Resume for Teaching Posts
The teaching profession is unlike most others. It does not need one specific set of skills, but a whole range of abilities and competencies. Teachers are dealing with people in ways which need knowledge and understanding of inspiration, persuasion, confrontation, organisation and humour.
So it makes sense for a resume to focus on these elements.
For example: teachers need to show that they can work with others in a pressurised environment. Any experience you have, whether it's working in a bar, working in an office delivering targets, or running your own business, is relevant. It might seem like a completely different environment, but the people skills you have learned are important and it is worth making the most of them. As you write them into your resume, be sure to emphasise the ways you have dealt with different types of people, and how you have handled confrontation.
Teaching is also a service profession. Most teachers will work in the public sector, so they accept lower wages for increased job security. Ultimately, this means that you are expected to go the extra mile in terms of taking on responsibilities and tasks - there is no set "clocking off" time for teachers, and you are expected to do a lot of work at home or at weekends. You need to demonstrate that your experience involves working as much as necessary to get the job done. You have to show that you are determined and enthusiastic in the work you have done, so your resume needs to give a flavour of this: any mentions of long hours, weekend work, additional projects you took on for no extra money - these will all gain the approval of prinicipals reading your resume.
Teaching is also about giving of yourself. Do you have any experience of the voluntary sector? Do you work for any local organisations? How involved do you get in your community? If the answers to these questions are negative or minimal, then don't worry - but take on some charitable or voluntary role, if at all possible. If you do plenty in your community, don't be afraid to make a lot of it on your resume. It might seem cynical or self-serving, but a resume is all about showing the very best of yourself. So show it!
Have you any experience of young people? Mentioning your own family might not be relevant, but if you have worked with children at any point, then mention that experience prominently.
It is also important to show that you love learning. This does not mean you need to be academic. It helps, of course, if you can show that you have high qualifications in your specialist subjects - and that you involve your subject in your life in some way, such as by writing if you are an English teacher - but it really means that you give principals some idea that you are always looking to improve your understanding, or that you are always trying to learn new things. Are you learning an instrument? Do you take a pottery class? These things might seem unimportant, but they help to build a picture of someone who wants to learn and who can communicate that.
Finally, you need to show the personal qualities teachers need. Patience, good humour, concern for others. These are essential for all teachers. In your resume, have you mentioned any of these? Does your experience show these in any way? If not, make sure it does!
Good luck finding a teaching post. It is a rewarding and important profession and if you can get that resume finely tuned, you could be on the verge of a life-changing decision. Go for it!
