ESL Teacher Resume Examples and Templates for 2023

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ESL teachers help people build their English skills to pursue broader career and education opportunities. But it can be hard to translate this important work into a resume for your job search. Most of the general advice you’ll find about resumes will ask you to quantify your results and focus on hard vs. soft skills. This doesn’t seem to conform with your profession, which relies on comprehensive soft skills to make a positive hard-to-measure impact on people’s lives.

This guide can help. With the examples and tips below, you will learn how to:

  • •   Organize and integrate your various work experience
  • •   Properly frame your degrees and other credentials
  • •   Align your resume with a particular ESL job opening

Downloadable Resume Examples

Example #1 Entry-level

Example #2 Mid-career

Example #3 Senior-level

ESL Teacher Text-Only Resume Examples

Years of Experience
  • Entry-level Entry-level
  • Mid-career Mid-career
  • Senior-level Senior-level

Yaling Zhang
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Santa Maria, San Francisco, CA 12345

Profile

English as a Second Language (ESL) Educator dedicated to delivering high-quality ESL instruction to students of varying ages and ability levels. Motivate and empower students to achieve and exceed their English learning goals.

Professional Experience

ESL Tutor, KLM International Center, San Francisco, CA
April 2021 to Present

  • Provide one-on-one ESL lessons to students and professionals
  • Assist and work with students of varying ages, skill levels, and cultural and economic backgrounds
  • Adapt teaching approach and methods to each person’s interests and ability level

Education

Bachelor of Arts (BA) — English, Hispanic Studies
University of California, Berkeley, CA, September 2017 – May 2021
3.6 GPA

Languages

  • Advanced proficiency in Spanish
  • Basic proficiency in Italian

Key Skills

  • Adult Education
  • Differentiated Instruction
  • English as a Second Language (ESL)
  • English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
  • English Grammar & Composition
  • Individual Learning Plans
  • Linguistics
  • Task Prioritization
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • Virtual Classroom Technology

Anthony Gentile
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Convoy St, San Diego, CA 12345

Profile

Resourceful ESL Teacher with 6+ years of experience. Adept at putting English grammar in clear terms to help students build their proficiency, overcome language barriers, and pursue new work opportunities. Highly patient, working closely with students as needed to address and resolve learning challenges. Well-versed in virtual learning tools such as Google Duo and Blackboard Learn.

Professional Experience

ESL Instructor, C.H. Language Services, San Diego, CA
September 2017 to Present

  • Deliver engaging and informative lessons on English grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and pronunciation
  • Carefully select and organize course materials for each group of students
  • Continually explore and incorporate new teaching methods, strategies, and technologies
  • Effectively navigated the abrupt transition to remote learning in March 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic
  • Earned consistent high scores in post-semester student surveys

ESL Teacher, XYZ International Language Institute, Tokyo, Japan
January 2016 to August 2017

  • Conducted ESL classes for groups of up to 20 secondary school students
  • Gained a strong foundation in classroom management and lesson planning

Education

Bachelor of Arts (BA) — English, Creative Writing
University of California, San Diego, CA, January 2012 – January 2016

Technical Skills

  • Virtual Learning Tools: Blackboard Learn, Google Duo, Skype, Zoom
  • Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint)

Key Skills

  • Adult Education
  • Curriculum Development
  • Differentiated Instruction
  • English as a Second Language (ESL)
  • English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
  • English Grammar & Composition
  • Essay Grading
  • Lesson Planning
  • Linguistics
  • Task Prioritization
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • Virtual Classroom Technology

Kevin Morrison
(123) 456-7890
[email protected]
123 Windermere Rd., Seattle, WA 12345

Profile

Motivated ESL Instructor with 10+ years of experience. Highly versatile, having taught basic through advanced ESL to learners aged 15 to 75. Build positive relationships with students, colleagues, and school administrators. Adaptable in the face of new work challenges and conditions. Committed to upholding a school’s mission, objectives, and educational values. Broad language skills, with fluency in Spanish and proficiency in German.

Professional Experience

ESL Instructor, XYZ Education Services, Seattle, WA
September 2016 to Present

  • Teach students common English vocabulary and phrases needed for daily life and work settings
  • Work with and help immigrants study for the American citizenship exam
  • Refer students to job placement agencies and other community resources as appropriate
  • Recently appointed to a training role for newly hired ESL teachers. Facilitate group sessions on how to schedule classes effectively, organize course materials, and connect students to additional learning sources

Adjunct Professor — English, ABC Community College, Seattle, WA
January 2012 to September 2016

  • Taught English reading and writing to college students and adult learners
  • Earned consistent high scores in post-semester student surveys

Education

University of Washington, Seattle, WA

  • Master of Arts (MA) — English Literature
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) — English (minor in Hispanic Studies)

