Putting together a teacher resume is super overwhelming. There are so many pieces to it, and of course, you’re looking for a job. You want to be a teacher, and you want to have a job (or a new job). There’s a lot of pressure and in some places, a lot of competition. People talk about teacher shortages all the time, but that wasn’t necessarily true in my area when I first started out. The point of a resume is to showcase your best self. I had so much to share about myself that I created an entire teacher resume portfolio, which is what I talked about on this episode of the podcast. Here’s the highlights!
Teacher Resume
A teacher’s resume has parts that other resumes simply don’t have. Obviously you need your contact information up at the top. Outline what your certification is, so they know exactly who you are at first glance. I noted where I studied and got my degree from here too.
A little ways down, include your direct teaching experience, this would include your student teaching. Then provide some related experience. On my teacher resume, I included tutoring, clubs, other jobs I had, undergraduate research and any extra education outside of the degree you have.
Teacher Cover Letter
Writing a cover letter is my least favorite part of putting together a teacher resume portfolio. You should first talk about yourself. I mentioned my hobbies related to education – that I like to read nonfiction books. Next, you will expand on your experience. What was it like in your classroom as a teacher or student teacher? What did you learn there? Essentially you are going to take your teacher resume and expand on it and provide more details. It’s always good if you can attempt to personalize your cover letter for the school or district that you are applying to. They want to know that you are looking at that specific school and community, not just a teaching position.
Your Teaching Philosophy
I chose to include my teaching philosophy paper that I wrote in college for my first go at resumes. It was SUPER technical and honestly, nobody really knows the ins and outs of each educational theory and philosophy. So when I was applying for my second job, I chose to nix all of that and redo it. My cover letter basically outlines what an administrator would see if they randomly walked into my classroom.
Letters of Recommendation
Next section of my teacher resume portfolio is the letters of recommendation written by my cooperating teachers and my former boss from my college job. They’re really nice to read every once in a while. Especially on days where I’m feeling crappy about how my day went.
Sample Lesson Plans
The last piece of my portfolio is sample lesson plans and some photos. I included pictures of my classroom set up, bulletin boards, a poster I made for my classroom. I made sure to include things that I was specifically proud of and felt like I could super easily talk up in the interview I was hoping to land. My biggest pieces of advice. Only include lessons that you want to talk about. Lessons you know inside and out. Those are the ones that are going to showcase the best version of you!
You can get a copy of the teacher resume template here! Make sure to make it about you!
