Teacher Resume Examples 2021 (Templates, Skills & Tips)

From planning engaging lessons to fostering educational environments to guiding the next generation as they grow right before your eyes, you’re a hero.

You know you’ve got the teaching skills, the state certification, and the perfect temperament to be a great educator.

Just one thing in your way— 

The school principal doesn’t yet realize just how awesome an instructor you’d be. Show them your educational talent with the best teacher resume they’ve ever seen.

Read on and you’ll see a professional sample teacher resume template you can adjust and make your own. Plus, you’ll learn an easy formula for writing a resume for teaching jobs that will land you 10x more school interviews than any other teaching resume you’ve written in the past. Let's get started.

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Here are a few more specific teaching job titles:

• Elementary Teacher Resume
• ESL Teacher Resume
• English Teacher Resume
• Preschool Teacher Resume
• High School Teacher Resume
• Math Teacher Resume
• Music Teacher Resume
• Art Teacher Resume
• First Year Teacher Resume
• Yoga Teacher Resume
• Registered Behavior Technician Resume
• Substitute Teacher Resume
• Special Education Teacher Resume
• Teaching Assistant Resume
• Teacher's Aide Resume
• New Teacher Resume
• Tutor Resume
• Academic Advisor Resume
• Professor Resume
• Professor CV
• Assistant Principal Resume
• Education Resume Templates
• Interpreter Resume
• Translator Resume
• Coaching Resume
• Nonprofit Resume
• Camp Counselor Resume
• Academic Resume
• Career Change Resume
• Paraprofessional Resume
• Best Sample Resumes for All Jobs

Teacher Resume Template

So without further ado, here is how to write a resume for a teacher:

1

Structure Your Teacher Resume Template Properly

The goal of any teacher resume is to conduct an effective knowledge transfer, letting the school principal understand how fit you are for the job.

But— 

Before you can educate them on your teaching abilities, you’ll have to organize the document with a layout that won’t get expelled. Hiring managers, principals, and applicant tracking software alike will appreciate a clean layout.

Here’s how to format a teacher resume template:

• Layout: use the reverse-chronological layout.
• Fonts: pick the best resume fonts.
• Font size: make it 11–12pts for regular text, and 2–4pts larger for section headings.
• Subheadings: identify each subsection with easy-to-read titles.
• Margins: use a 1-inch margin as a resume border.
• Line spacing: use single line spacing in the teaching resume text.
• Sections: leave lots of white space to make it easy on the principal’s eyes. 
• Filetype: save resumes as PDFs, unless the teacher job ad asks for Word docs.

What to include on a teaching resume:

• Header: include your name, contact info, and address on a resume if applicable.
• Introduction: a quick intro statement (resume profile) to whet their appetite.
• Work history: detailed account of your teaching experience.
• Education: your academic achievements.
• Skills: concise list of teaching skills and abilities.
• Extra sections: round out a teacher resume with second languages, awards, etc.

Read more about resume formatting: How to Format a Resume Correctly

One more thing— 

Writer’s block isn’t just a phenomenon for your creative writing students. Rather than starting with the heading statement, save it for last. This way, you’ll come up with plenty of ideas for this introduction paragraph as you write the rest of your resume for teaching jobs.

Having said that, let’s start with resume experience section. 

Kindergarten teachers and elementary school teachers will add 53,100 positions to their rosters between 2018 and 2028. 

High school teachers will add another 38,200, special education teachers go up by 13,600, preschool teachers by 36,900, and middle school teachers by 21,400 in the same timeframe.

So— 

Given how much competition there is for teaching jobs, you’ll need to give an A+ performance in your resume’s work history section.

Let’s start by looking at the qualities of a top-notch teacher resume job description section.

Here’s our guidelines:

• Use the reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent teaching position.
• List each job title, company name, company location, and date range you worked.
• Give 4–6 bullet points describing your past and current job responsibilities and tasks.
• Address competencies relevant to the job by tailoring your resume to the employment offer.
• Try incorporating the PAR (Problem-Action-Result) method to come up with quantifiable achievements.
• Start each bullet point entry with resume power verbs to make them super impactful.
• Mention class sizes and your strongest subject areas.
• Focus on teaching accomplishments rather than tasks.

Let’s see how these rules look on paper.

To start, here are two experienced teaching resume examples of work history sections:

Teacher Resume Example (Experienced)

The second example is worthy of detention, at the very least.

But the first one is detailed, relevant, tailored, and includes numbered accomplishments to put a smile on the assistant principal’s face.

Now— 

What if you’re writing a resume with no experience?

On an entry-level teaching resume, you can still give them a gold star-winning work history. Just make sure you list the job duties and wins most relevant to the teaching job.

Check out these two teaching resume samples of work experience sections:

Teacher Resume Example (No Experience)

As you can see, the first teaching resume example is just what the principal wants: it’s detailed, tailored to the teaching job, and includes numbers to quantify teaching wins.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building your resume here.

