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10 Tips to Make Your Teacher Resume Stand Out

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10 Tips to Make Your Teacher Resume Stand Out

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Applying for a new teaching job is intimidating enough. Filling out tedious applications on multiple platforms, writing responses to vague short answer questions, contacting references and asking for letters of recommendation, completing those awkward questionnaires with multiple correct answers...the list goes on. Once you are caught up in this process, it's easy to overlook one of its most important parts: your teacher resume!

I know this because I was recently doing all of the above, clicking through a job application and nearly ready to submit until I hit the "Upload your resume here" page. When I went to find my resume in my drive, my heart sank + cringed + died a little bit inside. My resume was outdated, overcrowded, and just plain ugly. Okay, it wasn't that bad, but I didn't feel like it was a representation of ME and what I had to offer as a teacher.

I wanted to stand out among the crowd of applicants. I wanted my resume to be a breath of fresh air among the ugly Times New Roman resumes. And most importantly, I wanted to get calls, interviews, and a job. So I sat down and got to work on my extreme resume makeover. 5 hours later, I had a resume that made me proud. A few weeks later, I had a brand new teaching job!

Why you should give your resume an extreme makeover

Your teacher resume is your personal sales pitch and highlight reel of what you have to offer, so it makes sense to give it some extra TLC when you're navigating the job search. An impressive resume can make the difference between getting calls back and being shuffled to the back of the stack. If your resume is ugly, nonexistent, boring, or ancient, then I am here to help!

After teaching resume writing to a group of seniors and revamping my own resume, I rounded up what I learned about creating standout resumes so I could share it with you. Here are my top ten tips for creating an impressive teacher resume that will lead to calls, interviews, and a JOB!

1. DO YOUR RESEARCH

This means doing your research on resumes and the school. If you're reading this article, then you're already doing the first part, so congrats! It's important to make sure you are up-to-date on the most current resume trends and advice. I actually learned this when I was teaching resume writing to my senior Technical Communication students. For example, when I created my first teacher resume over 6 years ago, I included the traditional "Objective" section. In recent years, the "Objective" section has largely been replaced by what's called a "Professional Profile" or "Professional Summary." After you're done reading this post, go research that (or use my extra-helpful resume writing guide that comes with my resume templates).

After researching resume tips and trends, don't forget to research your desired school/s. Find their mission statements and read their news feeds. Re-read those job-postings and take note of what the school wants in a teacher. Make sure this information is fresh in your mind so you can align what you have to offer with the school's mission. Even if you don't have a specific school in mind, research area schools and think about what you want in a school. Then, use language that will attract the kind of school or position you want.

2. FIND OR CREATE A VISUALLY APPEALING TEMPLATE

If you've done a bit of research, then you probably know that your Times New Roman resume from 2010 is a little ancient (and probably ugly - sorry). You don't have to be a graphic designer, but you should consider making your outdated resume more organized, appealing, and modern if you want to stand out in 2020. Luckily, there is no shortage of resume templates. If you want to make it even easier on yourself, find a resume template designed with teachers in mind. If you'd like to take on the challenge of designing your own teacher resume, here are a few tips:

Use a clean, professional font for your text. If you'd like to add a title or accent font, a decorative one should be fine.

Add boxes (shaded and outlined) to organize and separate information

Use purposeful bolding or italics

If you want, add a small dose of color (even if it's grey or black)

This professional template boasts a classic black header with a bold font, contact info icons, a lightly shaded box, and columns to organize the information. Notice how it's much more visually appealing than a traditional text-on-a-page resume!

3. MAKE SURE YOUR TEACHER RESUME IS ORGANIZED AND READABLE

One survey revealed that most (68%) hiring managers spend less than 2 minutes looking at resumes, with 17% spending less than 30 seconds. Another even claimed that hiring managers spend as little as 7 seconds skimming over each resume. Whatever the number, one thing is clear: It's not a lot of time. Your resume should stand out, but more importantly, it should be easy to read.

Because hiring managers or principals will be quickly scanning dozens (or hundreds) of resumes, yours needs to be organized, clear, and readable. Don't go so wild on the design that you overcrowd your resume or create an overwhelming, difficult to read document. Prioritize the readability of your resume. The more reader-friendly it is, the more time the reader will spend glancing at it and learning about what you have to offer. If you're struggling to format your resume, consider a template with a balanced, well-structured layout. Columns and shaded boxes work well to organize your information into readable sections.

4. BRING ATTENTION TO YOUR MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION

Make sure that your most important information is higher up on your resume, and consider bringing attention to it with text formatting. When I designed my resume, I wanted my name to be the first thing hiring managers or principals noticed.Even if the prinicipals tossed my resume aside, I wanted them to remember my name for future opening.

To bring attention to my name, I typed it in the upper left-hand corner at the top of a vertical grey box. I increased the font size and used bolding for emphasis. I also made sure that my "Professional Profile" and "Teaching Experience" sections were prominently placed. Those "Professional Profile" conveys my teaching philosophy and values, and my "Teaching Experience" showcases the strong experience I have to offer. Notice how the "Skills" section is probably the least prominent. This was purposeful as well. I wanted to highlight my philosophy, experience, and achievements more than I wanted to list my skills (many of which are better conveyed in the other sections).

5. BE AS SPECIFIC AS POSSIBLE

Every teacher "plans and teaches lessons," so be specific in your employment experience bullet points. If your bullet points are so generic that they could apply to almost any other teacher, then you're not going to stand out from the crowd of applicants. Here are some questions to help you be more specific when you outline your experience:

What have you accomplished? Did you start an initiative? Serve on a committee? Present at staff meetings? Increase test scores, participation, etc?

Can you include evidence (statistics, numbers, details) to illustrate your accomplishments?

What did you teach, and how did you teach it? What unique strategies or technology did you utilize?

5. USE PRECISE, POWERFUL WORD CHOICE

While your resume should be informative, it should also be persuasive. It's your personal sales pitch and a highlight reel of what you have to offer. The language you use can elevate that sales pitch (or it can make you a generic, bland teacher in a stack full of resumes). Use your word choice to your advantage. Illustrate your unique experiences with strong action verbs. Highlight your values and skills with precise, powerful word choice. Word choice is EVERYTHING, and Thesaurus.com should be your best friend while you're working on your resume. Make sure that you vary your word choice and find powerful synonyms for common words like teach, plan, use, etc.

Not the best writer? If you're looking to save time and upgrade your word choice, then check out my teacher resume templates. Each includes a thorough resume writing guide with a list of 100+ precise, powerful action verbs and synonyms, 50+ educational phrases, and "Write This, Not That" examples. The best part is that it's completely tailored to teacher resumes, so you won't have to spend time wading through other lists of irrelevant words.

7. ADD, DELETE, OR CHANGE SECTIONS AS NEEDED

A resume is not a one-size-fits-all document. Its contents should reflect YOU, not all of the Jane Does you've seen on the resume templates on Pinterest. If your resume template has sections that don't really apply to you, delete them and add new sections that illustrate your experiences and skills. Make the template your own!

For example, when I was searching for my first teaching job fresh out of college, I created an additional section titled "Community Service" and listed my volunteer work. Another example of a section that can often be deleted is "References." Employers typically ask for references in the application, so repeating this information on your resume is just a waste of space.

8. KEEP IT TO A PAGE IF YOU CAN

The general rule in the resume world is to keep your resume to one page...if you can. As with anything, there are exceptions. If you have a lot of teaching experience, 2 pages is probably fine. If your resume is longer than a page, ask yourself these questions:

Does the second page add value? Quality > Quantity!

Could it be one page if I made it more clear and concise?

Could it be one page if I restructured or redesigned it?

I'm personally a fan of 1-page resumes, just because you have one chance to impress the person who is glancing at the resume. I like the challenge of creating a well-designed "one-pager," if you will. It forces you to be concise and precise as you analyze what's most important about what you have to offer.

9. USE A MATCHING COVER LETTER TEMPLATE

Creating a matching cover letter template is one simple thing you can to stand out in a stack of applications. This is certainly not required, but it's easy and it can only help, so why not take the extra few minutes to do it? All you have to do is create a cover letter header that matches your resume, which can often be done through a little copying, posting, and rearranging. Notice how the resume and cover letter below both call attention to my name. It stands out to lead to more name recognition. PS: If you're looking for tips on how to write an impressive cover letter, stay tuned for my next blog post. 🙂

10. PROOFREAD, PROOFREAD, AND PROOFREAD SOME MORE

Your resume is your first impression. The last thing you want to do is submit a resume riddled with spelling or grammar mistakes. Take the time to proofread your resume and run spell-check. Then, pass it along to a few trusted friends or family members who are well versed in grammar and spelling. You may also want to utilize a tool like Grammarly to ensure that your resume is error-free.

With these tips, you will be able to create an appealing, organized teacher resume that will help you stand out among the crowd of applicants. Your new-and-improved resume will make a strong impression in that stack of papers. Even if you don't get the calls or interviews you want right now, principals will be more likely to remember you in the future. Good luck navigating the job search, and stay positive!

If you liked these tips, check out my various teacher resume templates that have gotten me compliments, interviews, and jobs! Each one comes complete with a teacher resume template, matching cover letter template, real examples, and a 6-page guide jam-packed with tips, word choice hacks, sentence starters, and more.

If you're interested in reading all about how I teach resume writing (and why you should, too), then check out this blog post. If you're looking for help on how to write a standout cover letter, then you're in luck...that's going to be my next blog post.

Any questions on teacher resume writing? Any other suggestions or advice from your own experiences? Let's chat in the comments!

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10 TIPS TO MAKE YOUR TEACHER RESUME STAND OUT - Write on With Miss G

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Applying for a new teaching job is intimidating enough. Filling out tedious applications on multiple platforms, writing responses to vague short answer questions, contacting references and asking for letters of recommendation, completing those awkward questionnaires with multiple correct answers...the list goes on.

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A – Z Teacher Resume Writing Strategies and Tips for 2021

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A – Z Teacher Resume Writing Strategies and Tips for 2021

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Are you looking for modern tips for writing teacher resumes to land the perfect teaching job? Look no further for the best resume writing tips for teachers. You will find plenty of help in this post to guide you through this challenging and vital project. These top tips for writing an education resume or CV will help you every step of the way.
Writing an education resume for 2021 is different from previous years. The readers' expectations have increased regarding resume content and design.
Many education job seekers feel overwhelmed or insecure about their resume writing ability and skills.
Rightfully so, writing a resume for a teacher that lands an interview will take knowledge, patience, and top-notch word processing expertise. It's an art, and it takes an enormous If you create your resume, you may have these usual questions when reviewing it: a mount of time and know-how to create the perfect resume. And the list of questions goes on and on...
Take the time to research how to write a resume for a teaching job to ensure you get noticed and be granted an interview.
As a professional resume writer and career coach, I know what works and what doesn't work when writing teacher resumes.

Did I present my teaching skills effectively?

What if I left out the wrong information?

Does it look organized, is there enough white space?

Are the keywords included properly?

Did I handle the gap in my employment in the best way?

Are the accomplishments listed relevant to the teaching position?

Is there enough information to get a teaching interview?

Should I include the dates of professional development?

Don't worry; if you are not a DIY (do it yourself) kind of person, you can always hire us to put your education resume and cover letter together. We would love to help you.
Your resume is your calling card - it's your best advertisement. Getting the resume right is essential because if you do not feel confident about the resume you wrote for the dream teaching job, you will not feel 100 percent confident in the interview.

These A-Z teacher resume writing tips were developed to give you the confidence to help create your own resume. Once you have followed these strategies from A to Z, you can be confident your resume reflects the current knowledge and practices of what makes a strong resume for a teaching position.

The Ultimate A-Z Resume Writing Guide for 2021

All effective educator resumes have an area of expertise, core competencies, or critical teaching skills section. This significant segment is guaranteed to set you apart from the competition. Focus on essential skills that are needed to succeed in the job you are targeting. Examples include classroom management, student motivation, parental communication, differentiated instruction, and reading strategies.

Make sure your areas of expertise are focused on the grade level or content area. If you are a primary teacher, ensure you use relevant skills for teaching primary students, not high school students. Of course, there are teaching skills that do overlap between the two levels.

B: Borders Can Attract Attention

You can decide if this addition is for you. Incorporating borders in your resume can showcase organized facts and draw positive attention. You can include a visually-appealing border around your whole resume, as well as thinner border lines to separate different sections. Remember, teaching job resumes needs to look professional; don't use hearts, smiley faces, or other inappropriate icons.

Recommended Reading: 10 Ways to Format a Visually Appealing Education Resume

C: Contact Information Needs to be Correct

It may seem obvious that a teacher's resume needs contact information. It would surprise you how many candidates forget to include some of their contact information on their resume and cover letter. At the top of your resume's first page, be sure to include your full name, address, phone numbers, and email address. Triple check this area to ensure there are no mistakes!

D: Double Check Resume Information

It's incredibly vital that you double-check your resume for any spelling or grammar mistakes. Nothing looks worse on a job application document than someone who either can't spell or doesn't know to use spell and grammar check. By submitting mistake-free documents, you will let the potential employer know that you are detail-oriented and take the time to get the job done right. These are skills they will be looking for in their prospective candidates, regardless of the position in question.

E: Education Listed Completely and Accurately

If you have recently completed your education, possess a master's degree or higher, or recently completed your teaching certification, then your education section should be placed before your work experience in your resume. If your degrees are unrelated to teaching or you have not been in school for many years, you can place your work experience before your education.

F: Facts Matter in Academic Resumes

When listing your relevant education accomplishments, it is best to provide either an exact or approximate number to emphasize the achievement's impact. For instance, if you have secured a grant, how much did you receive? If you decreased absenteeism, by what percentage? I know, sometimes you don't have numbers or percentages - that's okay. Quantifying relevant achievements in your resume is one of the most valuable educational resume tips we can pass on.

G: Gaps in Employment History

Address any gaps in employment that you may have. If you are currently out of the workforce and have been for an extended period, you may need to explain why. Perhaps you suffered from medical issues, experienced a family crisis, welcomed a new addition to your family, were traveling or were going to school. Let the reader know that, yes, you were out of the workforce.

