Whether you’re searching for your first teaching job or you’re ready for a change, you’ll need a solid resume. There’s a lot of conflicting advice out there on how to write a resume that will land you an interview, so it’s worth taking some time to review teacher resume examples first. We’ve rounded up examples for pretty much any kind of educator and assembled tips for how to write a strong modern teacher resume.
Best of all, we’ve got a free, fully customizable teacher resume template to get you started quickly and easily. Fill out the form on this page to grab your template, then use our tips to start building your resume today.
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Teacher Resume Tips
Resumes have changed a lot in recent years, so do your research to find out what the latest trends are. For instance, while an “objectives” section used to be a resume standard, people often drop this section today in favor of more space to highlight their accomplishments. Start with these general resume tips, then get more advice for completing our free teacher resume template, section by section.
General Tips
- Keep it to one or two pages. Hiring managers don’t have time to read overly long resumes. Put the most important information up front, and remove anything that doesn’t truly strengthen your application.
- Be honest. While you want to highlight your strengths and achievements, don’t go overboard. If you exaggerate your experience but are unable to perform certain tasks, you may put your future job at risk before you even get started.
- Skip the gimmicks. Some people will tell you the way to make your resume stand out is to use fun fonts or a “creative” design. The fact is, people who are hiring want an easy-to-read, clear presentation that highlights your achievements and credentials. That’s what will land you an interview.
- Tailor your resume. Keep a standard resume document that you can customize for the specific job you’re applying for. That might mean moving sections around, highlighting specific skills or experiences, or deciding which parts of your career deserve to be placed up front. Take a close look at the job description, and tailor your resume accordingly.
- Don’t try to circumvent the system. Years ago, people would tell you to ignore requests to send your resume and instead show up in person. Our advice: Don’t do it! Application systems are nearly all online these days, and for good reason. This helps hiring committees by organizing information efficiently and ensuring they meet all anti-discrimination laws. So just send your resume and application using the method requested.
- Don’t forget a cover letter. A great cover letter really can help your resume stand out. Learn how to make your teacher cover letter special here.
Contact Information
On today’s resumes, your mailing address is optional. In fact, if you’re looking for a job outside of your current geographical area, it can sometimes be helpful to leave it off. This way, employers won’t worry about whether you’re willing to relocate for the job.
Email addresses are not optional. This is the way most schools will contact you today, so be sure to provide yours. You might want to take a look at your address to make sure it sounds relatively professional too. Ideally, it simply contains a version of your name (e.g., “leslie.knope2010@gmail.com”); don’t forget you can grab a free email address from sites like Gmail if you need to. But other addresses are fine too, as long as there’s nothing questionable. “TinaB3824@gmail.com” is fine. “Bootylicious69@gmail.com” is not.
Professional Objective/Summary
As mentioned earlier, resume objectives are used less and less today. Recent college grads or those transitioning to teaching careers might still decide to include a professional objective statement. Those with more experience have replaced objectives with a summary statement that provides an overview of their career. It’s also OK to delete this section altogether if you’d like more space in the Relevant Work Experience section.
Education and Certifications
Include your undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as any certifications or licensures you hold. Note: It’s up to you whether you include your graduation date. Some people worry it can open them up to age discrimination. You’ll likely be asked for this information if you continue in the hiring process, so they can verify your degrees.
Related Experience
This is the real meat of your teacher resume. You can list jobs chronologically starting with the most recent, or choose to place your most relevant experience first. Either way, include your employer’s name, dates of employment, and the position/s you held. Then, highlight your experience and achievements. Strive to make your statements measurable and quantifiable rather than just a listing of your job duties.
Weak statements:
- Taught fifth grade science and math
- Prepared students for standardized math tests
- Oversaw annual school science fair
Strong statements:
- Instructed 100+ students each year in fifth grade science fundamentals, including human anatomy, electricity and magnetism, and earth and space science
- Improved standardized testing math scores by an average of 8% over a period of five years
- Organized seven annual school science fairs by coordinating 200+ participants, finding qualified judges, and arranging for prizes donated by the community
New college grad? You should definitely include your student teaching or internship experience in this section!
Additional Experience
You can use this section to include jobs you’ve held that aren’t quite as relevant to the one you’re applying for. If you’re new to the working world, it’s OK to include non-teaching jobs here. For those with longer careers, it’s probably not necessary to list every job you’ve ever had. Just highlight any experience that helps support your application or fills any employment gaps.