Create my resume now

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

Read more about describing your work experience: How to Describe Work Experience on a Resume

3

Enter Your Education (It’s Not That Straightforward!)

Almost all teaching jobs, from pre-Kindergarten to high school, require at least a bachelor’s degree, if not a master’s.

No matter what your current education level is, you need to how to list your education on your resume if you want to score a job in education. 

How, you ask?

Let’s take a look at some examples for the education section of your resume.

First, let’s look at a sample teaching resume for an experienced applicant:

Teaching Resume Education Sample (Experienced Candidate)

It’s elementary, right?

When you have an experienced teacher resume, you can go light on the details and save space for other important sections.

But— 

What if you are new to teacher jobs?

When you’re writing an entry-level resume for a teacher, delve deeper into your academic record. To make up for the lack of teaching work history, show extras such as:

• associate, bachelor's, or master's degree
• relevant coursework
• latin honors
• majors and minors
• awards
• GPA on a resume (if higher than 3.5)
• extracurricular activities
• study abroad

Here’s an example:

Sample Teacher Resume Education (Entry-Level Candidate)

Skip placing high school on your teaching resume when you’ve completed a university degree. 

For some teaching positions, such as a substitute teacher, many schools only require a high school diploma. If you haven’t yet completed your college degree, add a high school listing beneath as a secondary listing.

You’ve got the child juggling skills of a daycare worker, the leadership abilities of a corporate executive, and the compassion of Pope Francis.

But— 

A teaching resume can’t just list any random skill.

Rather, it needs to be tailored to this particular school and teaching job if you want to hold the principal’s attention.

Here’s how to include teaching skills on a resume for education jobs:

• Scan the teaching job ad carefully to identify the best keywords to use on a resume.
• Create a general list of your classroom skills and teaching abilities.
• Find teacher skills which match the job requirements from the school employment ad and include them in your teacher skills resume section.
• If you don’t have 5–10 teacher’s skills yet on your resume, include a few from your general list of talents. 
• Use both hard skills and soft skills on your teacher resume.
• Work in most relevant abilities into your job descriptions. Don't just say you're a team player, provide proof of such behavior (Filled in for fellow teachers...)

Let’s look at some common entries the skills section might include.

30+ Must-Have Teaching Skills for a Resume

• Technical Skills
• Classroom Management
• Behavior Management
• Conflict Resolution
• Teaching Methods
• Performance Evaluations
• Planning Curriculum
• Physical Endurance
• Computer Skills
• Microsoft Office
• Grading Essays, Tests, Quizzes, and Reports
• Disciplinary Action
• Science Laboratory
• Ability to Work Under Pressure
• Collaboration
• Teamwork
• Critical Thinking Skills
• Time Management Skills
• Project Management Skills
• Decision Making Skills
• Interpersonal Skills
• Problem Solving Skills
• Creative Thinking Skills
• Excellent Verbal & Written Communication Skills
• Compassion & Empathy
• Enthusiasm & Energy
• Leadership Skills
• Preparing Lessons
• Field Trips & Lectures
• Geometry
• English Language Arts
• Algebra & Geometry
• Physical Education (P.E.)
• Social Studies & History
• American Literature
• Art & Art History
• Special Education
• Science (e.g., Biology, Astronomy, Geology)
• Foreign Languages
• U.S. History and Government

Now— 

Let’s look at two teacher skills resume example sections:

Sample Teacher Skills Resume Section (Experienced Candidate)

Teaching Skills Resume Example (No Experience Candidate)

Easy as an open-book test, right?

Whether you are writing an experienced teacher resume or a new teacher resume, choose the skills this particular school and staff want to see.

Read more about adding skills on resumes: List of Best Skills to Include on a Resume

Imagine teaching students how to outline a sentence in language arts class.

Well, your resume now has the basics, like a simple subject and verb.

But, to really make it creative and stand out, it’s time to add some adjectives, adverbs, and maybe a prepositional phrase.

I’m talking additional sections on a teaching resume.

Extra sections give your teachers resume a chance to shine brighter than the other educators and job applicants.

Here are a few examples of the best options:

Additional Teacher Resume Sections

1. Certifications Section

Certifications in other industries, say IT or food service, provide a little oomph to help you land that job interview. 

On just about any resume for teacher jobs, it’s a must. List your state teacher’s licence first, followed by any supplementary private teaching certificates you may hold.

2. Volunteer Positions

Any teaching job is a public service, even in a private school. Adding volunteer experience to your resume for teachers will truly impress the school principal, particularly if that unpaid work was mentoring students or tutoring lessons.

3. Resume Language Proficiency

Do you have knowledge of a second language? Add the language and your proficiency level to teaching resumes, especially in school districts which are more culturally diverse (it may come in handy for bilingual students).