Languages

  • Fluency in Spanish
  • Proficiency in German

Key Skills

  • Adult Education
  • Attendance & Grade Documentation
  • Cross-Discipline Collaboration
  • Curriculum Development
  • Differentiated Instruction
  • English as a Second Language (ESL)
  • English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
  • English Grammar & Composition
  • Essay Grading
  • Individual Learning Plans
  • Lesson Planning
  • Linguistics
  • Task Prioritization
  • Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
  • Virtual Classroom Technology

Tips for Writing a Better ESL Teacher Resume

1. Include any foreign language skills

Knowledge of other languages is an excellent asset for ESL teachers since it can further help them break through language barriers with students. For this reason, be sure to cite your proficiency in any foreign languages on your resume. You may hesitate to include a language you only have limited knowledge of. But there’s no reason to omit a language as long as you couple it with a phrase like “basic proficiency in” that accurately reflects your ability level.

Example


Languages

Advanced proficiency in Spanish

Basic proficiency in Italian

2. Focus on the impact of your efforts

ESL teachers help students overcome challenges and pursue major new work and life opportunities. Express this positive impact in your resume’s profile section. You’ll help the hiring manager see how you might motivate and empower their own student population.

Example


Resourceful ESL Teacher with 6+ years of experience. Adept at putting English grammar in clear terms to help students build their proficiency, overcome language barriers, and pursue new work opportunities. Highly patient, working closely with students as needed to address and resolve learning challenges. Well-versed in virtual learning tools such as Google Duo and Blackboard Learn.

3. Streamline how you show multiple credentials

When citing a college degree, certification, or other credentials, it’s best to list the information in the following order:

[Degree or Credential Name],Issuing School or Organization, City, ST

But what if you have multiple degrees from the same college or multiple training courses from the same program? Following the above format, list the same organization and location information multiple times:

Master of Arts (MA) — English Literature
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2012 – 2016

Bachelor of Arts (BA) — English (minor in Hispanic Studies)
University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 2008 – 2012

The effect can be distracting to the hiring manager, especially in cases where you completed courses at the same college or university. If this is the case, a better format choice is to list the organization and location information first, once, and then indent the multiple items underneath, so the hiring manager sees they came from the same place, as shown below:

University of Washington, Seattle, WA


  • Master of Arts (MA) — English Literature 2012 – 2016
  • Bachelor of Arts (BA) — English (minor in Hispanic Studies) 2008 – 2012

Key Skills Hiring Managers Look for on ESL Teacher Resumes

ESL teachers draw on a blend of communication and academic skills and deep knowledge of the English language in all its complexity. Increasingly, ESL teachers must also build and apply new technical skills given the advent of virtual learning.

Below we’ve listed skills that hiring managers often look for when filling ESL teacher positions. Consider including any of these to help your document catch interest and give the hiring manager a bird’s-eye view of your expertise.

Key Skills and Proficiencies
Adult Education Attendance & Grade Documentation
Cross-Discipline Collaboration Curriculum Development
Differentiated Instruction English as a Second Language (ESL)
English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) English Grammar & Composition
Essay Grading Individual Learning Plans
Lesson Planning Linguistics
Task Prioritization Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
Virtual Classroom Technology  

Common Action Verbs for ESL Teacher Resumes

We know it’s easy to get stuck when writing the professional experience section of a resume. You might find that you start to run out of action verbs to describe your work. To help you over this obstacle, we’ve put together a list of standard action verbs that can describe ESL Teacher roles.

Action Verbs
Adapt Collaborate
Communicate Develop
Educate Empower
Engage Help
Inform Inspire
Instruct Mentor
Motivate Organize
Plan Prioritize
Tutor  

How to Align Your ESL Teacher Resume With the Job Description

ESL teachers can work with students of many different ages and backgrounds and in a variety of educational settings. If you find a new ESL teaching job intriguing, identify the student population and school environment. Does your experience overlap? If so, mentioning the overlapping experience in your profile will boost your resume.

For example, say the role is in adult education, working primarily with seniors and you have four years of experience with that age group. In this case, you can give your resume a great intro with a line to the effect of “Dedicated ESL Instructor with 8+ years of adult education experience including four years working with senior learners.”

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Jacob Meade

Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW, ACRW)

Jacob Meade is a resume writer and editor with nearly a decade of experience. His writing method centers on understanding and then expressing each person’s unique work history and strengths toward their career goal. Jacob has enjoyed working with jobseekers of all ages and career levels, finding that a clear and focused resume can help people from any walk of life. He is an Academy Certified Resume Writer (ACRW) with the Resume Writing Academy, and a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW) with the Professional Association of Resume Writers & Career Coaches.