Communicate you are now enthusiastically ready to commit to a position and the school district. Some of the details are best to mention in the cover letter, while others during an interview. Knowing what to include about the gap and what not to include is important. Furthermore, the wording of the gap in work history is critical. Really, it is.

Under your employment history, after you've listed your job duties under each position, add some bullet points for your key accomplishments achieved at each post. Achievements can include an increase in student grade point average, reduction in absenteeism, securing a grant, an increase in the grade level of a few at-risk students. The critical point is to make sure to describe how you achieved these accomplishments.

Ask yourself these questions. What was the challenge, what action did you take, and what were the results of your efforts? We call this the C.A.R. approach to uncover achievements.

One of the most critical writing tips for teachers is uncovering and effectively communicating related job achievements.

I: Introduction - Resume Profile or Summary

After your name, contact details, and job title at the top of your resume, there should be an introduction, professional profile, or summary. Academic resumes should include this short paragraph or list of bullet points that will introduce your critical skills, experiences, and the value you would bring to a school district. You may wish to include your years of related experience, foreign language expertise, love for collaboration, and talent for assessing and solving problems. This section should summarize your top points - unique value.

J: Job Descriptions - Relevant and Concise Content

You don't need to devote an entire paragraph to each job description. Anywhere from three to six lines should be enough to explain relevant job responsibilities. The length will depend on the position and how relevant it is to the targeted education job. When describing past job responsibilities, prioritize those that are the most important and identify those you can leave.

K: Keywords in Your Resume are Critical

Scan job ads and teaching descriptions for keywords to incorporate into the resume you are writing. If the job posting states they are looking for someone with particular qualities and credentials and you have them, make sure you include them in your resume and cover letter. Evaluating job ads will also give you a good idea of whether or not you may like or be suited for the position.

White space is the key when designing anything visual, even when it comes to job application documents. Using white space appropriately is fundamental if you wish to create an eye-catching resume.

M: Market Your Value to the School Community

Whether you are a new teacher or a veteran with lots of experience, you have value to offer - you need to communicate through marketing the benefit you provide. Some new teachers assume that school districts are looking for someone with experience - this is not always the case. Many school communities are looking for fresh, new minds who can help bring creativity, innovative ideas, and student-focused activities into the classroom.

N: Never Use Pronouns

It is highly discouraged to use "I" or "me" in your resume, or "my" or "we." These pronouns detract from your primary attributes (e.g., empathetic, energetic, dedicated) and actions (e.g., increased, improved, motivated). Your introductory paragraph may seem choppy by excluding these words. You will probably get a grammar error stating that it is a fragmented sentence - ignore this error for more impact.

O: Outline Resume Content to Organize Important Points

Educators' resumes that get results will need an organized outline. An education resume should include job title, professional profile, areas of expertise, training, and credentials, and work experience. Also, any professional development, professional affiliations, community involvement, computer expertise, honors, and awards. By integrating all of these areas, you will have touched on all the relevant points that a potential employer is looking for in a new teacher.

P: Project Your Personality and Passion in 2021

Potential candidates must convey certain qualities and let their personalities and passion shine. All school districts are looking for passionate teachers, driven to succeed, think outside the box, commit to helping the school community succeed, interact well with others, and convey their ideas creatively and concisely. Writing a cover letter to show passion and personality is also a critical component of a successful job search.

Q: Quotes or Testimonials

Integrate a few quotes from past principals, colleagues, or parents into your resume to show school districts what a great teacher you are. Quotes and testimonials in your resume allow the reader to see how you have applied your skills in the working world and read about accomplishments that other employers felt were noteworthy and can provide examples as evidence of achievement.

R: Research the Education Job and School

Research the school district to find out their philosophy, mission, values, and goals. Use this new information to adapt your teacher resumes accordingly. You will have multiple versions as you tailor and tweak them to postings. Understanding what they need, want, and hope to accomplish will not only help you decide whether or not you wish to work for this school district, it will also aid you in surpassing your competition.

S: Sell Yourself - Share Your Value and Benefits

The job of your resume and cover letter is to sell yourself to employers. It must look and sound appealing to market yourself effectively. Foremost, you need to make sure that you come across as a desirable teaching candidate. To start selling the product, you need to create a convincing advertisement that describes the benefits of purchasing. Just like the packaging of a product attracts a shopper's attention, your resume and cover letter must catch the reader's interest.

T: Templates - Don't Use a Generic Boilerplate Template

Resume templates or resume builders should be avoided. If you do decide to use a template, make it your own. Don't use the wording you found in someone else's resume. Play with the font, borders, spacing to make it eye-catching. Modern documents are essential in 2021, but that doesn't mean you're creating busy infographics. It still needs to get past the (ATS) applicant tracking systems.

U: Understand Your Audience and Their Needs

Assessing job advertisements is an excellent first step to understanding your audience and discover what they are looking for in a new hire. You can then write a targeted document that will capture their attention. However, do not rely exclusively on a job ad. Search the Internet for the school district's website and identify the unique attributes they are looking for in new teaching candidates.

V: Visual-Appeal - Getting the Reader's Attention is Vital

An educator's resume, as I said above, needs to be eye-catching. The appearance of your resume and cover letter speaks volumes about the person writing it. Use a crisp format, attractive design that looks like its rightful place should be in an employer or hiring manager's hand. Read about ten ways to format a visually appealing education resume to land interviews.

W: Work Experience Needs to Communicate Your Skills

This section will be the meat of your resume. You can title it 'work experience,' 'teaching experience,' or 'related experience.' This is where you will list the places where you worked, as well as the location, dates employed, and your job title. Next, layout your job responsibilities concisely, followed by your accomplishments in each role. Don't elaborate on the employment if the work experience isn't relevant.

X: Xeroxed

WOW! What an old word. Of course, don't use photocopies of your documents. Each one should be printed out on top-quality resume bond paper.

Y: Yesterday - Always Be Prepared

Ensure your resume for a teaching job is ready to go. There are many reasons to keep your resume updated at all times! If someone asks you for your resume and needs it by, "Oh, yesterday" - meaning RIGHT now - you need to be prepared. Ensure you have a completed resume ready to send via email or in-person in the form of a stellar, visually appealing document.

Z: Zealous or Zest

Lastly, but not least, among all the education resume writing tips, make sure your resume is filled with intense enthusiasm and zest for your career. Principals hire teachers who show passion for teaching. Stating you have passion is not enough. Share evidence of your achievements motivated by your love for teaching. This proof would demonstrate to prospective employers that you could do it for them if you did it for another school district or organization.
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Teacher Resumes - Ultimate A-Z Resume Writing Strategies & Tips - 2020

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Are you looking for modern tips for writing teacher resumes to land the perfect teaching job? Look no further for the best resume writing tips for teachers. You will find plenty of help in this post to guide you through this challenging and vital project.

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10 Awesome Tips for the Best Teacher Resume

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10 Awesome Tips for the Best Teacher Resume

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Even with your years of education, experience, and all your certifications, you still need to apply to jobs just like anyone else. Having a solid resume can cut down on a lot of the stress and uncertainty from applying to new schools, and a particularly good one can separate you from the crowd. Besides just listing your experience, here are some proven methods to help you write the best teacher resume possible.

1. Numbers numbers numbers

You want to quantify as much as possible on your teacher resume. For example, instead of writing "has years of experience," tell administrators exactly how many years. This is true of a few figures - think things like number of students in class, number of clubs advised or sports you've coached, or workshops attended in a given year.

2. A teacher resume emphasizes certifications and awards

If you have them, be sure you list what awards you've won and any certifications you have - especially your state Teacher Certification. While experience and skills are king, awards and certifications show excellence and a potentially stand-out teacher.

3. Make sure your skills section is specific

First, be sure to include relevant skills on your resume. Many teachers simply list soft skills or those not particularly useful to the job. Focus on skills like "classroom management" and "clear communication." However, go further than this. Instead of just "classroom management" say "able to manage a class of up to 30 elementary school students while maintaining a positive learning environment." Some common skills for teachers are:

Communication skills

Writing and editing skills

Patience

Nurturing attitude

Obviously, these are unspecific, so when using them make sure to relate them back to exactly what you can do with real-life examples.

4. Only list recent jobs

Lots of teachers make the mistake of listing every single job they've ever had. Avoid this. Stick to your current job and then the previous two. If you've worked at a single school for the past five years or more, you could get away with just listing that position, or only discussing your responsibilities in that role. Jobs from over five years ago are significantly less relevant.

5. Show that you're a tech wiz

Even if you aren't a computer genius, you still need to recognize the growing importance of tech in schools. I'm not talking about teaching every student how to use an iPad either. There is a range of important programs and platforms that make teaching, learning, and the educational process more effective. Think the basics - Microsoft Office, social media, search engines, but also consider any educational software you've used. Some good examples of tech to talk about are:

6. Use those action verbs

The best writing is strong writing, and strong writing uses action verbs. Even if you aren't a grammar teacher, you should still be able to compose strong and clear sentences. Here is a list of useful action verbs to use when describing your past job responsibilities:

7. Include a cover letter

Okay, so this technically isn't a resume tip, but most applications include a cover letter. As a matter of fact, you should always include one unless you've received explicit instructions not to. This should be no more than a page, but also not much less. Be sure to customize it to the exact job you're applying for, and be specific and detailed.

8. Keep it short

Plenty of teachers feel the impulse to give as much detail as possible and enumerate every responsibility and event of their careers. However an overly long resume is just as obnoxious as one that's too short. Keep it to two pages maximum, or one page front and back. Most principals and administrators look at them for a minute or two and then make a decision about whether or not to set up an interview. Remember, the whole point of a resume is to quickly and clearly showcase why you're the best fit for a job, and anything longer than two pages is neither quick nor clear.

9. Have perfect formatting

Just like you want your students to follow instructions to the letter, you should make your resume as cleanly formatted and attractive as possible. Keep the names of organizations and tenure at a job in a bigger font than the descriptions, and make sure your name is the biggest thing on the page. Use dividing lines to delineate between sections, and make sure that if you use a serif font, you only use serif fonts (or vice versa if you use sans-serif). If it helps, use a pre-made resume template to get started.

10. You know your grammar has to be perfect

Again, you don't have to be a grammar teacher to know that you'll need perfect grammar no matter what. This is even more true for teachers. Double check that your verb tenses agree. Make sure subject-verb agreement makes sense. No spelling errors ever. This is the basic stuff, but also all too easy to miss. So give a copy of your resume to an actual grammar teacher friend and have them proofread it for you.

If you need more help writing your teacher resume, there are some really great, free resources that have helped lots of teachers find great jobs at tremendous schools. Peruse some of the different examples and use them as a starting point for your own application. Good luck!

This article was written by Adam Hatch - UC Berkeley graduate, son of a teacher, brother of a teacher, and a teacher himself. Adam started a unique English school in Taipei, Taiwan, where kids learn to research and write articles in English. The articles are published on the first ever English newspaper written by kids in Taiwan, called the Taipei Teen Tribune.

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10 Awesome Tips for the Best Teacher Resume

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Even with your years of education, experience, and all your certifications, you still need to apply to jobs just like anyone else. Having a solid resume can cut down on a lot of the stress and uncertainty from applying to new schools, and a particularly good one can separate you from the crowd.

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11 Questions You’ll Be Asked at a Teaching Interview

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11 Questions You’ll Be Asked at a Teaching Interview

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Commonly asked interview questions you can anticipate-plus tips and links to resources you can tap as you polish your answers.

Congratulations! You've landed an interview appointment for a teaching position at a new school, or for a different position at your current school. This is an important first step, but there will likely be a number of qualified candidates vying for the same spot-how can you distinguish yourself from the pack and land the job?

Your résumé, references, and professional portfolio will help, of course, but it'll always be the impression you make during your face-to-face interview that'll get you hired. Luckily, there are only a few types of questions a teacher can be asked, so it's completely possible to enter a teaching interview confident and prepared.

In addition to questions related to your content area, anticipate that you'll be asked questions based on your knowledge of and experience with meeting the needs of the whole child. Be ready to explain how you honor and attend to the social, emotional, and academic growth of your students-both individually and as a group. And be prepared for questions concerning classroom management, teacher-student relationships, student engagement, and learning outcomes.

Here are the types of questions you'll be asked, along with suggestions and links to resources to guide you in preparing your answers and in practicing citing specific strategies and relevant classroom anecdotes.

11 Questions You Should Prepare For

1. Why did you decide to become a teacher? Prepare a brief professional mission statement that explains not merely how you want to change students' lives but also how your own life is enriched by being a teacher. Also, look up the school's vision statement and reference how your teaching will reflect those goals.

3. How do you cultivate positive relationships with your students and create a sense of class community? Recount a time you bonded with a student who needed some extra attention and understanding. Show your concern for the emotional well-being of the most vulnerable students and describe your plan for developing students' social and emotional learning skills. Also explain how you create a sense of empathy and inclusion among your students so classmates support each other on both a personal and academic level.

4. How do you use data to differentiate instruction and support students identified with specific learning disabilities so all students can learn? First, be ready with the names of a couple of data-rich student assessments you're familiar with. Your interviewers won't demand that they be the same ones they use, but the fact that you're aware of testing practices is important. Then, here are 20 differentiated instruction strategies you can use to prepare your answer on how you respond to data. Also, show your knowledge of these 11 learning disabilities and describe a few ways you work with parents and school resource personnel to meet the individual needs of each child.

6. Do you incorporate collaborative and project-based learning? Discuss the difference between cooperative and collaborative learning, and if you have implemented PBL, describe a specific assignment your students worked on.

7. How do you keep your students engaged and motivated, and how do you promote student voice and choice to help them become self-directed learners? Here are 10 engagement techniques that drive student motivation and enthusiasm. Also describe how you create a student-centered classroom that inspires creativity, passion, and purpose.

8. How do you teach 21st-century learners, integrate technology, and guide students to be global citizens? Be prepared to talk about how you teach global citizenship and encourage critical thinking, creativity, and good communication skills. Here are ways to integrate technology into content learning.

9. How do you include parents and guardians in their child's education? Recount several ways you inform, engage with, and collaborate with parents and guardians-through face-to-face meetings, notes, phone calls, or digital channels.

