Your CV creates the important first impression that prospective employers will get of you as a candidate so it is important to make sure it has the right impact.
Keep CVs to a maximum of 2 pages and only include the necessary information. As well as your name and contact details, CVs should have sections on:
- Qualifications/Education
- Work Experience
- Other skills
As you are applying for a job in the language teaching industry, you should highlight qualifications and experience that relate to this. Make sure you:
- Put your TEFL/TESOL/language teaching qualification near the top of your CV and include the grade where applicable.
- If you have a recognised TEFL/TESOL/language teaching qualification, it is not necessary to describe the content of the course as employers already know this. If you have no teaching experience other than the observed TP on your course, then give details of the levels and ages taught on the course and any course books used.
- Under the jobs in your Work Experience section, list your main areas of responsibility or experience gained - use bullet points and keep them succinct. If you have some language teaching experience, then you don’t need to do this for non-language teaching jobs. Employers generally want to know about the levels, ages and types of classes you have taught.
Remember that employers look at a lot of CVs and they want the information on your CV to be easy and quick for them to locate. You can make your CV easier to read by:
- Being consistent with layout. Make sure it is clear ‘what, when and where’ you studied or worked. Being able to produce a well formatted CV will also evidence your computer literacy.
- Listing your education and work experience in reverse chronological order.
And finally, check, check and check again for typos or language errors!
Good luck!