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Have you ever been told you don’t need an application letter for a teaching job? Based on my conversations with many academic hiring authorities, you NEED one.
One of the most essential parts of the academic job search process is your teaching job application letter. Even a cover letter for a new teacher with no experience is critical. Grab a coffee, relax, and review these application letter writing tips to give you ideas to create your own.
Why would you risk not sending an application letter?
It is usually the first thing a school administrator or district superintendent looks at when hiring a new teacher applicant. An application letter, or a teacher cover letter, is how you introduce yourself as a teacher candidate. A one-page letter allows you to convey your passion, relevant expertise, credentials, and skills. Make sure you are not guilty of writing a long-winded cover letter.
Please don’t make it too short; you must communicate your value. It’s a balancing act!
How you write your application letter for a teaching job will determine if you will convince the reader to move on to your academic teaching resume and be offered a job interview. You must develop a hard-hitting, attention-grabbing application or cover letter with relevant keywords, teaching accomplishments, and action words that prove your worth as a teacher candidate.
Formatting a teacher application letter properly can be difficult if you are unfamiliar with technology and using word processing programs. It is best to match the resume formatting used to create your resume to keep your presentation consistent.
The first paragraph of your application letter for a teaching position should address the position of interest and the fact that you are submitting your resume for consideration. A hiring school administrator may be looking to fill several positions; therefore, it is necessary to let the reader know right away which position is interesting. Other topics to incorporate into the opening portion of your cover letter include:
• Educational credentials, i.e., Bachelor’s Degree, Master’s Degree • Teaching certifications and licenses • Years of classroom experience or related expertise
If you are a student teacher or a new classroom teacher, you do not need to include your years of experience. Instead, it would be best to focus on the credentials, skills, commitment, and enthusiasm you bring to the classroom.
Including more in-depth, relevant details when writing your student teacher resume will provide the reader with additional qualifications and evidence of accomplishments. Don’t go overboard with including too many specific details when writing the cover letter.
Certain things within your application letter for a teaching position should be included to ensure you stand out from your competition. One of the best ways to skyrocket your resume straight to the top of the “to read” pile is by uncovering and including your teaching accomplishments.
These should be unique, quantifiable, and exceptional achievements that impress the reader. For instance, you may have differentiated instruction in your classroom, which is now expected of all educators. Therefore, you need to say how you could differentiate instruction and what it accomplished for your students.
“Surveying students to understand their diverse interests, and by incorporating technology and literature geared toward these, I was able to effectively facilitate all types and levels of learners, and leave students eager to learn more.”
“Integrating popular literature, innovative technology, and multidisciplinary units allows me to pique student interest, demonstrate real-world connections, and accommodate multiple intelligences.”
As mentioned before, quantifiable accomplishments are preferential to use in your educator cover letter, as they are a way of proving you are a successful teacher. Using facts and numbers is an excellent method for capturing your skills and talents in the classroom.
However, there may be other teaching accomplishments that haven’t even come to mind yet. Once again, you don’t want to include too much. Another place to communicate your authenticity is by writing a teaching philosophy statement. We call this an added job search marketing document. It gets results!
Have you pioneered any teaching techniques or educational programs that have proven successful in your school?
Were you asked to fill in for the assistant principal due to your leadership skills?
Did you receive an award from the school or district commending you on your instructional abilities?
These are all worth mentioning in your teacher application letter and resume.
Make sure you thank the reader for their time and that you are looking forward to hearing from them soon. Address any points you feel do not fall into the standard categories (experience, credentials, achievements, strengths). Mention you are willing to participate in extra-curricular activities and lead school sports or clubs. If, of course, this is true!
As mentioned earlier, your teaching job application letter should follow the same format as your teacher’s resume. Maintaining consistency between your documents ensures the hiring administrator can match them quickly.
For example, if you use a border in your application letter, use the same border in your resume. All fonts and sizes should match. Academic credentials should be similar (i.e., Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education). Maintaining consistency will demonstrate attention to detail and organization.
The site has tons of resume and cover letter samples for your review.
Contact me, Candace, if you need help writing your education application letter or any other job search document.