10. How do you maintain your own professional development, and what areas would you select for your personal growth? You might read books and blogs, watch videos online, subscribe to journals, attend conferences and workshops, or be a member of an educators society in your field. Be ready to talk about the specific resources you use to keep up with the latest trends in education, such as growth and benefit mindsets, flexible seating, flipped and blended learning, STEAM, trauma-informed teaching, restorative practices, mindfulness, makerspaces, and gamification of learning.

In discussing your personal growth, explain ways you want to further expand your teaching efficacy-don't refer to teaching "weaknesses."

11. What questions do you have for us? Try this: "Please tell me the most important thing you know now as an educator that you wish you knew before you began your teaching career." The answers you receive will reveal what your interviewers most value about education, and this insight will allow you to tailor your closing conversation to their interests.

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11 Questions You'll Be Asked at a Teaching Interview

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Commonly asked interview questions you can anticipate-plus tips and links to resources you can tap as you polish your answers.

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15 Common Questions Asked in a Teacher Interview (and How to Answer Them With Ease)

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15 Common Questions Asked in a Teacher Interview (and How to Answer Them With Ease)

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Being a teacher is an incredibly rewarding job. You have the opportunity not just to engage individuals, big and small, on a specific topic (or range of topics), but to shape how they learn, grow, and see the world around them.

Of course, teachers have things they need to practice and work on, too-like answering interview questions in a way that'll nab you that dream job at that amazing school.

In a teaching interview, you'll still get asked the most common interview questions like "What are your greatest strengths and weaknesses" or "Why do you want this job?" But you'll probably face more specific (and trickier) queries about say, working with students or with other teachers, as well.

To help you prepare, check out these common teaching interview questions you're bound to encounter-and tips for answering them.

1. Why Do You Want to Be a Teacher/Work With Children?

2. What's Your Teaching Style or Philosophy?/What Adjectives Would You Use to Describe Your Presence in the Classroom?

3. How Would You Handle a Difficult Student?

4. How Do You Motivate Students?

5. How Do You Like to Communicate/Build Relationships With Parents?

6. What Are You Learning Right Now?

7. Tell Me About a Time When You Worked With a Team to Solve a Problem.

8. Tell Me About a Time When You Helped Someone Become More Successful.

9. Tell Me About a Time When You Accomplished Something Satisfying/Overcame a Difficult Challenge.

10. Tell Me About a Time When You Influenced Another Person to Your Satisfaction.

11. Tell Me About a Time When a Situation Changed at Work and How You Dealt With It.

12. Tell Me About a Time When Someone Gave You Feedback and How You Handled That.

13. How Would You Handle [Specific Subject Situation/Misconception]?

14. Walk Me Through a Typical Lesson.

15. What Questions Do You Have for Me?

What Are Hiring Managers Looking for When Interviewing Teachers?

If you've never been in a teaching interview before-maybe you're changing careers or just starting out in the education space-there are common themes hiring managers tend to look for in qualified candidates, no matter the specific role or workplace:

Teaching skills: Unsurprisingly, a candidate's teaching skills-how they work with students on a group and individual level-are crucial. "Do they know how to have an effective classroom where all kids are learning and engaged?" says Dan Swartz, Managing Director at Resolve Talent Consulting, LLC, a firm that specializes in education recruitment.

Data proficiency: In today's modern school system, says Swartz, data is also incredibly important: "Have you been able to master or are you proficient at the use of data?" To go a step further, he wants teachers to give him examples of how they used data to learn or improve upon something-whether they looked at specific test scores or overall class performance metrics.

Subject matter expertise: While being a great influencer is key for succeeding as a teacher, so is expertise. Swartz notes that candidates have to show that they're adequately knowledgeable about the content area they're looking to teach. "[A lot] of times there are state standards. So in some way incorporating in your interview response just how much you know about the standards or how much you can use the standards for your instruction, that's another big piece," he says.

Teamwork: "Everybody's interviewing for teamwork," says Swartz. "And I know that's kind of cliché, but it is really, really important." Being a team player when it comes to working with other teachers, administrators, aides, and staff means you'll not only allow students to succeed, but also help the entire school thrive.

Organization and accountability: "As an administrator, I need to know that I'm going to be able to get lesson plans from you," says Rob Sheppard, an ESL teacher who started his own online English school, Ginseng English. Candidates that are on top of deadlines and can meet classroom goals will go far.

When planning out your responses to these questions, don't just think about what you're going to say but also how you're going to say it. "I always look at body language first," says Calvin Brown, Senior Recruiter at Alignstaffing, an education staffing firm. When someone looks frazzled or caught off guard by a basic question or behavioral question -those questions that often start with, "Tell me about a time when"-he says, "I start to question, okay, can you really handle that kind of population or have you handled this kind of situation before?"

"If you have a situation or a story with a great outcome, absolutely share [it]," says Brown. Stories are also a great ways to highlight your expertise and skill set if you don't come with a traditional background in education. Swartz adds, "Even if you're not a teacher with experience, you can still highlight how you go about your work by giving past examples and scenarios of engaging" others.

And when you go to tell a story or answer a question, "It sounds obvious, but [your] response needs to be relevant to the job that you're applying for," says Sheppard. Make sure you're considering what this role entails and the mission or values of the school and tailoring your dialogue accordingly. If your experience and passion aren't at all related to the job, you're not going to get anywhere.

Need some tips for writing your teaching resume? Find a full guide here.

1. Why Do You Want to Be a Teacher/Work With Children?

"You have to know who you are as an individual and as an educator, and you have to know what you can bring to the school," says Brown. This question gets to the heart of that self-awareness and passion. The interviewer wants to know: What drew you to this field, specifically?

How to Answer It

It's obvious of course, but you don't want to say, "Summer vacations!" This should be easy to answer simply because there's probably something you can think of that made you want to get into education. Maybe you love teaching your friends new things, or are a facts wizard bursting with knowledge, or love connecting with children. Focus not just on what you like about teaching but also on what you can, as Brown suggests, bring to the table.

For example, you might say: "I really admired my third grade teacher, Mrs. Kim, when I was younger, and even after I left her class I still felt myself drawn to her for advice and guidance over the years. It's that sense of warmth and acceptance she provided me that inspired me to become a teacher. I want to be that person others can lean on as they navigate the oftentimes tough waters of growing up."

2. What's Your Teaching Style or Philosophy?/What Adjectives Would You Use to Describe Your Presence in the Classroom?

An interviewer wants to see that you're not just trying to push students toward some goal or academic result, but really want to help them develop inside and outside school. Basically, you care about people and their success, not just your own professional achievements.

How to Answer It

"A good answer would be a community approach. So knowing that you're one piece of this person's journey," says Mary Findley, Senior Teacher Success Manager at Skillshare and a former Teach for America Core Member and elementary school teacher. In other words, you see teaching as more than just standing in front of a whiteboard barking orders.

You'll want to be honest about your specific style. But also consider what this school's philosophy is like, and try tailoring your response to encompass those same values (so long as you're being truthful).

You could answer with: "I would say I'm strict but fair when it comes to teaching. I believe when students are challenged with realistic goals and given the support they need not to just get the answers right but to be able to use those learnings to solve future problems on their own, everyone comes out on top. I also think that as a teacher, it's my job to support my students through the lessons I give, but also through the various challenges they may face at school, and to partner with them as well as other support systems to help them feel motivated, comfortable, and happy in the classroom."

3. How Would You Handle a Difficult Student?

Difficult students, naturally, exist in every classroom. And difficult can look like so many different things. So interviewers want to know that you either have in the past handled a difficult student or can handle them appropriately should you need to.

How to Answer It

"When students are disengaged, it's either because the content's too challenging, it's too easy, or there could be some outside-of-school factors," explains Findley. A good answer delves into figuring out the cause, as that's often the most important step.

Then, your response should show that "you're meeting the student where they're at and building on their strengths," she says. It should also emphasize that you're "collaboratively discussing" solutions with the student rather than ordering them around. If you have an example story to tell, that's a great way to state your case.

You could say: "For me, the first step would be to pull them aside and address the issue privately. My biggest questions would be about deciphering what might be the root cause of this student's bad behavior. Once I know what may be contributing to their difficulty, I really try to work with them to come up with a solution. I used this strategy in my last classroom, where I had a student who couldn't seem to stay in his seat during lessons. We talked about how his behavior affected the rest of the class and why he kept moving around, and we agreed that when he was feeling really anxious he could raise his hand and I'd let him take a lap around the classroom, but only when it was appropriate. I also decided to make some of my lessons more active and hands-on so that other students could benefit from getting out of their seats every once in a while."

4. How Do You Motivate Students?

Similar to the question above, interviewers want to see how you influence students to do what you need them to do. Findley adds that this is an especially important thing to vet for when hiring virtual teachers, because motivating others over video requires a lot more creativity than when you're teaching in person.

How to Answer It

As Brown points out, "In order to get them to the next level...you have to know your students, you have to know their strong points [and] their weak points."

So it's really about having a personalized approach, says Findley. You'll want to show that you can engage a classroom, as well as take into consideration various students' needs and drivers.

Take this sample answer: "Positive reinforcement is super important to keep a student motivated, so one thing I like to do is throw out rewards or bonuses when they perform especially well. This could be candy, or a star, or a sticker, or even just a compliment-whatever I can tell students enjoy receiving, and it's different for everyone. I never want students to feel left out or overindulged, so I always try to be fair and consistent with everyone. But it's those little moments of recognition I think that keep them happy and excited to learn."

5. How Do You Like to Communicate/Build Relationships With Parents?

Part of being a teacher is relating to students. But often the other half is about working with parents and guardians-people who influence how your students learn and behave in the classroom just as much as (if not more) than you do. Your job will require you to work with those adults to ensure your students meet expectations.

"We know that the children that we staff need consistency at all times," says Brown. "So doing it at school and doing it at home are going to be two things that have to go together." Building trust with the adults in your students' lives can often help you build stronger relationships with the students themselves.

How to Answer It

"I'm looking to see that a candidate will take every opportunity to interact with parents in person," says Brown. "Ultimately, I'm looking for candidates that believe parent collaboration is key to a student's success, and they will take the time to maintain an ongoing, open conversation," he adds.

To show you take building relationships with family members seriously, you could say: "I think it's really important to get to know the important family members in each student's life. Which is why at the beginning of the school year I like to invite parents to my classroom and have individual meetings with the families. I'll also send out a survey to get a better understanding of the student's home life, needs, and family dynamics. Then, throughout the year, I always try to touch base with families to share positive updates and small wins about the student in addition to discussing any challenges the student might be facing academically or behaviorally."

6. What Are You Learning Right Now?

This question is about showing that you're curious and believe in continuous learning-qualities that are important in a teacher as well as for a teacher to pass on to students.

In other words, Findley says, the interviewer's asking: "What are some personal interests? How are you developing yourself both within your professional career [and] personal development as well?"

How to Answer It

Hopefully, you're doing something to help yourself grow-it doesn't have to be career-related! Maybe you're reading a series of books about a particular topic, or attending a class, or making yourself practice a new skill. It doesn't matter how extensive your learning is. You just want to express a growth mindset and an appreciation for continuing to get better at something.

Here's what that sounds like: "I used to speak Italian in college, so I've recently picked up Duolingo to try to reteach myself some of the basics. I'd love to continue to become more fluent so I can travel to Italy and talk with locals!"

7. Tell Me About a Time When You Worked With a Team to Solve a Problem.

Parents and students aren't the only people you'll be interacting with. You'll frequently need to partner with aides, staff, and other teachers to help students succeed. Thus, an interviewer wants to know that you can get along with just about anyone.

How to Answer It

"Don't be afraid to lean into the conflict that you had in the team effort, but don't emphasize the conflict-emphasize how you got through the conflict to have something that was effective," says Swartz. A team situation where things didn't go perfectly is a great way to show you can communicate and collaborate with others even when times are tough. Again, this doesn't have to be an example that happened in the classroom.

You could reply: "In my last role as a project coordinator, I had to partner with our account managers to meet a really tight deadline set by a client. We were all a little frazzled because the project required a lot of revisions, but we put our heads together and divided the work, even staying late a couple days to make sure we finished on time. I definitely don't think we could have accomplished it without working together, and I believe the same is true as a teacher working with other staff-you can't go it alone if you're going to successfully improve upon a student's behavior."

The STAR Method: The Secret to Acing Your Next Job Interview

8. Tell Me About a Time When You Helped Someone Become More Successful.

Swartz puts it plainly: If there's one thing that can't be taught, it's care for students. "The rest of the stuff educators can teach. They can teach you content, they can teach you how to be a more effective teacher delivering your lessons, but they can't teach the belief in students...as a candidate articulating that through an example that you have really sets you apart from other candidates," he says.

How to Answer It

Swartz gives an example answer from a social worker he once interviewed for a teaching position. "She did everything for the [child]," he explains. "If she needed to do a house visit and spend hours there on a Saturday, she would do [it]. And so the whatever-it-took mentality and the investment in, 'I'm going to make sure that you succeed despite all the barriers' was impressive."

9. Tell Me About a Time When You Accomplished Something Satisfying/Overcame a Difficult Challenge.

Brown says that with either of these questions, the interviewer wants to hear: "When you come across things that are obstacles, how do you overcome them?" He also emphasizes that accomplishments and challenges often come hand in hand. So answering this question shows "that drive for achievement" that interviewers want to see in teachers.

How to Answer It

Pick something that required you to stretch yourself a bit, but ultimately led to a successful outcome.

Maybe you could say: "When I was in sales, I dealt with one particularly difficult customer who wasn't satisfied with their purchase. Most of my team was struggling to connect with them, but I was determined to set things right. I was patient and listened to their complaints, and we worked together to come up with a solution that seemed like a good compromise for the customer. They left the store in a lot better of a mood than when they entered, and that feeling of turning someone's day around felt truly great."

10. Tell Me About a Time When You Influenced Another Person to Your Satisfaction.

Interviewers don't want to just hear that you can influence students, but how you plan to do it.

Swartz says that you need to communicate that you understand the person you're influencing and are tailoring your message accordingly.

