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One
of the most important aspects in obtaining a teaching position is the
ability to “sell yourself” to a Headteacher. Your initial
impression with a prospective Headteacher will be through your CV.
Consequently your CV could either get you an interview or relegate you
to the “not wanted” list.
Supply Network would like you to maximise the opportunity of obtaining
that teaching position. This information is designed to offer you some
simple but effective advice in order to make you a stronger candidate.
How
should I lay out my CV?
There is no right or wrong way to present your CV to an
employer/school, what is important is that your CV should be clear and
concise, outlining achievements in your teaching career and interests.
Your CV should focus on the requirements and attributes that the
Headteacher wants as well as interests that are relevant to his/her
school. Your CV should be between 2 – 3 pages in length.
What
fields/categories should I include on my CV?
Again, there are no right or wrong answers but the following points
will go a long way to help. Do remember that your teaching experience
should always be in reverse chronological order (i.e., your most
recent post first).
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Name:
Make sure your name is clear and visible at the top of the front
page. You can include your name at the top or bottom of each
further page should you wish to.
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Health/drivers
licence/identity number/mothers maiden name/marital status etc:
Must not appear on the CV.
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Date
of birth: Use “date of birth” as a heading as it is more
appropriate than age.
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Address/phone/email:
This is up to you, but when we send out your CV to schools we
delete this information.
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Education:
University qualifications only. You must include the University
name and the city in which the University is located. Any other
certificates should be included in a separate section towards
the end of your CV in something like "Awards and
Certificates." Once again the entries must be in reverse
chronological order.
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E.g.,
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2002
PGCE Art and Design (Secondary), University of Central
England in Birmingham
2001 MA Fine Art,
University of Central England in Birmingham
1999
BA (Hons) Fine Art, Coventry University
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Employment:
This is obviously the most crucial section of the CV; it is here
where you highlight your strengths and experiences. You should
clearly label each position with a date range. For example, to
write 1999 – 2000 assumes you worked 1 full year, however Jan
1999 – July 2000 is 18 months.
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E.g.,
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January
2000 – July 2001, Great Barr School, Birmingham
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Include the name of the school and the
city. Make sure you state the year level you were teaching,
subjects, any areas of responsibility, programmes you were
involved in developing, special needs in your class etc. If you
have been teaching for quite a few years, pay more attention to
the most recent posts and simply list the schools, dates and
year groups as the years go back. Ensure that you do not leave
any gaps in your employment history as this will be picked up
during the interview.
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Professional
development: Any courses relating to teaching you have taken and
the approximate dates of these. Once again these must be
relevant to your role as a teacher.
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E.g.,
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July
2002 – Implementing Circle time in the Primary school
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What
other areas are important to include on my CV?
Here are some suggestions that you may want to include in your CV that
will help you in your quest for an interview. These are extras and
must be placed after your teaching experience.
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Awards
and certificates: Can be activities both in and out of school.
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Interests:
This will tell the Headteacher a little more about your extra
curricular interests and could be exactly what the Head is
looking for.
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Voluntary
experience: This does not have to be teaching related but if it
is, I would direct it towards the top end of your CV. Include
the names of organisations (or even schools) and dates that you
were involved with them. You may want to include any camps or
summer programmes. However, if it is not entirely relevant to a
teaching post, do remember to keep it brief.
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SEN
experience: If you are looking to get into special needs, you
may have had experience babysitting your autistic cousin or
tutoring children with learning difficulties. This is all highly
relevant experience to show why you have an appreciation and
interest in the special needs environment. You must remember to
keep it brief.
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References:
There is no reason why you need to include this on your CV. You
may end up sending the same CV to numerous employers and you may
not want to give each and every potential employer these details
as some could very well take the liberty of contacting these
referees prior to your authorisation. Why not simply say
“References are available on request” and if an employer
asks you for them directly (such as us) you can always give the
details of the appropriate referees.
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What
can I do with my CV if I haven't been teaching for a while or am newly
qualified?
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Teaching
practice: If you are a newly qualified teacher, list the schools
you have been placed in, what year levels you worked with and
anything particular about the school that will enhance your
credentials.
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You may want to include a teaching statement
that encompasses your ideals, reasons and approach to teaching. This
can also be done if you are looking for a slight change in direction
(i.e., special needs, EAL, support work, key stage level change, etc).
It is always nice to have some sort of statement that tells your
prospective employer about you and where your interests in teaching
lie.
If you would like us to check your CV for you, please feel free to
come into the office
or simply email
us
your updated CV.
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