Oh, educators: what an important role you play in shaping our world! If you're looking for guidance with creating a compelling CV, you've come to the right place. Your CV presents the perfect opportunity to showcase the vast range of skills and knowledge you have acquired throughout your professional journey as an educator. With our comprehensive CV guide, we'll help you land your next job in no time.
In this guide, we will delve deeper into each of these areas. However, ideally, every CV should have the following sections:
First, we’ll start with the professional profile: what it is, why it’s important, and what to include to impress and engage employers.
Your professional profile is like a summary of your professional identity. In just 3-5 sentences, you have the opportunity to highlight your strongest qualities and any achievements, skills or awards that may be relevant to the job position you’re applying for. As an educator, what are your standout qualities? What value could you bring to the institution you’re applying to? Where do you excel? These are questions to ask yourself when writing and reviewing your professional profile. Be sure to read the job description over a few times: tailored CVs will nearly always do better than copy and paste, generic CVs.
Here’s a great example of an educator’s professional profile below:
Passionate and dedicated educator with over ten years experience teaching students chemistry, biology and physics. Committed to supporting students advance their learning and elevate their potential to new heights. Focused on promoting excellence in the classroom and encouraging students to challenge themselves in academic environments.
The employment history section is the central part of a CV, so it's important to spend time effectively highlighting your past roles and how these experiences make you a standout candidate for the specific job role you're applying for. In this section, you'll want to elaborate on each job position, including information such as job titles, the names of the organisations you worked for, and the duration of your employment. It's important to elaborate on the responsibilities and duties you had in each role, emphasising any achievements or contributions. This allows prospective employers to get a better understanding of your expertise, skills, and accomplishments in the field of education. Remember to keep your employment history concise and organized. Use bullet points to highlight key responsibilities and achievements, and present the information in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent position. This ensures that your CV is easy to read and allows employers to quickly assess your relevant experience. When you’re done, your CV should look a little something like this:
Science Teacher at St. Patrick's College, Galway
February 2016 - Present
Science Teacher at St. Brigid's College, Galway
November 2010 - October 2015
To build an effective CV, you'll need a compelling and tailored skills section. Employers will be looking for candidates with skills that align with the job description, so be sure to read the job description over a few times to gain an understanding of what employers are looking for. It’s best to incorporate a range of both hard and soft skills, e.g., communication skills and computer skills. Employers will review this section to evaluate if you possess the desired attributes they seek in an educator, so it's important to highlight what makes you an exceptional educator and sets you apart from others.
Need some inspiration? Here’s a great example of a skills section below:
As an educator, the education section of your CV is your time to shine! This section is essential as it allows you to showcase your academic qualifications, teaching experiences, and expertise. Employers will be looking for candidates with the right background and qualifications, so it's important that you include important details about your academic achievements. This includes the names of any institutions and the years you attended and their corresponding cities and countries and details about the qualification awarded – including the name of the qualification or degree program. You can also use this section to highlight any certifications, professional development courses or relevant research projects that help you stand out to potential employers.
Here’s a great example of an education section below:
Bachelor of Education at St. Angela's College, Galway
September 2006 - June 2010