How to Answer It

Swartz says that one particular story that stood out to him over the years is the experience of a teacher who convinced his entire school to adopt a technique to help teachers connect with their students. After discovering that this new teaching method really seemed to work, they decided to get it implemented across the school.

"So they talked with the assistant principal and they got the assistant principal on board and they had the assistant principal talk to the principal to consider some of the changes," he recalls. By partnering with various staff and respectfully sharing their ideas, the teacher eventually got the approval to make the change schoolwide.

"In a team environment where you may need to influence people and you need to have good team relations, they were very careful and thoughtful about how to bring this up so that it was received well," he adds.

11. Tell Me About a Time When a Situation Changed at Work and How You Dealt With It.

"Teachers create lesson plans...but then something will happen and it throws off your whole lesson plan, like a student gets sick or somebody else comes in and pulls the student for something," says Swartz. So interviewers want to see that you can think on your feet and handle a conflict when it arises.

How to Answer It

Make it clear you can stay calm, cool, and collected when a situation changes.

You could give the example: "When I was a camp counselor, I often had to keep campers entertained through rainy weather or a blip in the camp schedule. The first time it happened we didn't really know how to handle the group, so I decided to put together a one-sheeter of activities and games we could use should we need to go off course in the future. I can confidently say no camper was disappointed with the change of schedule-they loved all the games, and our staff was relieved how smoothly things went after that first time."

12. Tell Me About a Time When Someone Gave You Feedback and How You Handled That.

You know that thing about teachers needing to have a growth mindset? Well, receiving and implementing feedback well is important to showcase that.

"This is actually most critical for veteran teachers [to show] because veteran teachers would be the ones who in most cases communicate a level of, 'I've already gotten this, I've already arrived, I don't need any extra feedback,'" says Swartz.

How to Answer It

Consider a time when you got feedback that was tough to take but ultimately made you better at your job. Talk through how you received it (hopefully with an open mind!) as well as how you made the change.

For example: "My last boss pulled me aside once to give me some advice on how I could better lead meetings. It was certainly tough to hear that I wasn't connecting with my colleagues as best I could, but I knew that improving would benefit not just me but our whole team dynamic. I decided to sign up for Toastmasters for some public speaking tips (my boss was kind enough to cover the cost of it), and run my presentations by my manager before doing them. I now feel like I'm doing a much better job at running meetings and definitely saw improvements as to how I worked with others on my team."

13. How Would You Handle [Specific Subject Situation/Misconception]?

Depending on the subject matter and classroom you're signing up for, this question can really vary in how it's delivered. The interviewer may ask how you'd handle students incorrectly understanding a topic or performing poorly on state exams.

"Sometimes I'll present one of our objectives for a semester or for a course that they might be teaching," explains Sheppard. "And I'll ask, 'How would you assess this, or what would you consider evidence of learning for this particular outcome?'" (Hint: This is where proving you can handle data might come in.)

"Being able to correctly show a mastery of the content versus just the knowledge of the content" is key, adds Swartz.

How to Answer It

You need to show you can "reverse engineer" the problem, Swartz explains. There's no exact right answer to these kinds of questions. Rather, you'll want to explain your process for deciphering the subject matter or issue and then your approach for resolving the conflict.

Take this example question he gives:
"What are some of the common misconceptions students might have when solving the problem 31.8 + 0.45? How would you address these?"
A good response might say: "One problem that could occur is that students won't line everything up by the place value or decimal. They may line the five up right below the eight and therefore get the wrong answer. I would teach them to line the decimals up and then put zeros as place holders so they don't get confused. I would also encourage them to draw a line from each addend all the way down to their sum to make sure all the decimals are in line. I always remind students to read carefully and double check their work to avoid common mistakes like this."

14. Walk Me Through a Typical Lesson.

The interviewer isn't just looking for a quality lesson that's accurate and engaging. They also want to know how you think about planning lessons. "A lot of it's going to be about debriefing your process, like what went well...and then what are things that you can work on," says Findley.

How to Answer It

This question requires a bit more preparing on your part than a typical interview question. If you have an example lesson from a previous role (whether you were a teacher or taught something to someone at work), that's great. If not, consider whipping up a quick lesson plan you might like to give. Talk through what it'll look like from start to finish, why exactly you decided to take that approach, and allow the interviewer to ask questions about your process.

If you're leaning on a past experience, also highlight the parts of the lesson you would change based on how it went. It's better to use an example that could use a bit of tweaking rather than one that went swimmingly-this shows that growth mindset interviewers will be on the lookout for.

5 Steps to Acing Your Interview Presentation

15. What Questions Do You Have for Me?

While this is probably the easiest interview question in the book, it's also one you should actively prepare for with thoughtful questions targeted at the specific interviewer and role.

"Ask some serious questions about that school. That's your opportunity to interview them as much as they're interviewing you, and they are going to respect that," Swartz says. "Any question that they ask where I can see that they've done their research about the position is a great question to me."

How to Answer It

"Don't just ask, when can I expect to hear something?" says Swartz. If you do have a question about next steps, make it your final ask after you've posed others.

Try one of the following to get the ball rolling:

What do you wish you knew about [role]/[company or school] when you first started?

What qualities make someone successful here?

What are you most excited to work on/accomplish at [company or school] right now?

What drew you to [company or school]?

51 Great Questions to Ask in an Interview

Some Extra Tips for Nailing Your Teaching Interview

Findley advises that you really gather an understanding as to what the school cares about before going into your interview so you can show how you would bring that same passion. "A lot of schools now in particular have a really specific focus. I used to work at a school that was really focused on character goals," she explains.

Swartz adds that all the other basic rules of interviewing apply here: Show up on time, prepare, and dress professionally. While "you need to dress to a level that communicates that you are serious and interested about this job," he notes, you should also remember that interviewers want to see that you know what it means to work with students.

"If you show up in a three-piece suit at a school building they're [going to be] like, 'Do you know where you're going to teach?' You're going to be bending over knees on the ground with the kids. So over-dressing would be a negative," he explains. (Hint: Try going business casual when in doubt.)

Most importantly, says Brown, "Be confident in what you already know and your experiences prior." Preparing for any interview is mandatory, but don't try to over-rehearse your answers. Be yourself-or rather your best professional self-and you're sure to land the right teaching job for you.

Previously an editor for The Muse, Alyse is proud to prove that yes, English majors can change the world. She's written almost 500 articles for The Muse on anything from productivity tips to cover letters to bad bosses to cool career changers, many of which have been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, Inc., CNBC's Make It, USA Today College, Lifehacker, Mashable, and more. She calls many places home, including Illinois where she grew up and the small town of Hamilton where she attended Colgate University, but she was born to be a New Yorker. In addition to being an avid writer and reader, Alyse loves to dance, both professionally and while waiting for the subway.

More from Alyse Kalish

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15 Common Questions Asked in a Teacher Interview (Plus, Answers!)

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Being a teacher is an incredibly rewarding job. You have the opportunity not just to engage individuals, big and small, on a specific topic (or range of topics), but to shape how they learn, grow, and see the world around them.

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18 Interview Questions Every Teacher Must Be Able to Answer

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18 Interview Questions Every Teacher Must Be Able to Answer

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Getting ready to interview for a new teaching job? You're probably excited but also nervous. The best way to overcome those nerves is to prepare in advance. Take a look at this list of the most common teacher interview questions and answers. Practice your responses, and you'll feel much more confident when you walk through that door.

Remember, though, that interviews are a two-way street. Impressing your interviewers is important, of course. But so is finding out if this school is a place where you'll truly thrive. That's why in addition to the most common teacher interview questions and answers, we've also included five questions you should consider asking when the opportunity arises. Make your interview time count for everyone involved!

Most Common Teacher Interview Questions and Answers

1. Why did you decide to become a teacher?

It seems like a trite softball question, but don't let that fool you. Most administrators are looking for something more than "I've just always loved kids." If you don't have a substantive answer, then why are you even applying? Schools want to know you are dedicated to enriching the lives of students. Answer honestly with anecdotes or examples that paint a clear picture of the journey that you took to become a teacher.

2. How do you cope with stress?

This one didn't always appear on older lists of common teacher interview questions and answers, but it's showing up now big time. School administrators are well aware of the toll teaching in today's world takes on educators' mental health and wellness. While they, hopefully, are taking steps to help their teachers deal with the stress and challenges of the job, they want to know if you have coping strategies in place. This is a great place to talk about hobbies, family/friends, and anything else outside the job that you turn to when things get tough. It's important to note that this is also a great opportunity for you to ask the interviewer what steps their district has taken to prioritize teacher health and wellness.

3. What is your teaching philosophy?

This is one of the most common, as well as one of the trickiest, teacher interview questions. Don't answer with a clichéd, generic response. In fact, your response is your teaching mission statement. It's the answer to why you're a teacher. It's helpful if you write out your mission statement before the interview and practice reciting it. Discussing your teaching philosophy is a chance to show off why you're passionate, what you want to accomplish, and how you are going to apply it in this new position, in a new classroom, at a new school.

4. How do you incorporate social-emotional learning in your lessons?

Many states and districts have added requirements for social-emotional learning into their standards. Explain how you will not only tend to the academic needs of your students but tie in lessons that satisfy the core SEL competencies. Describe how you will help students build their self- and social-awareness skills, how you will support them in building relationships, and how you will give them the skills to make responsible decisions.

5. How do you use technology in the classroom?

Technology is at the forefront of education, so your interview is the time to show off that you're savvy. Talk about why you're excited to use technology with students. How did you manage remote classrooms and engage students? What technology did you incorporate and use while teaching at home and in the classroom? Your administration needs teachers who are tech-savvy and have innovative thinking around technology.

6. Describe your classroom management structure.

If you're a veteran teacher, discuss how you handled your classroom in the past. Give specific examples of things that worked the best and why. If you're new, then explain what you learned as a student teacher and how you'll map out a plan to run your first classroom. No matter how long you've been teaching, familiarize yourself with the school district's philosophies on classroom management and discipline. Mention how you'll incorporate their philosophy and stay true to your own. If you're unable to find out much about the school's policies beforehand, ask the interviewer to explain.

7. How do you feel about classroom observations and walk-throughs?

This one sounds simple, but be careful. It's fine to say observations make you nervous, but most administrators want teachers who are comfortable with other adults seeing what goes on in their classroom. This is a great chance to talk about how exciting you find it to share all the wonderful learning activities that happen in your classroom with students' parents and administration, even if you still get a bit nervous when being observed by other adults.

8. Do you think students are different than they were before COVID-19? What changes have you observed, and how have you dealt with them in your classroom?

While these teacher interview questions have only been asked in more recent years, they're becoming common, so it's important to prepare your answers. They might actually be easier if you're interviewing for your first teaching job. If that's you, feel free to explain that while you don't have a basis for comparison that others might, your classroom management plan is set up with today's kids in mind.

If, however, you're a veteran teacher, take more time to prep for these questions. Many educators have been quite vocal about the negative emotional, behavioral, and mental changes they've noticed in their students post-COVID. If you've had similar experiences, you can be honest about them. But make sure you explain what steps you've taken to address these changes in a proactive and positive way. No school district wants to hire a teacher who is going to throw up their hands and proclaim, "These kids just don't listen anymore!" Let them know you are going to meet your students where they are and help them reach your high standards.

9. What did you like/dislike about working remotely?

If you were working or going to school during the pandemic, you're likely going to be asked about how you dealt with the challenges of working remotely. Be honest. If you hated teaching via Zoom and couldn't wait to get back to in-person instruction, you can say so. You may want to add, however, that you appreciated the opportunity to learn more about how technology could be used to engage different learners. Similarly, if you loved teaching from home, but you're applying for an in-person position, you may want to be clear about the fact that while you loved being able to be at home, you love building relationships with your students in-person more.

10. What impact does trauma have on student learning? How do you address this in your classroom?

Whew, questions like these are tough. As our understanding of the role trauma plays in learning grows, the need for educators to know about it and how to deal with it in their classrooms does as well. If you've received professional development on the topic, this is a perfect opportunity to show off a bit. If not, take some time to learn more about how trauma can affect not only students but the individuals who work with them. That way, you'll feel more comfortable discussing the issue when it comes up.

11. What role do you believe diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives should play in your classroom and in the school?

Questions about DEI initiatives, policies, and mindsets are challenging but have definitely become standard in most teacher interviews. Many school districts want to know that incoming educators are open to having the challenging conversations and doing the difficult work of building anti-racist curriculum and policies. In more traditional districts, interviewers might be on the lookout for teachers whose views might be "too progressive" for the parents in their schools. Answer these questions truthfully. If you feel strongly that anti-racist policies are important and want DEI initiatives to be respected and valued in the district where you work, you should know that before you accept a teaching position.

12. How will you encourage parents to support their children's education?

The home-school connection is imperative yet tough to maintain. Administrators lean on teachers to keep open lines of communication with parents. They even see you as a "publicist" for the school, reinforcing the culture, strengths, and values of the school to parents. So, answer this question with concrete ideas. Share how parents will volunteer in your classroom and how you'll maintain regular contact, providing updates on both positive and negative events. It's great to also share your plan for providing resources to parents when students are struggling.

13. What are some methods you use to check for understanding as you're teaching?

It's one thing to prepare a high-quality lesson plan, but if students are not following along, what's the use? Explain how your instruction will be responsive to students' needs. Will you incorporate tech tools for assessments? Or implement exit slips summarizing what they've learned? Do you have a quick-check method, like thumbs-up/thumbs-down, to quickly scan for understanding?

14. How do you assess students' progress?

Here's your chance to preview your lesson plans and reveal your methods for keeping on top of students' social, academic, and physical development. Explain the types of quizzes you give because you know that they're most telling about students' strengths and weaknesses. Give insight into how you use oral reports, group projects, and seat work to determine who's struggling and who's ahead. And share how you implement open communication with your students to discover what they need to succeed.

15. What are your thoughts about grades?

Grading and assessment are set to become hot topics in education in the next few years. While many feel that we've become lax in grading during the pandemic and want to tighten up traditional grading, others are arguing for drastically changing our grading systems. Regardless of what you believe personally about this issue, it's a good idea to start by knowing how the district you are interviewing in handles grades. You can (and should!) absolutely discuss how you believe standards-based grading to be superior to traditional methods, but make sure you also state that you can and will follow district protocols and believe you can accurately measure student learning in this way.

