How to write the perfect teacher CV

Crafting a teaching CV is never easy - after all, it has to sell you and all your skills, ambitions, hopes and dreams to a stranger over a piece of paper that is, likely, only two pages long.

Yet while there is no one set template for all CVs, there are some good general rules that anyone hoping to stand out should follow to have the best chance possible of success.

How to write a teacher CV

Here are the key elements that make up a winning teacher CV:

Qualifications and previous employment

It’s almost always advisable to start with your qualifications and relevant experience, starting with the most recent. That may sound obvious but I’ve seen examples of people burying this away or presenting it in a way that overcomplicates this section or leaving gaps that raise questions.

Ideally, keep it simple by listing where you have studied and/or worked and for how long. Outline the responsibilities you had, what they entailed, how you delivered them and what impact you had.

A generic example might look like:

My first initial teacher training placement lasted 10 weeks and I worked with pupils of all age ranges initially, and then delivered English and geography lessons to a mixed-ability Year 5 class for six weeks. I enhanced the pupils’ literacy skills by applying the knowledge from the English lessons to pieces of extended writing in geography.

It’s worth including anything that is not educational related, too, because it shows you went out and found work. This is true for any career changers as well. Having experienced working life and made a conscious decision to move into the education sector always goes down well.

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Activities that showcase your personality

If you haven’t had a job (or your employment history is short), don’t let that put you off.

What other activities have you been involved with that tell me something about you? Do you participate in a team sport? Have you developed yourself by learning a musical instrument? Are you a middleweight Greco-Roman wrestling champion? Do you volunteer for a charity or society?

These details, which might appear trivial, reveal more than you may realise: that you can work collaboratively with others. You value lifelong learning. You have the potential to run an extracurricular club or two. You have the patience, resilience and tenacity to stick with something, which, initially at least, is difficult and potentially uncomfortable.

What other skills or attributes do you have that might lift you above other applicants? A certificate in British Sign Language? Fluency in a second language? Again, let me see that you are an interesting candidate.

Tell me why you want the job

Put in a short, focused supporting statement that tells me why you want to work specifically in the education sector.

What is it about you as a person that makes you want to work with children and young people in a dynamic and rewarding, yet unpredictable and often frustrating, environment?

Don’t make this section War and Peace - it needs to be engaging to the person reading dozens of CVs, so a huge chunk of dense text can be instantly off-putting. Two or three paragraphs at most is ideal.

Handpick some credible referees

Referees (who are happy to vouch for you) are not essential for me, but can be a welcome addition - if they are credible, ie, have some status within a recognised organisation.

If you list your university tutor or your last employer as a referee, that gives me confidence that they’ll tell me you performed to a good level.

Let your character shine through

Finally, I always love to see a bit of character come through in CVs and supporting statements. The schools I’ve chosen to work in throughout my career demand their staff to have that something special about them if they are to be successful, whatever their role is.

For example, I’ve received applications from a candidate who led several expeditions in Tanzania. I’ve interviewed (and hired) someone who appeared in a multi-Bafta-award-winning film. I’ve employed an ex-professional inline hockey player.

I’ve also read supporting statements that explain how education changed an applicant’s life for the better. I’ve had candidates who demonstrate a sharp, but appropriate, sense of humour about themselves in their statements.

A final word

Aside from the key elements above, there really is no magic formula - other than to commit your personality to paper. Don’t resort to generic statements that you think employers want to hear.

Ultimately, while your CV needs to feature the necessary qualifications and experiences, it should also showcase what sort of person you are and make me desperate to find out more.

Neil Rodgers is a headteacher at Heworth Grange School in Gateshead, part of Consilium Academies