4. Hobbies & Interests on a Resume

School faculty members aren’t searching for mindless robots. Show a bit of your human side while still adding value to your teacher resume by adding relevant passions and pastimes. 

5. Teaching Association Memberships & Teaching Certifications

Are you affiliated with any teaching organizations or academic associations? Listing these towards the end of your teaching resume shows the principal you mean business. Here are some examples:

• National Parent Teacher Association (NPTA)
• The Association of American Educators (AAE)
• The National Science Teaching Association (NSTA)
• The STEM Leadership Alliance
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
• Childhood Education International (CEI)

Whether writing a resume for a student teacher, teacher’s assistant, or kindergarten, extra sections are like bonus points to help you pass this all-important exam.

For more possibilities when it comes to additional parts of a teacher’s resume, see this guide: Best Things to Include on a Resume

Now we’ve come full circle— 

As with the opening of any written essay you’ll assign your students, the introduction on a resume sets the tone for the rest of the document.

This heading statement, as it’s known, can be either a resume summary or resume objective. 

Intrigue them and the assistant principal is interested in reading more. Fail to stir up interest, and it’s off to another school for you.

So first, review what’s been written in the teacher or teaching assistant resume so far.

Second, find the most impressive and salient points sure to wow any member of the school faculty.

Finally, choose 2–3 of your proudest achievements and instructional skills and use those as the foundation for a solid opening paragraph.

Do you have years supervising classrooms and grading papers?

Use the career resume summary.

The summary statement is a brief paragraph showcasing your past teaching experience, classroom skills, and educational achievements. Proves your teaching credentials and competence by adding a numbered win or two.

Check out these two teacher resume summary examples:

Sample Teacher Summary Resume Statements

The wrong example would have that teacher resume suspended from the running quickly.

However— 

The good example is just right, with plenty of juicy details, a personalized approach, and a numbered accomplishment to show off your success.

But what if you’ve never held a full-time teaching job before?

Use the career resume objective.

An objective statement is perfect for writing a first-year teacher resume. 

Instead of your impressive teaching history, it proves you’re committed with a statement about your teacher career goals. It, too, includes a quantifiable achievement from related work to document how talented you are, and it works on teacher or assistant teachers resume.

Here are two sample resume objectives for teacher positions:

Teaching Resume Samples—Objective Statement

See the differences?

Sure, we may have exaggerated the wrong example a bit, but a good teaching resume objective is always concise, to-the-point, tailored to the school, and includes a numbered win.

Learn more on how to start a resume effectively: How to Start a Resume the Right Way

Cover letters are important, especially for teaching jobs.

Why?

A teaching resume is great, but it can’t showcase your personality, describe how effective your teaching style is, or explain away an employment gap.

So— 

Whether writing a resume for special education, preschool, middle school, or high school, attach a cover letter to land your dream job.

How to write a teacher cover letter:

• Format cover letters before writing, just as you did for the teaching resume.
• Come up with a cover letter opening which intrigues the principal from the very start.
• Use the teaching cover letter to talk up your educational background, classroom leadership skills, and school career goals.
• Submit another quantifiable accomplishment or two to score that teaching interview.
• Sign off with a powerful closing paragraph when ending a cover letter.

That’s just the basics, of course.

We’ve got the full guide on how to write a cover letter, as well as what to say in a cover letter, to make sure you knock it out of the park.

Cover letters are multipurpose, if you allow them to be.

Use a cover letter for teaching jobs to show your enthusiasm for their school colors or explain why you have a gap in your employment history.

Pro tip: Looking for a teaching job in a particular school but don't see anything advertised? A letter of interest for a job can help open doors and reveal potential employment opportunities that haven't been made public yet.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

Read on: Teacher Cover Letter: Example and Guide

Recap—Teaching Resume In a Nutshell

Let’s make like math class and sum it all up— 

Here’s how to write a solid teacher resume:

• Format a resume template for teaching using a legible font, plenty of white space, clearly defined headings, and a proper resume margin.
• Use the reverse-chronological layout for your teacher's resume.
• After including contact information on a resume, skip the intro paragraph until the end.
• Detail your work history with teaching job responsibilities, relevant information, keywords, and action verbs to start every bullet point.
• Include a numbered accomplishment on your school teacher resume to prove how talented you are.
• Document your academic history, giving them extra details (e.g., coursework, Latin honors) when writing new teacher resumes.
• List relevant skills on your teacher resume by referring to the job requirements in the employment offer.
• Spice up your document by adding impactful additional sections, such as teaching awards, certifications, second languages, or volunteer work.
• Don’t forget to include a teacher cover letter before you send that email to the principal!

That’s all we have, but we’d love to hear from you: 

• Do you face any challenges when writing teacher resumes or TA resumes? 
• Want any more teacher resume samples of achievements or work experience? 
• Have any funny or cautionary stories about applying for teaching jobs?

Let’s chat below, and thanks for reading!