teacher CVs: how to nail yours.

<p>Congratulations! You’ve got your qualifications sorted, you’ve found a school you like the look of and they have a job that would be just perfect for you. Now all you have to do is craft the perfect teaching CV and you’ll be laughing all the way to the classroom.</p>
<p>But writing your first CV can sometimes feel a little like a trip to the dentist– a slightly frightening but necessary evil. Don’t despair just yet. With a little bit of help, you can turn out a well-crafted resume that will be your passport to a dream teaching job.</p>
<h3>Nailing a teacher CV.</h3>
<p>What should I include?</p>
<p>We’ve all known friends and colleagues who’ve written a veritable novel for their CV but churning out dozens of pages is not going to help your cause – keeping it concise, punchy and to two or three pages is best.</p>
<p>Whether you’re a newly qualified teacher (NQT) looking for the right school to get your qualified teacher status (QTS) or you’ve served out your probationary period and got your QTS confirmed, you’ll need to include certain things: personal and contact details, education, qualifications, placements and work experience, additional interests.</p>
<p>Remember, your CV is likely to be read by the head teacher so make sure it is pitch perfect and aimed firmly at the job you have your eye on.</p>
<h3>Experience.</h3>
<p>You worked really hard for your qualifications – now it’s time to shout about them. Make sure you include your degree qualification, any specialisms you undertook, where you studied and dates. Add in your professional qualifications too: PGCE, ITET, SCITT, School Direct training or Teach First.</p>
<h3>Placements and previous jobs.</h3>
<p>It’s this section that often leaves NQTs in a cold sweat wondering: “Why would they want me, I’ve not had a teaching job before?”</p>
<p>But don’t be deterred – schools are always after new recruits and it is part of their role to help you develop as a teacher. Besides, you may have more experience than you think. You will have learned valuable skills during any placements and don’t forget to mention any previous jobs and relevant skills you may have picked up along the way.</p>
<p>List your placements and previous employers chronologically with the most recent first, plus a description of your roles and responsibilities. If you already have QTS make sure you detail the role where you gained it and talk about any achievements as well as how it helped you develop your teaching style.</p>
<h3>Additional interests.</h3>
<p>Don’t be afraid to wax lyrical about any additional relevant interests or voluntary and community projects which could enrich your application – head teachers aren’t just employing a robot. They want to know about you as a person too.</p>
<p>Including your hobbies also makes your CV more individual and sets you apart from other candidates. Just make sure they are relevant to the role and demonstrate skills that could help you in your teaching career.<br><br></p>