16. Why do you want to teach at this school?

Research, research, and research more before your interview. Google everything you can about the school. Do they have a theater program? Are the students involved in the community? What type of culture does the principal promote? Use social media to see what the school proudly promoted most recently. Then, ask around. Use your network of colleagues to find out what (current and former) teachers loved and hated about it. The point of all this digging? You need to know if this school is a good fit for you. If it is a good fit, you'll demonstrate how much you want the job by explaining how you would get involved with all the amazing school programs you've heard so much about!

17. What is the greatest challenge facing teachers today?

Remote learning? Hybrid learning? Diversity and inclusion? Social-emotional learning? Engaging parents? The challenges are plenty! Think about your specific school, district, city, and state. What issue is most pressing, and what can you, as a teacher, do to help?

18. How would you handle a parent challenging your teaching methods/curriculum/classroom management?

Even a district that is going to strongly support its teachers against parent complaints may ask how you will handle such conflicts when they arise. This is a great opportunity to discuss how you stay calm in tense situations. Discussing how you prefer to call parents who are upset rather than emailing, or how you would forward particularly angry emails to a supervisor just to keep everyone in the loop, are excellent ways to show that you are a calm and proactive educator.

19. How can you meet the needs of a student with an IEP?

Today's inclusive classrooms require that teachers know how to meet each child's unique educational needs, especially those with disabilities. Perhaps most importantly, meeting the needs of students with IEPs (and 504 plans) is required by law. Districts definitely want to hear that you know that and you will be following those legal requirements. Even if you have not worked extensively with special needs students, educate yourself on the process and be familiar with the lingo. Prepare a couple of examples of ways you can differentiate instruction to support their particular needs.

20. How would you handle a situation in which you believe a student doesn't need all of the accommodations listed in their IEP?

This is a variation of the last question, and it's also a bit of a "gotcha" question. It's important to remember that special education paperwork is legally binding. If an IEP states that a student gets extended time to complete work, preferential seating, or any other specially designed instruction, they have to receive it, or the district has broken the law. An administrator or principal who asks this question wants to know that you are aware of how important following a student's IEP is and that you won't ignore things when you don't think they are needed. Make sure you express that you understand that.

Want to make your answer even stronger? Acknowledge that part of your job as a teacher is to monitor how a student is performing and let the student's case manager (or whoever is writing their IEP) know if you believe they do not need a particular support or if they need more. This way, you demonstrate a strong understanding of how the IEP works and that you play an important role as a member of that students' support team.

21. How will you meet the needs of the students in your class who are advanced or say they're bored?

School leaders don't want to hear canned responses about how you can differentiate; they want you to give some concrete answers and support your ideas. Perhaps you help get kids prepared for scholastic competitions once they've mastered the standard (spelling bee or chemistry olympiad, anyone?). Maybe you offer more advanced poetry schemes for your English classes or alternate problem-solving methods for your math students. Whatever it is, make sure that you express the importance that all students are engaged, even the ones who are already sure to pass the state standardized test.

22. How will you engage reluctant learners?

Teaching in an age when we must compete with TikTok, Snapchat, and other forms of instant entertainment makes this question valid and necessary. How will you keep students engaged? Share specific incentive policies, lessons you've used, or ways you've built relationships to keep students on task. An anecdote of how a past student (remember to protect privacy) that you taught was turned on to your subject because of your influence would also help your credibility here.

23. Describe a troubling student you've taught. What did you do to get through to them?

This question addresses more than just your reluctant learners. This speaks to any discipline measures you've had to address. As a teacher, you need to control the classroom and provide a safe space for all of your students. Think about your approach to troubling students and any successes you've had in the past.

24. Tell us about a mistake you made with a student. What happened, and how did you address it?

This is one of those tough but important teacher interview questions that's more common than you may think. Your interviewer is asking you to be a bit vulnerable here, but be careful with your choice of anecdote. While we've all made mistakes when dealing with students, what you're really looking for is an example where you made a mistake and then addressed it appropriately. Think carefully about a situation in which you didn't handle things as well as you could have, but you got it right in the end. Explain why you handled it the way you did initially, what caused you to reflect and change your mind, and how the situation was resolved.

25. Which activities, clubs, or sports are you willing to sponsor if you are offered a position?

While this expectation may be more real for middle and secondary teachers, being the new kid on the block often comes with a conversion of your title from teacher to coach. If athletics isn't one of your strengths, you can still get an edge on your competition by sponsoring a science club, yearbook, or academic team. You might also share a special skill, like knitting or creative writing, and offer to teach it to interested students.

26. What three words would your peers, administrators, or students use to describe you?

Having been caught off-guard by this prompt at a previous competitive interview, I would encourage you to have some thoughtful options to describe yourself. It's tempting to say things you think your new boss might want to hear, like intelligent or hardworking, but don't discount character traits or terms that paint you as a team player among peers and a role model for students. Some options to consider are empathetic, creative, caring, or cooperative.

27. What do you feel you can contribute to our school's PLC for your subject?

The days of shutting your door to do your own thing are out, and professional learning communities are in! Go in ready to discuss topics such as common planning, benchmarks, and data analysis. This is a key time to highlight your strengths. Whether you shine in making high-level DOK assessment questions or have a plethora of student-centered activities for your subject, let the interviewers know what you have to offer to your prospective peers and what you hope to glean from collaborating with them.

28. Which component of your résumé are you most proud of and why?

Pride may come before a fall, but if asked about your accomplishments, don't be bashful about conveying your worth. Have you won a grant for classroom materials? Share the details and how they helped your students succeed. Did you receive an award for excellence in instruction? Talk about how the application process helped you reflect and grow. If you're a recent graduate, you can still brag on yourself: Describe your student-teaching experience and how it prepared you for opportunities like the job opening you're vying for. Small things, like professional organization memberships, can also help you relay your interest in staying up-to-date on the latest educational research and best professional development.

29. What are you learning right now?

It's no secret that successful teachers pursue professional development opportunities whenever they get the chance. Share a PD book you've been reading, a recent TED talk that inspired you, or something new about your subject matter you've been brushing up on. Show your interviewers that you're engaged in exploring new information and always willing to learn.

30. Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years?

Universally, this is probably one of the most common interview questions, and a teacher should definitely be prepared to answer it. With more teachers leaving the classroom than ever before, many districts are going to be looking for educators who are ready to stay put for the foreseeable future. That being said, if your dream is to become a principal, reading specialist, or some other role within the district, it's OK to mention that. However, it's probably wise to state that your main goal is to be the best classroom teacher you can be and see what opportunities arise after 5 or 10 years.

Best Questions To Ask in Teaching Interviews

At the end of almost every interview, you'll be asked, "Do you have any questions?" This might seem like it's just a way to wrap things up. But it's actually one of the most important parts of the interview. In addition to practicing your answers to the most common teacher interview questions, you should prepare a handful of questions to ask your interviewer.

"The way some job candidates handle the portion of the interview where it's their turn to ask questions has always surprised me," shares Alison Green, workplace advice columnist and author of How To Get a Job: Secrets of a Hiring Manager. "A lot of people don't have many questions at all-which is ill-advised when you're considering spending 40+ hours a week at the job and when it is likely to have a huge impact on your day-to-day quality of life."

On her incredibly popular Ask a Manager advice website, Green shares 10 questions that will help you find out if you truly want the job you're interviewing for. "To be fair, a lot of people worry about what questions are okay to ask," she notes. "They're concerned about seeming demanding or nitpicky." You don't need to ask 10 questions, of course. Choose a few that seem the most important to you. We like these 5 in particular for teaching positions:

1. What are some of the challenges you expect the teacher in this position to face?

Green points out this can get you information that might not have already been shared. You might learn that parents are overly involved or not involved at all, or that resources are stretched incredibly thin, or that teachers here regularly work 60-hour weeks. This could lead to a discussion about how you've faced similar challenges in the past, or it can simply give you some points to think about as you consider the job.

2. How would you describe your school's culture? What types of teachers tend to thrive here, and what types don't do as well?

School cultures vary widely, and not all teachers thrive in every environment. Find out if this school will expect you to regularly attend extra-curricular events, or if your time out of the classroom is truly your own. Do teachers work closely with admin, or is it more of a "everyone is on their own" atmosphere? Think hard about whether you're the sort of person to fit in with this school's culture. This can help you decide if this role is really right for you.

3. How long did the previous teacher in the role hold the position? What has turnover in the role generally been like?

It's OK to probe a little to see what others' experiences have been. "If no one has stayed in the job very long, that could be a red flag about a difficult manager, unrealistic expectations, lack of training, or some other land mine," Green cautions. It's also worth knowing if you're interviewing to take over the position a beloved teacher has held for 30 years. Will your school be open to fresh new ideas, or are they looking for someone to match up to a previous teacher's reputation?

4. Thinking back to teachers you've seen hold this role previously, what differentiated the ones who were good from the ones who were really great?

Green calls this the "magic question" and has had multiple readers write in to tell her how much it impressed their interviewers! "The thing about this question is that it goes straight to the heart of what the hiring manager is looking for," enthuses Green. "Hiring managers aren't interviewing candidates in the hopes of finding someone who will do an average job; they're hoping to find someone who will excel at the job." This question shows you really want to be a great teacher, and it might offer you a chance to mention something about yourself that hasn't already come up in earlier discussion.

5. What's your timeline for next steps?

While this shouldn't be your only question, it's definitely OK to use this one as you're wrapping up. As Green says, "It's much better for your quality of life if you know that you're not likely to hear anything for two weeks or four weeks ... or whatever the case might be." Then, if you haven't heard anything in that time frame, you can follow up (once only!) to see where things stand.

If you liked this list of common teacher interview questions and answers, check out what to wear to a teacher interview.

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30 Interview Questions Every Teacher Must Be Able To Answer

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Getting ready to interview for a new teaching job? You're probably excited but also nervous. The best way to overcome those nerves is to prepare in advance. Take a look at this list of the most common teacher interview questions and answers. Practice your responses, and you'll feel much more confident when you walk through that door.

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What Should a New Teacher Wear to a Professional Job Interview?

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What Should a New Teacher Wear to a Professional Job Interview?

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Do you have a big interview coming up for a new teaching job? Whether you are a new teacher or an experienced teacher, what to wear to a job interview would be relatively the same.

Of course, everyone will have their own style of dress attire, but all job candidates need to dress correctly, meaning appropriately.

Make sure to take more than a few minutes to decide what to wear to your next teacher job interview.

Sometimes, the interview outfit and how you dress can be as important as what you say.

Like it or not, we are a very visual society, and first impressions are made primarily based on our appearance. What you wear says a lot about who you are, and how well you will fit into the school community.

Making a mistake with your appearance is much more noticeable than when you dress appropriately. For instance, school principals or superintendents will notice if a candidate enters the room while chewing gum, showing piercings, using excessive hairspray or perfume, or if they showed up wearing a tracksuit, jeans, or spike heels.

These may seem like obvious mistakes to you, but according to recruiters, candidates show up to job interviews committing these terrible errors all the time, and it costs them employment opportunities.

Here the Run Down on Dressing for the Job Interview

In a teacher job interview situation, you want to put your best foot forward in everything you do during your job search. Making an excellent impression on the job interviewing includes your attire. Looking your best for an interview doesn't mean you need to spend a lot of money. Smell great without perfume and look clean, crisp, and professional.

Research the School Culture

Just as you researched the school to answer interview questions better, you will need to study it to find out about its dress code. One way to find this out is to directly ask the person who gives you the job interview about the school dress code. Their answer will give you a starting point for organizing your interview wardrobe.

Whatever the school dress code is, you will want to wear an interview outfit to at least match that formally, if not a tiny bit more. There are some schools of thought (no pun intended) that suggest anything less formal than a suit is unacceptable.

Experienced or new teachers should dress as they would dress for the classroom or a little more formal than that type of attire. You are not going to a social event or dinner party with friends, so play it safe when choosing what to wear to a teaching interview.

Researching the school before an interview is helpful in many ways.

Neat, Tidy, and Comfortable

Clothing should always be neat and clean; iron your clothes the night before or the week before so you are ready to dress. Dress professionally and modestly: dress pants, a suit jacket and tie for men, and dress pants, knee-length skirt or pantsuit for women. Make sure your clothing is appropriately tailored and fits properly - and check for any loose buttons.

Take the time to hem your pants, and shine your shoes. Avoid wearing bright colors, distracting watches/jewelry, or clothes that show too much skin.

Eliminate Any Scents

It's a good idea to use little or no perfume or cologne. Don't risk your smell being overpowering on your interviewer. On the other hand, always ensure you have put on deodorant and your clothes smell fresh and clean. Also, ensure you've brushed your teeth and used mouthwash, so you have fresh breath.

Any new experience such as going to an interview requires extra care and attention to detail. One wrong, little detail could cost you a job offer.

Leave Time to Freshen Up

If you get to the interview venue early (which you should), make sure you take a few minutes to stop by the restroom and handle any "business" before you enter the interview. You don't want to have to pause it to go to the bathroom. Be sure you don't have any hair or wardrobe emergencies before going in. Check your teeth and your shirt collar... check everything again.

One job seeker told us about a situation where they had to walk a few blocks to their interview in 95-degree heat - in a full suit. By the time they arrived, they were drenched in sweat. Had they not gotten there 25 minutes early they wouldn't have had time to pat down and run their jacket under the washroom dryer.

What a horror story that would be, but it could happen to anyone!

I would imagine job interview anxiety would have been at its highest level at that point.

When it comes to dressing, remember you want to convey your professionalism and by showing up in neat and appropriate attire, you will always make a good impression on your interviewer.

If you have any questions about dressing or preparing for an interview reach out to me.

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What Type of Outfit Should I Wear to a Teacher Job Interview

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Do you have a big interview coming up for a new teaching job? Whether you are a new teacher or an experienced teacher, what to wear to a job interview would be relatively the same. Of course, everyone will have their own style of dress attire, but all job candidates need to dress correctly, meaning appropriately.

