Create an Education CV for a great new teaching job

Education is a deeply important part of society, and if you’re interested in becoming part of the world of education, you’ll go through the process of learning how to teach. However, even with years of experience and plenty of CV skills, you still need to show off your knowledge in a way that makes an impact on a hiring manager. Here’s what you need to know about creating an education CV.

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There are many, many jobs that can fall under the umbrella of education. Here are a few of them:

• Professor
• High school teacher
• Middle school teacher
• Elementary school teacher
• Preschool teacher
• Substitute teacher
• Teacher assistant
• Early childhood education
• Special education

Your education CV might target a span from childhood education all the way to college level professor. However, the way you put your education CV together will be similar regardless of what type of teaching position you are applying to.

How should you format your CV? Because education is such knowledge and experience-heavy field, your CV format will typically be a chronological CV. Here are the five sections you’ll typically use to organise your CV.

1. Professional summary or career objective

Adding a professional summary or career objective to your CV is an opportunity to summarise and highlight your best skills and achievements. So which one – a professional summary or a career objective – is the right one for you?

Both a professional summary and career objective are structured as a two- to three-sentence paragraph summary, from 30-60 words, located at the top of your CV. They each should be a brief overview and highlight of your skills and work experience that grabs the attention of your reader.

For positions in the education sector, a career objective is most appropriate for applicants with a good amount of experience, while a professional summary is better for more entry-level applicants. A career objective should be structured as described above, but also includes your goals and what you’re wanting to accomplish with your CV. Include any General Certificate of Education GCSEs or degree certificates.

2. Work history

Next is your experience section. If you already have work experience as a teacher, you can include it here. Include any teaching experience you have, including entry-level experience, internships and even teaching positions if the job title isn’t exactly the same. For example, if you’re currently teaching science, but you’ve previously taught English, you can include that on your CV. Add your previous jobs in reverse-chronological order, with the most recent job experience first.

3. Skills list

The skills section on a teacher CV should target the requirements of the specific job you want. Here are a few bullet points to get you started:

• Lesson plan creation
• Learning assessments
• Problem-solving skills
• Time management
• Classroom management
• Communication skills
• Conflict resolution
• Understanding of coursework
• Interpersonal skills
• Critical thinking skills

If you’re not sure what you want to use in your skills section, you can find education CV samples in the CV examples section at CVHelp for inspiration.

4. Education

In order to teach, you typically will need a college degree, and you will add this information in this section. Typically, you should lead off by listing your top credential (e.g., your college degree). You don’t need to include your GPA, but you should add any honours you’ve received, like cum laude.

5. Achievements and certifications

Lastly, if you have achievements and certifications, you can include them on your CV. You can create your own section if you want to make it even easier to scan these achievements.

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Match your skills to the job listing using CV keywords related to skills and requirements that are present in the job description. It’s also important that your CV and cover letter complement each other in content and layout. You can use the CVHelp CV builder to find CV templates and education CV examples you can use for your next job application.