Going for a new teacher or CRT job is an exciting time – who knows what opportunities your next school will hold for you, your personal development or your teaching career as a whole? However, to land the right education role you need the right education CV. As many of us are now finding ourselves spending more time at home, a great, proactive, time-filler is to look at updating your CV and searching for new career opportunities. An education CV will have many similarities to those of employees in other fields, however, there are some nuances you will need to understand to ensure you show yourself off as the best candidate for the role.
So, where do you start? Here we provide Tradewind Australia’s best practice tips.
1. Research the School
As we’ll outline shortly, your CV is going to start with a blurb about you, your best traits and why you suit the role for which you’re applying. Of course, this information will also be included in your covering letter.
To ensure you have the right details to produce this blurb, you must research the school. Find out their mission and values, their student makeup, their recent achievements, and any other information available on their website or annual reports. Then, answer this question:
How can you support them?
If you understand clearly what you bring to the table, how you fit their values or can help the school reach its goals, you’ll be better prepared to personalise your application. As an extra incentive, this information will also help in the job interview stage, where you may be asked about these things again.
Bonus tip: If you’re applying for a Victorian teaching job outside of Victoria, consider also checking local legislation. Criteria and recruitment requirements may differ from what you’re used to. To find out more, read each state education department’s website, or give us a call.
2. Format Your Teacher CV Correctly
Information on your CV should be relevant and in a logical order. In a nutshell, the most important or relevant information should come first, descending to least important or relevant. Do not include anything that is totally unimportant or irrelevant, as it will just take up valuable space.
Here is more guidance, and recommended order for your CV:
Start with a Personal Summary
This should only encompass a few sentences, providing some quick facts that summarise the rest of your resume. Consider adding a bit about your subject specialisations, years of experience, applicable registrations and qualifications.
You should also incorporate a statement about your teaching philosophy, particularly if you are at the beginning of your career.
Outline your work history
Next, go through your employment history, starting with whichever job was most recent. Don’t just state which subjects you taught, but also the applicable year level(s).
Under each role, and especially the most recent, outline your key responsibilities and include more information such as committees you’ve led, initiatives you started, awards you’ve won and so on.
What if you’re a new teacher? Focus on your practicum, again including subjects and year levels. Be sure to outline any achievements and awards as normal, but you can also include any additional roles you’ve taken on during such placements, including extra-curricular activities, groups you organised and any positive feedback you received from your associate teachers. You can also include your non-teaching experience (i.e. other jobs), but always try to contextualise them to teaching – focus on transferable skills.
List Your Relevant Achievements
Some might call this optional (as achievements can be included among your work history), but many professionals in education recruitment recommend creating a small section of key achievements so you can really promote your best work.
For each of your previous roles, detail your biggest achievements. Use specific outcomes and numbers where possible, to avoid what might be called unsubstantiated fluff. Basically, you want to be able to validate these achievements – use keywords that are applicable to the school for which you’re applying, be clear and concise about what you did and why it was successful then use numbers to back yourself up if you have them available.
Add Your Qualifications
Education and qualifications are important. Next, include all your relevant education, degrees or diplomas, certificates, and practicums. If you have achieved any additional certification outside of teaching (first aid training, non-teaching degrees), include these as well.
Choose Good Referees
Friends, family, and colleagues might volunteer to be your referees, but for a teaching position, they aren’t the best choice. The best choice is rather someone who has seen you teach or people who were involved with you at a management level (i.e. an associate teacher/mentor from your practicum if you are a recently qualified teacher, or the Head of Department / Principal of your previous school).
Summary
A teacher’s CV is quite similar to an employee in another field, but with a few specifics. Your qualifications and achievements will play an important role in proving you’re the right fit for the job as well as your ability to show how you match the school’s mission and student base.
For assistance in finding your next CRT or permanent teacher job, or to sign up for our upcoming professional development workshops, get in touch with the Education team at Tradewind Australia today.