resume should not look like a flyer.
Use action words when describing what you did. Instead of “Sold Girl Scout Cookies”, say “Convinced parents to allow their children to participate in cookie sales”. This gives off an image of strength and determination within the workplace. For teaching resume ideas, this is a good one.
Don’t shy away from using bullet points or numbers when you list your qualities on your resume. They make the paper look like it is organized and easy to follow. It will also give them an idea of what you are capable of doing in 30 seconds or less!
Some teachers may be nervous about putting too much information on their resumes. There is no problem with including volunteer work experience, personal interests, awards you have won, and other extracurricular activities you did in school because it will show the employer that outside of your teaching job, you are a well-rounded individual who enjoys a little bit of everything. This is a great addition for teaching resume standouts.
Looking for Teacher Resume Examples?
If you are looking for an example of a teacher’s resume, you can search the internet for resume samples. However, be wary of using these examples as they may not fit your work experience or even be qualified for the type of teaching job you are looking to get.
Instead, you should think about what qualities and skills employers seek in an employee. These qualities can help you create a more effective teacher resume.
Things to remember:
-Be specific and avoid being too general. If you have a lot of experience, then it’s okay to briefly mention past jobs under your education section. However, if you don’t have much experience, you should go into more detail about what exactly it is that you did at each workplace or even list them separately as “Related Experience”.
-Be concise. A teaching resume should only be one page long, so use that space wisely. If you need to, write down everything in chronological order (The most recent job first).
-Use good grammar and punctuation. Spelling errors on your resume will make an impression on the recruiter/interviewer, even if it may just be a mistake.
-Proofread! After you have written down your resume in the way that you want it, read it out loud to yourself or ask someone else to look over it for any changes.
-Be confident! Don’t forget all of your hard work and effort put into obtaining your degree and teaching certificate(s). Employers will take notice.
-If you have been teaching for a while, then it’s okay to list the year(s) that you taught under your “related experience” section. For example: “2010 – Present Taught 1st grade at [insert school name]”.
-If you are already teaching, list the school name on top of your section. This is where you can also include the grades/subjects you are teaching if they are not listed in another place or with another job description. Then, below that, write all of your previous employment before becoming a teacher.
-Put past jobs under their own “employment” section. List your teaching experience at the top with an “Education” section below it. Then include every other category in reverse chronological order (Most Recent Job First). Try to keep it at 2 pages or less.
-Look for ways where you can restructure what you have already written to make it sound better or more efficient.
-If you are looking for new ways to express your experience, try Googling “teaching resume samples” and see some different formats that people have used. Compare them to what you had already written down before deciding on one format over another.
-Your contact information should be easy to read and in the top third of your resume. You may also include what email address you can be reached at
-Include a list of references to the very bottom of the page under a separate “References” section. This is extremely important as some employers will contact them for further questioning or let them know when they will call you for an interview.
-Make sure your resume includes the basics: Name, Address, Phone Number, and Email.
Looking to get an idea of what a working teacher’s resume looks like? Simply search the internet and find one that you think could be a good match with your information. Then, you can follow along and change it so it will fit your own skills and work history.
In the end, if you’re searching for teaching resume tips, relax. You need to focus on highlighting what you’ve accomplished and just being yourself. If you’re looking for ideas on how to do that, look through the articles on this site for advice and examples.
As a teacher with many years of experience in both public school and tutoring, I made some pretty thick portfolios of my work. One thing I wish I’d done more when I was job hunting was focus less on what I’d done and more on who I was as a potential addition to the school community. Remember that as you embark on this new journey.
Ideas for Teaching Resume Skills and the 4 Keys
Honestly, employers look for teaching resume pieces that show that you are in tune to what your students need. Period. Finding your balance with this isn’t difficult, it just needs to ebb and flow with the students and where they are (physically, mentally, and emotionally). Being flexible is the key to making all of this work. The key is engagement.
There are four keys to student engagement that I discuss in my video training challenge called “Finding Your Student Engagement Formula” and it walks you through those four keys and how to implement them in the classroom.
If you are interested in registering (it’s totally free), visit the Finding Your Student Engagement Formula Challenge registration page and you will be notified the next time the series is available.
About the Author: Jenn Breisacher
After moving from a teacher-dominated classroom to a truly student-centered one, Jenn found herself helping colleagues who wanted to follow her lead. In 2018 she decided to expand outside of her school walls and help those out there who were also trying to figure out this fantastic method of instruction to ignite intrinsic motivation in their students. Read more about her journey with Student-Centered World at studentcenteredworld.com/about
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