Teachers play a hand in rearing the next generations of thinkers, innovators, and industry movers. It is then safe to say that being a teacher is a vital profession.

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However, in today’s time, besides beating equally qualified applicants, the pandemic has made jobs today harder to find. In fact, employment fell by 8% at public K-12 schools and 11% in public higher education. This decrease stems from a slowdown in hiring. 

With this, you need to exert greater effort and patience to stand out as a teacher. All it takes is a compelling CV that shows your impressive credentials and skills. 

Below are the ultimate actionable tips to help you write a CV for English language teachers. Read on and learn a thing or two.

Resume and CV: What’s the difference? 

There has been a vast confusion between a CV and a resume. After all, both documents demonstrate a candidate’s experiences and skills to make a strong impression on hiring managers. Hence, up to today, people are still pretty unsure of the difference between the two. 

So, before teaching you the ins and outs of a perfect English language teacher CV, let’s first break down the difference between a resume and a CV.

What is a resume?

Resume comes from the French word résumé, which means “summary.” 

A resume presents key facts about your contact information, profile, career history, skills, academic background, and notable achievements. It is usually a one-page document, but it can extend to two pages, especially for senior-level professionals. It’s almost always accompanied by a cover letter to increase your chances of getting the job. 

A resume typically includes:

  • Header: Name, work title, phone number, and email
  • Career profile: A brief statement just below your header. It demonstrates, using powerful words, what makes you the best fit for the job.
  • Career history: It highlights your duties and responsibilities from your past work experience.
  • Academic background: Writes a concise detail about your highest attained degree, the year you graduated, and the university you graduated from.
  • Skills: The skills that make you the best fit for the position.
  • Notable Achievements: If you had Latin honors or attended special courses, here is the best place to show that.

What is a CV?

A CV is short for the Latin term curriculum vitae, meaning “course of life.” In other words, a CV is a written overview of a candidate’s life’s work.

A CV summarizes a candidate’s experience and skills. It includes detailed information about their work history, education, publications, and other accolades, which we will discuss in length later. Nevertheless, this document is primarily credential-based and is often at least two pages long — but can be longer depending on a candidate’s career trajectory.

So, how are a CV and a resume different?

The term resume is used in the U.S. and Canada, but in most European countries and in Asia, it is called a CV.

Besides international applicants, professionals in the academic or medical fields often use a CV. Length-wise, CVs are longer than resumes and tend to be more detailed on the work experience than the educational background. It also includes examples of your ability to adapt and work well with others.

Also, the term “CV” is used in educational settings worldwide to describe the lengthy document that features one’s academic accomplishments. Thus, scholars usually call it an “academic CV” to differentiate it from an ordinary CV.

While CVs don’t need to be customized, resumes should be tailor-fitted to a company’s brand. It should highlight your duties and responsibilities briefly and concisely. CVs should write work experiences in comprehensive detail.

Finally, in countries outside the U.S. and Canada, employers request personal information from applicants like birth date, nationality, or marital status. This is mainly because some countries do not have employment discrimination laws present in the U.S. and Canada.

How to Write a CV for English Language Teachers

Now that we got all of that out of the picture, let’s now break down the best things to write in your CV to clinch the English language teaching position.

1. Contact information

Include your full name, work title, location, phone number, email address, and relevant work profiles like LinkedIn. Should you submit your CV online, we recommend adding a clickable link to your email or profile.

2. Personal statement

Write an impactful statement about who you are and why your qualifications and experiences fit the job position. The school principal or board might look at this section to analyze your credentials and skills set from the get-go. So, write your personal statement eloquently but briefly.

3. Education

An aspiring teacher’s educational background is essential. That’s why, realistically, you are unlikely to land a full-time teaching job unless you have relevant academic qualifications. 

Hence, if you have a master’s degree in education or have completed any courses related to the profession, you must include it in this section. Be sure to write comprehensively about your undergraduate and postgraduate education as well as the degrees you earned. 