Professional Honors and Leadership
If you’ve received awards or honors related to teaching, share them here. The same goes for any leadership roles you’ve held in educational professional orgs.
Professional Affiliations
If space allows, you might want to include a short list of respected professional organizations you belong to. You should definitely include them if you play a very active role, have been invited to speak as an education expert at a conference, etc. Otherwise, this section is optional.
Other Teacher Resume Sections
Here are some sections you might consider adding if you have space, and a few to skip altogether.
- Professional skills: Don’t include this section if your skills are simply those expected of any teacher. But if you’ve built up any unusual and relevant teaching skills through experience or professional development, you could include them here. (Fluency in multiple languages, for example.)
- Community involvement or volunteer work: If you’ve been heavily involved in community organizations that work with children or education, consider highlighting those achievements on your resume.
- Publications: Have you published articles in an educational or professional journal, or had your work featured on a trusted, well-known website? Include any relevant articles and links.
Here’s what you don’t need on your resume:
- Hobbies or “unique” unrelated skills (like “juggling” or “Cordon Bleu chef”).
- Any information about religious or political affiliations, or your marital status, gender, race, or age. These could lead to potential bias or discrimination in the hiring process.
- References: Most people leave this section off their resume these days, as job applications or hiring committees will ask you for them separately. Line up your references and gather their contact information, but hang onto them until you’re asked to provide the info. You don’t even need to put “References available upon request,” since hiring managers already assume that.
Teacher Resume Examples
As you complete your teacher resume template, use these examples for ideas about what to include and how to word it.
1. First-time teacher
This is a great resume for teachers with little to no experience.
2. Another first-time teacher example
Here’s one more example of a great teacher resume for those with limited experience.
3. Experienced elementary teacher
This one allows you to showcase your skills in a compact, visually appealing design.
4. Another experienced elementary teacher
This is one of those teacher resume examples that work best for those with some experience but who are still early in their career. (Note: Click the link above and scroll down to find it.)
5. Summer school teacher
Use this resume to highlight the unique skills of summer school teachers who work with students who are either repeating a course or trying to get ahead for the following school year.
6. Assistant teacher
Applying for an assistant teacher job will be much easier using one of the five fantastic teacher resume examples through this resource.
7. Special education teacher
As a special educator, your responsibilities may change from minute to minute and your skills need to adapt. This template helps you simplify your experience in a one-page resume.
8. School counselor
This resume will help you showcase your excellent mentoring, counseling, and leadership skills.
9. School guidance counselor
As a guidance counselor, your role is to guide students through academic development as well as personal growth. Use this template to show you how to highlight your unique talents.
10. Library media specialist
Showcase your ability to collect and maintain the valuable resources needed to foster a strong learning environment for students.
11. High school English teacher
Use this guide to create a great English teacher resume that will highlight your communication, interpersonal, and planning skills to edge out the competition.
12. Technology teacher
Emphasize your commitment to the ongoing professional development necessary to continue integrating the latest technology into the existing curriculum, and coming up with new lesson plans for today’s classrooms.
13. Music teacher
Share and showcase your love of introducing music to students with this straightforward teacher resume.
14. Drama teacher
This resume example is simple but perfect for drama teachers who want to emphasize their experience as well as their knowledge of acting techniques and production.
15. World language teacher
Establish yourself as the ideal candidate by demonstrating teaching skills, language proficiency, communication, and organizational skills.
16. Sports coach
As a coach, this template will help you demonstrate your ability to manage teams and sports programs as well as encourage academic performance.
17. ESL teacher
This teacher resume example allows you to highlight your classroom management skills, as well as your commitment to empathy, patience, and cultural awareness. (Note: Click the link above and scroll down to find it.)
18. Math teacher
This clean resume template showcases a math teacher’s ability to break down complex math concepts through patient, meaningful engagement with students.
19. Pre-K teacher
It takes a special person to be a great pre-K teacher. Working with young children while creating lesson and activity plans, monitoring progress, and providing quality supervision takes patience and kindness.
20. Business teacher
Put your best foot forward with this business teacher resume that emphasizes teaching methods and a commitment to ongoing professional development.
21. International school teacher
Use this resume to let hiring managers know that you’re not only motivated to help students learn but uniquely qualified. Be sure to highlight any experience living or traveling abroad as well as foreign language skills.
Get Your Free Teacher Resume Template
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