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Complete Guide for What to Wear to a Teacher Interview

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Complete Guide for What to Wear to a Teacher Interview

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When preparing for an interview, it's important that you showcase your poise and professionalism by choosing an appropriate outfit. This is especially true when getting ready to interview for a teaching position. In this article, we'll go through why what you wear to your teacher interview is significant, as well as list some tips and guidelines for building an outfit that leaves your interviewers with a great first impression.

Related: How to Introduce Yourself in an Interview

Why is what you wear to a teacher interview important?

An interview is your opportunity to impress potential employers. You can accomplish this by preparing answers to questions, researching the school and preparing some questions of your own. However, your preparation should go a little further than that. What you wear to a teacher interview says a lot about you, your preparedness and your professionalism.

You may be tempted to simply wear what you would wear while teaching a class to your interview, but you're going to want to go a step further than that. Remember, you're dressing for success, as well as to impress your interviewers, so it's OK to wear something just a little more formal than your normal workwear.

Though making a good first impression should be your primary motivation when choosing an outfit for your next teacher interview, it does affect more than just your appearance. When you look good, you feel good. If you go into an interview feeling that your appearance is lacking or uncomfortable, you will likely feel distracted-something that your interview will definitely notice.

On the other hand, if you walk into your interview feeling like you are completely put together and prepared from head to toe, you'll likely have a confidence and ease that is sure to wow your interviewer and prospective employer. You have the skills and the qualifications for your dream teaching job, so take the time to make sure that your appearance communicates just that.

Tips for what to wear to your teacher interview

Here are a few tips for putting together an outfit that will be sure to make a positive impact in your next teacher interview:

Do your research

Before entering into a teaching interview, it can be beneficial to research the school and district. Do they have strict policies on the appearance of their staff? It could be something as simple as hair or nail color, but knowing beforehand will ensure that the school is the right fit for you and that you make a positive first impression.

Related: Interview Question: "What Is Your Teaching Philosophy?"

Stay simple

This is a prospective employer's first impression of you. Though it may be tempting to show off your style, this is not the proper time to do so. A suit, or at the very least a blazer, are great ways to show an employer that you're taking this opportunity seriously. Wear solid, dark colors, and make sure that your clothing is well-fitted. An oversized blazer may seem inconsequential, but it can give your interviewer the wrong impression about your care and commitment.

Your interview will probably be conducted on the school's campus, so take into consideration where the school is and how you plan to get there. Regardless of your mode of transportation or the school's location, it could be beneficial to bring your outfit to change into beforehand. This will eliminate any feelings of panic over a wrinkled or stained blouse after a long bus ride.

Check the weather

Take some time to review the predicted weather patterns on the day of your interview and plan accordingly. It can be helpful to dress in easily removable layers to avoid any mishaps. You'll want to avoid making a lasting impression because you showed up to the interview drenched in sweat, soaked with rain or shivering due to a cold front.

Related: 50 Teacher Interview Questions and Answers to Help You Prepare

Keep it comfortable

Making sure that your interview outfit is comfortable is crucial for several reasons:

When you're comfortable, you feel more confident. Choose an outfit that makes you feel good about how you look as well as feel good about how people are viewing you.

If you're uncomfortable, you'll likely fidget. Choose something that you're able to move around in and sit down in with ease. Fidgeting with your appearance will come off as nervousness and could undermine your credibility.

Uncomfortable footwear can be an especially dangerous risk. Choose a pair of shoes that you're OK with standing and walking in. The last thing you'll want is to trip and fall because of your less than ideal choice in footwear.

Whatever your shoe choice, make sure that it is close-toed and has a low-profile heel. You may be asked to tour the school or demonstrate a sample lesson, in which case you will be grateful for a comfortable shoe.

Related: How to Appear Confident in an Interview

Add some personality

Add personality, but keep it professional. Even if a bright purple suit is the perfect depiction of your attitude, opt for something a little more subtle. Adding a colorful blouse or shirt to go with your dark suit can be a great way to incorporate some of your temperament without overdoing it.

Remember, your outfit's role is to prove to your interviewer that you are serious about the position and that you understand the importance of professionalism. It is your job to show your interviewer that you are qualified and would be an invaluable and positive addition to their teaching staff.

Accessorize

Yes, even your accessories can say something in an interview. Every detail of your outfit will speak before you have uttered a word, so think through every choice that you make prior to your teacher interview.

Accessories can be another great way to incorporate a little of your personality. A statement necklace or colorful pocket square can provide fun opportunities for adding some of your personality to your interview outfit. Just make sure that they're not too distracting. Your interviewers are there to get to know you, so your outfit should be enhancing that instead of detracting from it.

Avoid humor

Humor is a very important part of being an effective teacher-both for your kids and your own sanity. However, leave the quirky socks and ties for another time. Allow your humor to shine through naturally-and stick with neutral and complementary colored ties and socks.

Practice good hygiene without overdoing it

In an interview, some people elect to skip fragrance altogether. If you do decide to wear perfume or cologne, just be sure to keep it minimal. Your presence should be felt in an interview, not smelled.

Additionally, be sure that your breath and armpits are free of any stench. If you're a smoker, try to avoid smoking beforehand. You may also want to wait to eat until after your interview to ensure that your breath is fresh and your teeth are clean. Regardless of what you decide to abstain from before your interview, it can be helpful to pack a toothbrush and deodorant-and use them before your interview begins.

Be well groomed

While having a fresh haircut and manicured nails are merely suggestions rather than mandatory etiquette, they do say a lot about a candidate's care, confidence and eagerness to get the job. Take some time to make sure that every detail of your appearance communicates exactly who you are: a serious candidate that is committed and detail-oriented.

Keep it natural

While heavy makeup could be your norm, it is another detail that could distract your interviewers from your qualifications. Avoid bright lipstick, and instead, embrace a more natural color palette.

It's important to note that some schools and districts frown upon teachers revealing their tattoos and piercings. Take some time to research their requirements beforehand. It may be necessary for you to build your outfit around covering a tattoo or piercing.

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Complete Guide for What to Wear to a Teacher Interview

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When preparing for an interview, it's important that you showcase your poise and professionalism by choosing an appropriate outfit. This is especially true when getting ready to interview for a teaching position.

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These Teacher Cover Letters Examples Will Help You Land Your Next Assignment

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These Teacher Cover Letters Examples Will Help You Land Your Next Assignment

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Whether you are sending out resumes hoping to land your first teaching job or looking to shift to a new school or district, one fact remains the same: All the best credentials, experience, and passion will go unnoticed without a strong cover letter. The main rule? Sell yourself the way a publicist would. Cover letters aren't a time for modesty. They're a time to highlight your accomplishments and make your passion for teaching known. Below you'll find our tips for creating the best cover letter possible and our top teacher cover letter and CV examples.

3 top tips for crafting a teacher CV or cover letter:

Keep it short and sweet.

You've only got about 30 seconds to capture a hiring director's attention, so start with what we call "the elevator pitch." Imagine you have the time between the elevators closing on one floor and opening again on another floor to sell yourself. Instead of rehashing everything on your resume, use the space to craft a paragraph or two that will convince them you are a standout candidate and are worth moving on to the next step.

Emphasize why you're a great match.

Read the job description and find the overlap between the skills you bring to the table with the skills they need. If the job description calls for certain qualities or uses specific language, repeat them in your cover letter! The ultimate goal for your cover letter is to say, "You've got a problem? I'm the ideal person to solve it." Be professional and use concrete examples.

Individualize!

Tailor each and every cover letter to fit the specific school, district, and job for which you're applying. Research the school and its culture. That way, you can address their expectations and also use specific examples of achievements in your history to show why you're the right candidate for the position.

Top teacher cover letter examples:

This letter is friendly and enthusiastic. It uses concrete examples and experiences related to student teaching while showcasing exactly why the applicant wants to become a teacher.

This version of a cover letter calls out the specific skills the applicant has and hopes to bring to the table.

Not every teacher stays in their job until retirement. If you're looking for a new position, your cover letter should clearly state your experience. This example also makes it obvious that the candidate researched the new district and discusses why she would be excited to join. The candidate also includes references at the bottom of the cover letter.

It doesn't hurt to have additional examples! This teacher cover letter clearly showcases the school's goals and addresses how this teacher specifically can help. She did her research!

As school lets out for summer, many teachers still need to earn an income. With competition tight, this cover letter stands out as the candidate states her qualifications as well as her ability to train other staff members.

With this letter, the applicant took a slightly different approach. The letter breaks down the most relevant accomplishments into bullet points. Those will jump out at the hiring manager, who will likely scan through a ton of applications.

This letter is similar to a standard teacher cover letter, yet it also stresses the specific qualifications and experiences of a special ed teacher. For example, this candidate included how they modified the curriculum to meet the needs of a wide range of learners. In this particular cover letter example, the teacher was looking to move into a leadership role, so this serves as a template for someone looking to transition into management as well.

This cover letter emphasizes the applicant's academic achievements, especially with regard to the psychology education required for many counselor positions. It also talks about the characteristics that make this person the ideal candidate for this position.

We liked this cover letter because it pulls specific metrics that are not in the resume-including the number of students the candidate worked with and the funding obtained for special needs programs.

This cover letter oozes confidence! As with any specialist position, the candidate hones in on how her specific skills and background make her qualified for this role.

This cover letter covers a lot of ground. It points out the candidate's strengths for teaching and assessing knowledge in the specific subject. It also presents the special techniques the candidate uses to teach students at the high school level.

Taking a very professional approach to writing a cover letter shows that the contender is serious. This letter points out the specific skills that best prove why this candidate is a great fit for the position.

A music teacher requires knowledge of multiple instruments and a love of music and music theory. This cover letter showcases the candidate's background and why they feel music is an important part of the education experience.

Drama teachers often go above and beyond just teaching a class. They host auditions and rehearsals for after-school productions. This cover letter shows the candidate's knowledge of curriculum, directing a show, and even marketing efforts!

Foreign language teachers need to display their knowledge of the particular language as well as showcase how well they can immerse students in the culture. This cover letter discusses the teacher's plans to incorporate curriculum as well as help facilitate induction of students into the German Honor Society.

This cover letter has a terrific opening line that sets the candidate apart from the get-go. It also clearly covers the candidate's qualifications, from knowledge and experience to attitude and philosophy. This cover letter example also works well for PE teachers.

Teaching English as a second language obviously requires a distinct skill set. This cover letter showcases key communication skills and lets the hiring director know the specific language fluency.

Touching on the highlights of their resume without rehashing it completely (who wants to read something twice?), this candidate points out their qualifications and certifications as well as their versatility in teaching different types of students.

Teaching pre-K takes patience, creativity, and flexibility. This cover letter effectively highlights the candidate's communication and problem-solving skills as well as the personal qualities that make them great at their job.

This cover letter provides excellent background about the teacher in a way that's appropriate for business. It shares the necessary information clearly and concisely.

Working at an international school requires a certain skill set, and this letter highlights the teacher's language skills as well as their ability to create effective lessons on relevant topics while providing students with the support they need to succeed.

Do you have more great teacher cover letter examples? Share in the comments below.

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These Teacher Cover Letters Examples Will Help You Land Your Next Role

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Looking for teacher cover letter examples? Here are 18 great samples, along with guidelines and advice for writing your cover letter.

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Teacher Cover Letter Example and Writing Tips

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Teacher Cover Letter Example and Writing Tips

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Are you applying for a job as a teacher? An outstanding cover letter can mean the difference between getting the interview and languishing in job-search limbo.

Use your cover letter to highlight relevant experience and past achievements. Your priority in this cover letter is to connect your work history and accomplishments to the job description. You're not trying to recreate your resume here.

The goal is to introduce yourself and showcase the skills and qualifications that make you stand out from the competition.

Whether you're fresh out of college or an experienced teacher, these tips and cover letter example will help you convince the hiring committee that you're the best candidate for the job.

Cover Letter Example for a Teacher

This is an example of a cover letter for a teacher. Download the teacher cover letter template (compatible with Google Docs and Word Online) or review more examples.

Cover Letter Example for a Teacher (Text Version)

Alissa McIntire
87 Washington Street
Smithfield, CA 08055
555-555-5555 (h)
123-123-1234 (c)
alissa.mcintire@email.com

May 26, 2020

Mr. John Doe
Smithfield Elementary School
Main Street
Smithfield, CA 08055

Dear Mr. Doe,

I am interested in applying for an elementary-level teaching position in your school district. As a 20XX graduate of XXX College, I have student teaching experience on the third- fourth-, and sixth-grade level, in both suburban and urban school districts. I believe my teaching experience and passion for community engagement make me an ideal candidate for a teaching position at your school.

I have experience teaching elementary-level students in a variety of settings. I am currently teaching third-grade children at an inner-city charter school. As a former education coordinator at a local museum, I also have experience teaching fourth-grade students in a small suburban school system. Your school emphasizes its unique position as a school that caters to both inner-city and suburban students, so I think my varied experiences would make me an asset to your program.

Your school also strives to engage students in the larger community. I have lots of experience incorporating community service projects into my classrooms. For example, as a student teacher, I led a unit for third-graders on plant life, and we volunteered at a local community garden. I would love to find ways to integrate service learning into my lesson plans.

It is my goal to combine my range of experience with my ability to be a compassionate, enthusiastic, intelligent teacher who will make a positive contribution to your school district and larger community. I would welcome an interview and hope to hear from you at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Alissa McIntire (signature hard copy letter)

Alissa McIntire

How to Use a Cover Letter Template

A cover letter example helps you with the layout of your letter and what elements you need to include, such as introductions and body paragraphs.

Along with helping with your layout, cover letter examples can show you what kind of content you should include in your document and what type of language to use. For example, a sample might show you the action words you should utilize in your own cover letter.

Use a cover letter example as a guide to your own letter, but do not simply copy the text provided.

You should tailor your cover letter to fit your own work history and the job for which you are applying.

What to Include in Your Cover Letter

Emphasize your achievements. Include examples of your accomplishments in past jobs as a teacher. For example, if your students earned high state test scores, or if you received a teaching award, mention these successes.

Describe your experience. While you do not want to copy your resume, it's helpful to include details on your experience. Quantifying them can help-for example, mention how many years you've taught. If you're new to the career, include details on your student-teaching experience.