Additionally, if you graduated from a TEFL course, highlight it in your CV. Include the number of hours you acquired during the practicum and place it on top of your education section. This course is a significant license in the industry as it’s internationally accredited and meets all international standards.

4. Skills

In this section, you need to explain to hiring managers how you’re an excellent fit for the position. Demonstrate your progressive teaching methods by detailing your lesson plans, classroom management techniques, and even efficient grading practices.

You can also summarize your skills in education or foreign languages like French or Chinese. Additionally, if you have experience working with anything that relates to technology, be sure to jot it down here. There is hot demand for digitally literate teachers, so this skill is highly needed.

5. Career experience

Provide your past job title, previous employer, and dates of tenure. Bear in mind that many foreign companies or institutions are keen on job titles, so list them concisely.

Below each job title, include a detailed description of your duties and responsibilities. Your internship training or volunteer work is also essential, so write it in detail. Should you have relevant experiences like tutoring or teaching at summer camps, be sure to include them in this section. 

6. Publications, research grants, and other accolades

List any relevant publications, research grants, and other accolades that you have received. These significantly boost your credibility as an educator and will make you shine against other applicants.

7. Finishing touches

You may include a personal interest section that applies to the role you’re vying for. If you also feel like making a different section for any of your additional skills, experiences, awards, and interests, you may do so. Just be sure to write standard terms to sound professional and fit to the company requirements.

When writing your CV, be sure to sound professional and always use action verbs. After writing everything, double-check for possible mistakes in your grammar or spelling. Use online writing assistant tools like Grammarly or Hemingway App. You may also approach a grammar-savvy friend to help you spot your tone of voice and your grammar and spelling.

How to Design a CV for English Language Teachers

Content matters to build an excellent CV, but a well-designed layout is also essential. Let’s now take a look at how to design your CV so it attracts a school’s attention.

1. Use the appropriate color palette

Customize your CV to the qualifications that the position you’re applying for needs. For example, if you’re applying as a teacher in a high school department, a smooth and sleek template would be best. 

Consider playing around with your color palette to create a fancy design. Gradient effects as a background cover are also trendy as it looks posh. If you want your resume to reflect who you are, you can also use your favorite color.

2. Choose the best font

Standard serif fonts like Times New Roman, Garamond, or Georgia are perfect for showing your meticulous side. Meanwhile, sans-serif fonts like Arial, Helvetica, or Verdana will display your modernity. 

Whatever you decide, pick the font that best represents your character. Like picking an appropriate color palette, choose the best font that fits the job description or an institution’s brand.

Moreover, keep your font sizes between 11 to 14. Anything smaller than that may make it hard for an applicant tracking system (ATS) to parse. 

Also, keep everything consistent. Meaning, use the same fonts for your headings and your body texts.

3. Add creative shapes or frills

Subtle design accents in your CV will undoubtedly catch a school’s attention. Shapes or frills may work in two ways: one, it helps with your CV’s aesthetics; and two, it serves as borders to divide your CV content and make it easier to read and understand.

Your favorite icons or graphic details can also help enhance your CV. But don’t go crazy with them! Use minimalist lines or subtle shapes that look easy on the eyes. 

Also, match your designs according to what the company or the job title needs. If you’re looking for a job as a kindergarten teacher, colorful designs are always okay. If you’re vying for a job as a high school teacher, choose chic or sleek designs.

4. Make good use of spaces

Like shapes, spaces can also help in making your CV easier to follow. The distinct spaces between each section and text would be comfortable in the reader’s eyes.

Besides reading comfort, having appropriate spaces would also help make sure that your design would look elegant. And, an uncomplicated design would easily pass the ATS test.

5. Pick a theme and stick to it

Needless to say, be consistent with your design. Pick a theme and apply it throughout your layout. Apply proper font weights or choose a distinct color in your headings to separate it from the rest of the texts. 

Don’t be afraid to play around with the designs. If you think you overdid a particular area, balance it off by designing the other parts less.

Final Note

The best writing guide may help you get a job interview, but if you’re not honest with the information you declare, you’re still not going to get the job.