Teacher CV Example
A teacher's CV should show your qualified status, the age range and subjects you teach, the impact you have had on pupils' progress and the contribution you make beyond your own classroom. Schools also need a complete employment history for safer recruitment, so account for any gaps.
This example follows UK conventions: two pages at most, British spelling and a personal statement at the top. Many UK schools also require their own application form, and your CV is the source material for it.
Example teacher personal statement
Secondary English teacher with QTS and seven years' experience across Key Stages 3 to 5 in an 11 to 18 comprehensive school. Consistently strong GCSE outcomes, experience as a form tutor and two years as Key Stage 3 coordinator leading curriculum planning for the department. Seeking a second in department role.
Key skills for a teacher CV
- Curriculum and lesson planning
- Behaviour management and positive classroom culture
- Assessment, feedback and tracking pupil progress
- Adaptive teaching for pupils with SEND and English as an additional language
- Safeguarding and pastoral care
- Examination specification knowledge for your subject
- Communication with parents and carers
- Mentoring trainees and early career teachers
Example work experience bullet points
- Taught English to classes across Key Stages 3 to 5, including two GCSE groups and one A-level literature group each year.
- Redesigned the Year 8 scheme of work for poetry, which was adopted across the department of nine teachers.
- Ran weekly after-school revision sessions for Year 11 pupils working at the grade 4 and 5 boundary.
- Served as form tutor for a group of 28 pupils, acting as first point of contact for parents and monitoring attendance and wellbeing.
- Mentored two trainee teachers and one early career teacher through observations, feedback and weekly meetings.
- Organised an annual theatre trip for 60 pupils, including risk assessments and parental communication.
How to write your teacher CV
- State QTS, or QTLS where relevant, your teacher training route and your subject and age range specialisms near the top.
- Describe each school briefly: phase, size and type. It gives context to your achievements.
- Refer to pupil outcomes carefully and truthfully; describe progress, not just raw results.
- Include wider contributions such as clubs, trips, duties, working groups and CPD you have led.
- Mention that you hold, or are willing to obtain, an enhanced DBS check.
UK CV or US resume?
In England and Wales, teachers in maintained schools normally hold Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), often gained through a PGCE or a school-based route, and new teachers complete an early career induction. Scotland and Northern Ireland have their own registration bodies. In the US, public school teachers hold a teaching licence or certificate issued by their state, and resumes refer to grade levels, such as 'Grade 7 English Language Arts', instead of key stages. For a US application, use the word resume, American spelling and one to two pages.
Frequently asked questions
Do teachers need a CV if schools use application forms?
Yes. Supply agencies, independent schools, international schools and many academy trusts ask for one, and a well-organised CV makes completing application forms much quicker.
What should an early career teacher put on a CV?
Your training route and placements, with year groups taught and responsibilities held, plus your degree, any work with young people, such as tutoring or coaching, and relevant skills like a second subject.
Should I explain gaps on a teaching CV?
Yes. Safer recruitment guidance means schools will ask you to account for your full history since leaving education, so give a brief reason for each gap.