Mention any training or certifications. Many teaching jobs have specific training and certification requirements. Use your cover letter to demonstrate that you have what's required for the job.

Include related work outside the classroom. If you have non-teaching work or volunteer experience that involves working with children, you can highlight this in your cover letter as well. You especially might want to do this if you have limited teaching experience.

Tips for Writing a Cover Letter for a Teaching Job

Customize your cover letter. Be sure to tailor each cover letter to fit the specific school and job listing. One way to do this is to research the school and mention why you think you'd be a good fit for that specific location.

Take your time. Many job seekers treat cover letters as an afterthought, but these letters are so much more than a cover sheet for your application. A boring, slapdash letter won't help your candidacy, and it could hurt your chances.

Quality is also important: a cover letter filled with typos and silly grammatical errors will not inspire the hiring committee to give you a call. Spend the time to proofread your letter carefully.

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Teacher Cover Letter Example and Writing Tips

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Are you applying for a job as a teacher? An outstanding cover letter can mean the difference between getting the interview and languishing in job-search limbo. Use your cover letter to highlight relevant experience and past achievements. Your priority in this cover letter is to connect your work history and accomplishments to the job description.

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Becoming a teacher can lead to a rewarding career with countless opportunities to make a difference in your students' lives. Before you interview for your first teaching job, it is essential to create a resume and cover letter to submit with your application. When you write an effective cover letter, you can position yourself as a strong candidate for almost any teaching job. In this article, we discuss what to include in a new teacher cover letter and share examples for first-year teachers.

What to include in a new teacher cover letter

While your resume should outline your education and relevant job experience, your cover letter should reiterate your professional and academic highlights and add context to your application. Try to include the following components in your first-year teacher cover letter:

Academic credentials: When you are applying for your first teaching job, focus on your academic credentials rather than your limited professional experience. Include any certificates you have earned, too.

Student teaching experience: As a new teacher, you may not have much professional experience to discuss. Instead, use your student teaching experience to highlight your work in the classroom.

Teaching skills and specialties: In your cover letter, take the opportunity to discuss key technical skills for teachers, such as managing classrooms and developing personalized learning plans.

Relevant soft skills: Your cover letter is the ideal place to showcase your soft skills. You can mention important abilities like patience, organization, enthusiasm and reliability.

Experience with technology: To demonstrate your ability to help students use the most cutting-edge learning tools available, highlight the platforms you are fluent with and the technology you typically use.

Reasons you are a good match: Your cover letter should also discuss the reasons why you are interested in the position in question and why you are a good choice for the job.

Related: 8 Qualities of a Good Teacher (and Tips for How to Develop Them)

Tips for new teacher cover letters

To write an effective new teacher cover letter, follow these five steps:

1. Keep it concise.

2. Include keywords.

3. Highlight your top skills and major achievements.

4. Customize your cover letter for each job application.

5. Make it easy to read.

1. Keep it concise

To increase your chance of getting their attention and standing out as a strong candidate, make your cover letter clear and concise. Rather than writing a lengthy cover letter, try to keep it to one page.

2. Include keywords

As you write your cover letter, review the job description and reread the requirements for the position. If you have the required qualifications, be sure to mention them in your cover letter. Taking this step is a good way to demonstrate that you took the time to read the job description carefully and that you are an excellent fit for the position.

3. Highlight your top skills and major achievements

While your resume might include all your technical and soft skills, your cover letter is the ideal place to highlight your most important skills and achievements. Try to be selective by including only your most advanced accomplishments and skills mentioned in the job listing.
Related: Soft Skills: Definitions and Examples
4. Customize your cover letter for each job application

If you apply to more than one teaching job, your cover letters may be similar. Each time you write a cover letter, however, you should customize it for the job and organization in question. Make a point of discussing why you have an interest in working for the organization and why you are such a good candidate for the specific job.

5. Make it easy to read

To increase the chance that your cover letter will stand out, make it as easy as possible to read. Use a standard font, preferably the same one that your resume uses. Include no more than three or four sentences in each paragraph to ensure that they are short and easy to skim. Consider double spacing your cover letter to add more white space, too.
Related: How to Format a Cover Letter (With Tips and Examples)
First-year teacher cover letter example

Use the samples below as inspiration when writing your own first-year teacher cover letter.

First-year elementary school teacher cover letter
Hannah Lee Dear Ms. Smith, I am writing to apply for the third-grade teacher position at Edison Elementary School. While earning my elementary education studies at Columbia University, I gained extensive student teaching experience with third and fourth grades. I believe that my commitment to teaching in urban settings and my passion for helping children with special needs makes me uniquely able to fill this position and contribute to the New York public schools' mission to shape the leaders of tomorrow. My student teaching experience in urban schools has prepared me to teach children with a variety of needs in Midtown Manhattan. I have extensive experience with major digital teaching platforms, and I am committed to helping students master technology to better prepare them for their future. I am also fluent in Mandarin and have intermediate Spanish skills, so I can communicate effectively with the majority of the student population. As a teacher, I am strongly committed to empowering children to acquire new skills and amplify their own unique skills. I am certified to teach in New York, and I have endorsements in bilingual education, technology education and mathematics. I am currently studying to obtain additional endorsements in social science and earth and space science. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this third-grade teacher position with you in person. Thank you for your consideration. I look forward to talking with you further.
Lucy Chen Dear Mr. Johnson, I am submitting my application for the biology teacher role at Edison High School. As a 2020 graduate of Barnard College, I already have extensive student teaching experience at the high school level. I believe that together, my commitment to teaching students in urban and suburban settings and my passion for reaching students with a wide range of needs make me a strong candidate for this New York public school position. Thanks to my student-teaching work, I am prepared to teach high school from a variety of backgrounds in Lower Manhattan. I have two years of experience working with digital education platforms, as I believe technology is essential for helping students prepare for their academic and professional futures. I am certified to teach high school in New York, and I have endorsements in science, biology and earth science. I am studying to obtain additional endorsements in chemistry and physics, which I expect to receive by the end of this year. I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss this Biology Teacher position with you further. Thank you for your consideration.
123 Main Ave | New York, NY 11110 | 212-333-7777 | lucy.chen@email.com 123 Main Street | New York, NY 11110 | 212-555-8888 | hannah.lee@email.com
New high school teacher cover letter

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Becoming a teacher can lead to a rewarding career with countless opportunities to make a difference in your students' lives. Before you interview for your first teaching job, it is essential to create a resume and cover letter to submit with your application.

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Don't miss these teaching cover letter writing steps and tips with example statements to get your noticed and land an interview.

Are you asking, won't a cover letter just be repeating what's already in my teacher resume?

A typical question enquired about the necessity of writing cover letters to accompany the resume. If you write a proper cover letter, it should add new information about and re-enforce your resume, but never, just repeat it.

Critically, the cover letter for a teaching position is your formal introduction. Avoiding this formality could be considered paramount to refusing to shake the interviewer's hand.

Steps to Write a Teaching Cover Letter for an education job

More and more job candidates are trying to cut corners and write a line or two in an email. The email is the medium of communication; it should never compromise your message. By sending off a quick email, you could risk being perceived as lazy and lacking ambition.

Follow these teaching cover letter writing tips and steps and introduce yourself properly to your potential employer.

Presentation Is Vital to Grab Attention

Most job search experts would agree that typically, a first impression of someone is formed within 8 seconds. Even scarier is the concept that once a first impression is formed; it's very unlikely to change. If the chair of the selection committee opens your resume and discovers that you haven't bothered to include a cover letter, your application could end up in the recycling bin along with the envelope it came in.

Failing to dot the i's and cross the t's will be frowned upon, especially if you are introducing an English teacher CV or resume. Spelling or grammatical errors are unacceptable in a cover letter for any teaching job application; so, make sure you have your letter proofread.

Once completed, even if submitting resumes online, your letter of application should be printed out using a formal, but simple font style. The font needs to match your resume and be printed on resume bond paper.

Have copies on hand just in case you need to forward your resume to the hiring representative at the school where you are interested in teaching.

Make sure that you spell the name of the school principal, superintendent, and the school or school district correctly and include your full name and contact details.

The letterhead should match the resume, and both include all your contact details. Structure your cover letter for more results.

Being Specific About the Reason for Writing a Cover Letter

The first paragraph of your letter should include some important details:

Which education position or post you are submitting your application to for consideration.

Include the job reference number, if available.

Communicate where you heard about the vacancy.

If it is a mass mailing, the opening needs to be very catchy. However, be aware that one carefully crafted personalized cover letter is more likely to get you placed on the potential hiring list; you may asked for an interview when a job becomes available in the future. A generic cover letter is more likely to end up in the "not to be interviewed" stack.

If you are sending a school administrator resume, state elementary or high school if you are only willing to change jobs for this specific position.

Do not make the hiring manager search the resume to find out why you are contacting them. At the same time, you want a captivating introduction.

Despite the dull, formulaic introductions to many cover letters, these two objectives are not incompatible (see the examples of compelling cover letter closings below).

Note the different positioning between a math teacher cover letter sample and the emphasis on hard teaching skills in this art teacher cover letter sample.

Research the School to Learn What to Include in the Teacher Focused Cover Letter

It's important to show in your application letter that you have information on the school or school district to which you are submitting your candidacy for consideration. A teacher cover letter should be tailored to each school district, if possible. If the school has a website (most do), this can be a great starting point to find details about their philosophy towards teaching and the values they share with the district and community.

Learn as much as you can and make a point of explaining why you are specifically drawn to that school district. If you are an education specialist, for example, communicate what your value proposition is to that position.

Top Teacher Cover Letter Writing Tip: Uncover and Communicate Your Value

Knowing details about the school will make a difference to writing your letter, thus making an excellent impression Explain in the letter why your skills, abilities, experience, and attributes would benefit the school. What contribution could you make?

Write information about you that is relevant to the school and the position.

Does the school have a leading music program?

Do they have the largest language program in the district?

Did they pioneer a literacy program?

How can you contribute to the school's ongoing success in these areas?

If you are in a non-traditional teaching role - instructional assistant, learning coach, education specialist - provide a detailed explanation of how this role will fit into the school's curriculum. If the position does not exist, it may not be obvious.

An Excellent Cover Letter will Let Your Personality Shine Through

When teachers provide honest and meaningful accounts of their teaching philosophy or reading program, their commitment and dedication shine through.

Many teacher cover letters read like a template, don't let yours be one of them.

Which teacher are you going to interview? Before writing your teacher cover letter, clarify your key messages regarding:

Teaching style/approach

Education philosophy

Learning programs you use and why

Approach to innovation and technology in the classroom

What differentiates you (skills, competencies, experience, awards)?

Teaching accomplishments and supporting evidence

Make the Closing in Your Cover Letter an Attention Grabber

The closing paragraph is the section of the letter most likely to lose the reader's attention. 50 to 90 percent of the content is repeated across many resumes. Original, personalized content gets the reader's attention. Rather than repeat the same old phrasing, close with a captivating ending. Here are some examples of closing paragraphs in a cover letter:

Please find a short link to a video of me teaching the new ABC Math Program to primary school learners. As this video shows, student engagement in the math lesson increased by 50 percent. I would be pleased to deliver similar performance improvement in the math teaching program at XYZ school. I welcome the opportunity to meet with you to discuss how my math program, and skills and experience can benefit your school.

Please follow this link to my class records. They show improvement in reading and math scores for the five consecutive years in which I have been teaching. I hope to have the opportunity to meet with you and further discuss the teaching approach behind these district-leading performance improvements.

Please follow this link to my 'LinkedIn Teacher Awards Wall.' Here, you will find my teaching awards, and recommendations from supervisors and parents. I am proud to have been the only teacher in my district to be a two-time winner of the XYZ Teaching Award for my innovative use of mobile technology in learning. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss how technology can transform the learning experience of young students.

Do not leave your most impressive accomplishment to the last line of the cover letter or resume, but do save some good stuff for last - even expanding on highlights already provided.

One of the biggest benefits of a cover letter is that it's personal to you. It's a chance for the selection committee to get a glimpse of the authentic you - your personality and passion. Don't underestimate the influence of a tailored and unique cover letter.

Most people know when they are reading a second-hand template. The clone will be obvious to the person reading it and you'll come across as lazy and unimaginative. Injecting some personality into your letter of introduction doesn't mean filling it with irrelevant anecdotes, but it does mean putting some thought and creativity into what you write. Try to make a connection with the reader and let your personality shine through what you say.

For ideas on how to personalize your cover letter, review our teacher resume and application letter examples.

To walk through teacher cover letter writing steps, follow our blog posts on teacher application writing tips.

Our guidance on how to write your academic CV curriculum vitae has helped thousands of teachers find jobs.

Learn more about Candace Alstad-Davies by reviewing the about us page. From that page, you can review testimonials and frequently asked questions.

Need some writing help making a stellar teaching application letter, cover letter, resume, or CV curriculum vitae?

Take the time to review and order one of our resume packages or individual services.

Have questions, please connect by sending an email to Candace or call toll-free at 1 877 738-8052. I would enjoy chatting with you.

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Teacher Cover Letters That Get You Noticed

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Don't miss these teaching cover letter writing steps and tips with example statements to get your noticed and land an interview. Are you asking, won't a cover letter just be repeating what's already in my teacher resume? A typical question enquired about the necessity of writing cover letters to accompany the resume.

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Get Started with a Digital Teaching Portfolio

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Get Started with a Digital Teaching Portfolio

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Applying for a new job this summer or thinking about it for future endeavors? Beef up your application with a digital teaching portfolio! Yes, most school districts use very standardized formats like AppliTrack for applying to their system, but in today's teaching market, you want to stand out. A supplementary online portfolio could really separate you from the pack, providing you a wide array of tools that can show what you're really all about in the classroom. Today, Education World gives you some tips and tools for creating your own digital teaching portfolio.

Choosing Your Platform

First, you're going to need to choose a platform: a site that will host your content. There are endless options for creating a personal website, but we're going to focus in on two key hosting characteristics for the overworked, overwhelmed, and time-constricted 21 st century educator: free and easy. Here's some of the sites that will fit that bill for you:

Google Sites: Super simple and straightforward, especially to anyone familiar with the Google Drive suite. May not be aesthetically fancy, but allows multimedia options and will certainly get the job done.

