Landing your dream role in a school – whether that’s a teaching role or within the support team – takes more than just qualifications. Your CV is the very first impression most recruitment teams will have of you. However, these teams have little time and want to get the best candidates to the interview stage as soon as possible.
Having reviewed thousands of teacher applications, our education Supply & Recruitment specialists have identified key strategies that separate successful candidates from the rest. A key factor is an easy-to-read CV. So, we’ve compiled some expert-backed hacks to update your CV to transform how schools perceive your application.
Before we discuss what to include, let’s look at the common mistakes that can disqualify candidates. School leaders are busy and often scan CVs quickly during initial reviews. A poorly structured CV makes their job harder and suggests the candidate might not understand professional standards.
Being too generic is the biggest mistake you can make on a CV. For example, when applying for a job as a KS2 teacher, there is little point in listing that you've led a KS2 class or that you've got experience in "managing classroom behaviour". It doesn't convey anything unique about you or the value you can bring to the school to the hiring manager.
So, what are the key areas to improve when updating your CV for a career in education?
The hiring manager will deduce your experience in the classroom as you discuss standard responsibilities. So, instead of saying "Taught a Year 4 class", focus on what makes you stand out as a candidate for the role and show off your achievements.
A good example of this would be: "I led a Year 4 class with 67% pupil premium students. The class had 40% of students who spoke English as an additional language and 3 students with special educational needs. Used targeted intervention strategies that resulted in 23% improvement in reading ages year-on-year, exceeding school targets by 8%."
This approach achieves several goals at once. It shows that you can work with different student groups, that you understand the unique challenges in your situation, and provides concrete evidence of your effectiveness as an educator.
School leaders can immediately see the type of environment you've succeeded in and the results you've achieved.
Take it a step further: research the school and the role itself, and structure your CV based on what is important to the school – it's different for every school! Or, just have a chat with your recruiter and see how they would do it.
This might seem obvious, but you'd be surprised how many otherwise excellent teachers get this fundamental wrong. Your most recent teaching position should appear first, followed by previous roles in descending order. This structure immediately shows hiring managers your current level of experience and career progression.
School leaders are busy and often scan over CVs during initial reviews. Present your most recent and relevant experience first. This makes it easier for them to see your strengths. It also prevents your best points from hiding under older, less relevant information.
Don’t hide your unique attributes in an ignorable “Interests” section. Hiring managers at schools want new hires who can do more than just their daily tasks. Include any extra skills or interests in your CV to make a strong impression.
You won the British Physics Olympiad and are applying for a role teaching physics? You’ve completed the gold Duke of Edinburgh award and are considering a school that runs the programme? Mention it!
Showing your qualifications may only get you so far. A personal statement may take up space on your CV. However, relevant achievements will help you stand out from other applicants.
This recommendation isn’t exclusively relevant to achievements. Consider what makes you different from other candidates.
Do you speak additional languages? Have you completed specialist training in areas such as dyslexia support or mental-health first-aid? These distinctions help the school leader determine how you could contribute to the wider school community.
Your qualifications section should be concise and relevant. Focus on your teaching qualification (PGCE, SCITT, etc.) and your degree, including the subject area.
You do not need to list every GCSE grade or CPD course you attended unless it is relevant to the role. It is best to discuss these during the interview when you can discuss your professional growth and how it affected your teaching.
School leaders want to quickly identify whether you meet the essential requirements for the position. A cluttered qualifications section makes this harder and suggests you might not understand what's truly important for the role.
The traditional "About Me" section often becomes a generic paragraph that adds little value to your application. Instead, create a "Key Achievements" section that provides concrete examples of your teaching effectiveness and professional growth.
This section should be precise and focused on results.
For example: "I developed and implemented a cross-curricular literacy programme that improved Year 6 writing outcomes by 15% above the national average." Or "I successfully mentored 3 NQTs, all of whom achieved 'Good' or 'Outstanding' in their final assessments."
Each achievement should follow a simple formula: what you did, how you did it, and what the result was. This approach immediately demonstrates your impact and gives hiring managers specific talking points for interviews.
AI tools may seem like a good shortcut to a polished CV. However, they often produce generic, impersonal text that won’t capture your unique experiences and voice. An increasing number of schools now have access to tools that flag AI-generated content. Therefore, any exaggerations will immediately disqualify you from consideration, regardless of your actual qualifications.
No school wants a new teacher who claims to be fluent in Italian, only to discover their language skills don't extend beyond a “pretty decent” streak for Italian on Duolingo when they encounter a pupil who speaks Italian as their first language!
This doesn't mean underselling yourself: It means presenting your genuine achievements in the most compelling way possible. If you improved student outcomes, be specific about the metrics. If you led a successful project, detail the scope and results. Authentic success stories are far more powerful than inflated claims or generic AI content.
These CV improvements are just the beginning of your journey to securing your ideal teaching position. Once your CV shows your value as a teacher, you will need to prepare for the interview. This is where you can share your achievements.
Remember, your CV's primary job is to secure you an interview opportunity. It should provide enough compelling information to make school leaders want to meet you but leave room for deeper discussion during the interview.
To implement these CV strategies, carefully consider your unique experiences. Then, evaluate whether they align with the school's needs. While these expert insights provide a strong foundation, crafting a truly compelling CV often benefits from professional guidance.
Your teaching career deserves a CV that truly reflects your dedication, skills, and impact. Our team of education recruitment experts are on standby to help you land an interview for that dream role.
Ready to land your dream teaching role?
Get in touch with your local team today or send us your CV, and we can match you with top schools.
Q1: What should I include in a teaching CV?
Focus on your latest and most relevant jobs. Highlight key achievements that had a measurable impact. Include your qualifications, like PGCE or SCITT. Also, mention any extra skills, such as SEN training or EAL support.
Q2: How long should a teacher CV be?
Ideally, 1–2 pages. Senior roles may stretch to 3, but only if content is highly relevant and achievement focused.
Q3: Should I include all my CPD training?
Only list CPD that's directly relevant to the role. Save the rest for interview discussion where context matters more.
Q4: How do I tailor my CV to different schools?
Research the school’s values, priorities, and student demographics. Align your achievements and experience with what matters most to them.
Q5: How do I make my CV stand out for school leadership roles?
Emphasise leadership impact, school improvement contributions, staff development experience, and outcomes you've achieved at a whole-school level.