WordPress: More design choices to take advantage of, and a product that is updated often with new options and features.

Adobe Spark: Aesthetically gorgeous sites with very little effort. Not as well-known, so will likely make your site stand out.

Weebly: Free version gets the job done; paid version adds the flare. Still, an excellent, easy-to-use host.

PortfolioGen: Not as media diverse as the sites above, but certainly a viable option for those that are not feeling too tech-savvy.

Content

Now that we've looked at some of the platform options, we need to talk about content. Your digital teaching portfolio should absolutely include all of the drier text-based documents you might submit for any other job application: resume, personal statement, and credentials. However, a digital portfolio is an opportunity to turn that two-dimensional Word document into a three-dimensional career experience. Think about adding some of the elements below to your new website.

Artifacts and Reflections

Perhaps the most attractive part of your portfolio from the point of view of an administrator is going to be the artifacts from your practice you choose to share. Let's be honest, for any position you're applying for, most of the applicants are going to have similarities: you all have the same degree, a comparable number of years of practice, and a personal statement filled with the "buzz words" of the day.

However, with a digital portfolio, you can do more than tell them your strengths, you can show them. From key assignments and worksheets, lesson plans, scans and photographs of student work, and video montages of you in the classroom, administrators can get a real sense of how you teach and where you values lie. With each artifact you add to your site, make sure you also upload a thoughtful reflection. School districts want educators that are not only able to deliver engaging content to their classrooms, but those that value you deep reflection. School leaders want to know that when lessons go well, you're dreaming up ways to make it better. And when they go less-than-ideally, you are quick to readjust and get your students back on the track to success. These artifacts afford you the opportunity to not only exhibit the product of your teaching, but how you think about your teaching.

Curate Your Career

Since most of the above platforms are able to host video, you should cash in on the opportunity with your portfolio. Yes, you can showcase a lesson, a project, or a performance task here, but if you wish to really stand out, think about curating your own site. When the applications start piling up, it's much too easy for that passionate educator to get lost in the pages of required documents. Your interview will allow schools to get to know the "real you" much better, but a well-curated site will help them to get to know you before you even walk through the door.

Each page of your site should include a video introduction or summary that runs through the highlights of that particular subject area, whether it's thoughts on classroom management, an artifact reflection, or your pedagogical approach to the classroom. Don't be afraid to add some personality to your video curation; they want to know who you are!

Think Outside the Box

The more unique your portfolio is; the more it will be remembered. Of course, multimedia always catches the eye, but think about other ways you can model your dedication to your work:

Hyperlink all text-based docs to sites outlining some of your pedagogical beliefs.

On top of your classic letters of recommendation, add shorter testimonials of parents, students, and peers that attest to your practice. Bonus points for video testimonials.

Start a blog on your site that highlights your reflection, pedagogical leanings, personal experiences, and passion for improving.

Showcase your participation within the greater school community by including links to news pieces, videos at sporting events, and documenting your work with extracurricular activities.

The more you add to your online digital portfolio, the more three-dimensional your application will become. The truth is, traditional applications are designed to narrow down applicants. When they are little more than text on a screen, they are easier to overlook. An online portfolio turns you into a fuller, more dynamic applicant, and therefore much more difficult to disregard. Good luck this summer and happy job hunting!
Written by Keith Lambert, Education World Associate Contributing Editor Lambert is an English / Language Arts teacher in Connecticut.

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Get Started with a Digital Teaching Portfolio

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Applying for a new job this summer or thinking about it for future endeavors? Beef up your application with a digital teaching portfolio! Yes, most school districts use very standardized formats like AppliTrack for applying to their system, but in today's teaching market, you want to stand out.

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Print Version

What Is a Teaching Portfolio?

Portfolios provide documented evidence of teaching from a variety of sources-not just student ratings-and provide context for that evidence.

The process of selecting and organizing material for a portfolio can help one reflect on and improve one's teaching.

Portfolios are a step toward a more public, professional view of teaching as a scholarly activity.

Portfolios can offer a look at development over time, helping one see teaching as on ongoing process of inquiry, experimentation, and reflection.

Teaching portfolios capture evidence of one's entire teaching career, in contrast to what are called course portfolios that capture evidence related to a single course.

Why Assemble a Teaching Portfolio?

Portfolios can serve any of the following purposes.

Job applicants for faculty positions can use teaching portfolios to document their teaching effectiveness.

Faculty members up for promotion or tenure can also use teaching portfolios to document their teaching effectiveness.

Faculty members and teaching assistants can use teaching portfolios to reflect on and refine their teaching skills and philosophies.

Faculty members and teaching assistants can use teaching portfolios, particularly ones shared online, to "go public" with their teaching to invite comments from their peers and to share teaching successes so that their peers can build on them. For more on going public with one's teaching, see the CFT's Teaching Guide on the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

General Guidelines

Start now! Many of the possible components of a teaching portfolio (see list below) are difficult, if not impossible, to obtain after you have finished teaching a course. Collecting these components as you go will make assembling your final portfolio much easier.

Give a fair and accurate presentation of yourself. Don't try to present yourself as the absolutely perfect teacher. Highlight the positive, of course, but don't completely omit the negative.

Be selective in which materials you choose to include, though be sure to represent a cross-section of your teaching and not just one aspect of it. A relatively small set of well-chosen documents is more effective than a large, unfiltered collection of all your teaching documents.

Make your organization explicit to the reader. Use a table of contents at the beginning and tabs to separate the various components of your portfolio.

Make sure every piece of evidence in your portfolio is accompanied by some sort of context and explanation. For instance, if you include a sample lesson plan, make sure to describe the course, the students, and, if you have actually used the lesson plan, a reflection on how well it worked.

Components of a Teaching Portfolio

1. Your Thoughts About Teaching

A reflective "teaching statement" describing your personal teaching philosophy, strategies, and objectives (see Teaching Philosophy).

A personal statement describing your teaching goals for the next few years

2. Documentation of Your Teaching

A list of courses taught and/or TAed, with enrollments and a description of your responsibilities

Number of advisees, graduate and undergraduate

Syllabi

Course descriptions with details of content, objectives, methods, and procedures for evaluating student learning

Reading lists

Assignments

Exams and quizzes, graded and ungraded

Handouts, problem sets, lecture outlines

Descriptions and examples of visual materials used

Descriptions of uses of computers and other technology in teaching

Videotapes of your teaching

3. Teaching Effectiveness

Summarized student evaluations of teaching, including response rate and relationship to departmental average

Written comments from students on class evaluations

Comments from a peer observer or a colleague teaching the same course

Statements from colleagues in the department or elsewhere, regarding the preparation of students for advanced work

Letters from students, preferably unsolicited

Letters from course head, division head or chairperson

Statements from alumni

4. Materials Demonstrating Student Learning (all anonymized to protect student identities)

Scores on standardized or other tests, before and after instruction

Students' lab books or other workbooks

Students' papers, essays, or creative works

Graded work from the best and poorest students, with teacher's feedback to students

Instructor's written feedback on student work

5. Activities to Improve Instruction

Participation in seminars or professional meetings on teaching

Design of new courses

Design of interdisciplinary or collaborative courses or teaching projects

Use of new methods of teaching, assessing learning, grading

Preparation of a textbook, lab manual, courseware, etc.

Description of instructional improvement projects developed or carried out

6. Contributions to the Teaching Profession and/or Your Institution

Publications in teaching journals

Papers delivered on teaching

Reviews of forthcoming textbooks

Service on teaching committees

Assistance to colleagues on teaching matters

Work on curriculum revision or development

7. Honors, Awards, or Recognitions

Teaching awards from department, college, or university

Teaching awards from profession

Invitations based on teaching reputation to consult, give workshops, write articles, etc.

Requests for advice on teaching by committees or other organized groups

Sample Teaching Portfolios

The website from University of Virginia provides sample teaching portfolios from a variety of disciplines. As you look at these portfolios, ask yourself,

"What components did the author choose to include and which ones are most effective at describing their teaching?" and

"What structural and organizational decisions did the author make as they assembled their portfolio?"

Sample Portfolios from the University of Virginia Teaching Resource Center
Electronic Teaching Portfolios

How do electronic portfolios differ from print portfolios?

Increased Accessibility: Teaching portfolios are intended, in part, to make teaching public. Distributing a portfolio on the web makes it even more accessible to peers and others.

Multimedia Documents: Technology allows for inclusion of more than just printed documents. For example, you can include video footage of yourself teaching, an audio voiceover providing context and reflection on the portfolio, or instructional computer programs or code you have written.

Nonlinear Thinking: The web facilitates nonlinear relationships between the components of your teaching portfolio. The process of creating a portfolio in this nonlinear environment can help you think about your teaching in new ways. For example, since readers can explore an e-portfolio in many different ways, constructing an e-portfolio gives you an opportunity to consider how different audiences might encounter and understand your work.

Copyright and Privacy Issues: While examples of student work can be compelling evidence of your teaching effectiveness, publishing these examples online presents legal copyright and privacy issues. Talk to someone at the VU Compliance Program before doing so.

What Role Do Teaching Portfolios Play on the Job Market?

According to an October 11, 2005, search on HigherEdJobs.com, of the 1,000 ads for faculty jobs...

585 include the words "teaching philosophy,"

27 include the words "teaching statement," and

28 include the words "teaching portfolio."

According to an October 11, 2005, search on Chronicle.com, of the 2,978 ads for faculty/research jobs...

388 include the words "teaching philosophy,"

5 include the words "teaching statement," and

8 include the words "teaching portfolio."

While these data indicate that teaching portfolios are not frequently requested of job applicants to faculty positions, it is not just the physical document that plays a role. The process of constructing a teaching portfolio-and reflecting on your teaching-will prepare you to...

write a meaningful teaching philosophy statement and

to discuss your teaching more effectively during interviews.

Other Resources

The following books on teaching portfolios are available for check-out in the Center for Teaching's library.

Seldin, Peter, The Teaching Portfolio: A Practical Guide to Improved Performance and Promotion/Tenure Decisions, 3rd edition, Anker, 2004.

Cambridge, Barbara, Electronic Portfolios: Emerging Practices in Student, Faculty, and Institutional Learning, American Association for Higher Education, 2001.

Hutchings, Pat, ed., The Course Portfolio: How Faculty Can Examine Their Teaching to Advance Practice and Improve Student Learning, American Association for Higher Education, 1998.

Murray, John P., Successful Faculty Development and Evaluation: The Complete Teaching Portfolio, ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education, 1997.

Anderson, Erin, ed., Campus Use of the Teaching Portfolio: Twenty-Five Profiles, American Association for Higher Education, 1993.

The following web sites offer additional resources and strategies for creating effective teaching portfolios:

This teaching guide is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

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Print Version What Is a Teaching Portfolio? Why Assemble a Teaching Portfolio? General Guidelines Components of a Teaching Portfolio Sample Teaching Portfolios Electronic Teaching Portfolios What Role Do Teaching Portfolios Play on the Job Market? Other Resources What Is a Teaching Portfolio? Portfolios provide documented evidence of teaching from a variety of sources-not just student...

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Become an Academic Leader.

The Master of Science degree in educational leadership is designed to prepare professional personnel to fill positions as preK-12 school principals or instructional supervisors in Virginia. Successful completion of this fully online program will lead to a license in preK-12 school administration and supervision.

Program Features

Our program is fully online providing convenience and flexibility for working professionals.

We use the latest in collaborative online technologies (Zoom) to give you the benefits of a traditional face-to-face program with the convenience of online.

We offer seven-week courses allowing you to focus on one course at a time and still complete two courses each semester.

You can complete our program in only 21 months.

Our program meets all of the Virginia licensure requirements for the PK-12 Administration and Supervision endorsement.

Program faculty have in-depth experience as K-12 school and division leaders.

Master of Science in Educational Leadership (33 hours)

Why Choose Radford?

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The Master of Science in educational leadership program at Radford University prepares professionals for careers as school principals or instructional supervisors in Virginia.

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You can also complete just 5 classes to receive an add-on endorsement in special education, grades 6-12.

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Together We Make the Difference

The Master of Science degree program in special education is a single degree program offering practicing educators and those intending to enter the teaching profession the opportunity to design a program of study to meet their interests and teacher licensure needs in the area of special education.

Program Options

Why Choose Radford?

Program Goals

Develop professionals who can work effectively with infants, children and youth with disabilities

Ensure their academic and personal success through collaboration with families, general educators and other team members, and

Advocate for children, families and the profession to improve the quality of life for all children.

Gain Knowledge and Skills In

Characteristics

Assessment and evaluation

Understanding and application of service delivery

Curriculum and instruction

IEP/IFSP development and monitoring

Transition

Proactive classroom management

Positive behavior support

Collaboration and teamwork

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Together We Make the Difference The Master of Science degree program in special education is a single degree program offering practicing educators and those intending to enter the teaching profession the opportunity to design a program of study to meet their interests and teacher licensure needs in the area of special education.

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Teacher Resume Template Sample Structure

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Teacher Resume Template Sample Structure

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Attached is my CV. Don't use it as an example, but please consider using some of the language I use and descriptors for skills. A CV is different from a resume. It's basically a professor's life in education! At the end of my CV is a Teaching and Learning Statement. Feel free to utilize some of those ideas when you formulate a statement of your teaching philosophy.

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This is a two-page version of my CV that I use for grant applications or if a shorter CV is requested by an organization where I'll be speaking.

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CV Minarik Super Short https://bit.ly/dwmshortcv

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Darren William Minarik, Ph.D. EDUCATION 2017 Virginia Tech Blacksburg, VA School of Education Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction (History and Social Science). Dissertation entitled, Teaching About Disability and Special Education…

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"As I encounter improvement opportunities, I now feel that I am equipped to take a systematic approach that will assist me in identifying and implementing sustainable change ideas that will have an immediate impact on my school. Our professors' different backgrounds provided us with a multitude of experiences and perspectives that help us grow as educational leaders. I am grateful for the opportunity to work with this group of diverse, outstanding professionals."

Charles Byrd, Ed.D. '22 Principal, Galax High School

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How to Use AI to Write Your Teacher Resume (Even If You're Not Job Hunting)