How To Write a First-Year Teacher Resume
When writing a resume for your first teaching job, showing you can educate students despite limited work experience is important. The tips and examples below will help you draft a strong resume that gets you interviews for your next teaching opportunity.
- Entry-level
- Mid-career
- Senior-level
1. Create a profile by summarizing your first-year teacher qualifications
In a brief paragraph at the top of your resume, catch hiring managers’ interest by naming the top three to five reasons you’d excel as a new teacher. For instance, maybe you’ve shown an early talent for adapting lessons to each student’s learning style. Or maybe you were praised as a student teacher in the subject area you want to focus on. Another good strategy is to list core teaching skills you gained through your student teaching or teacher’s assistant jobs and now want to apply further.
Profile Example
Certified preschool teacher with entry-level experience in early childhood education, classroom management, and child development. Plan engaging activities to facilitate children’s learning, confidence, and personal growth.
Profile Example
Certified elementary school teacher with entry-level experience in curriculum development, e-learning, interactive learning, and individualized education plans (IEPs). Skilled at tailoring lesson plans to each student’s needs.
2. Add a compelling section featuring your first-year teacher experience
You don’t have extensive teaching experience yet, but don’t let that stop you from maximizing this resume section.
Brainstorm details on your recent experience as a student teacher, then choose the most relevant ones to highlight on your resume. Relevant details may include the subject(s) or grade level(s) you taught, the size of the school you worked for, or the teaching approaches you used – whatever overlaps with your target teaching job now. Also, describe any improvements you made to the school community, such as helping raise average test scores or integrating new learning resources.
Follow the same process to build out descriptions of any jobs you’ve held as a tutor or teacher’s assistant.
Also, consider citing work outside education that still had a teaching aspect. For instance, maybe you took on training duties as a restaurant server or became a valued mentor through Big Brothers Big Sisters. (Note, if you do include volunteer work, keep it in a separate “Volunteer Experience” section or rename this section “Related Experience.”)
Professional Experience Example
Student Teacher, Wilmington Elementary, Wilmington, DE | January 2023 to May 2023
- Planned and delivered lessons on math, science, language arts, and social studies to classes of 20 to 25 fourth graders and monitored student performance
- Used differentiated instruction to help raise reading GPAs by ~10%
- Coordinated with teachers during transition to virtual learning, setting strategies to maintain quality instruction in Zoom classrooms
Professional Experience Example
Student Teacher, Amherst High School, Amherst, MA | January 2023 to May 2023
- Taught language arts to four freshman classes with over 30 students
- Facilitated critical analysis of texts and film adaptations to deepen students’ knowledge of themes and historical significance
- Taught courses on “Hamlet,” “Animal Farm,” and “Brave New World,” and planned small-group activities to promote students’ engagement with the text
- Met with parents and teachers during conferences to discuss students’ academic performance, improvement areas, and any behavioral issues
3. List any education and certifications relevant to first-year teachers
Feel free to add plenty of relevant detail on your college education and accolades – this helps hiring managers see you have strong teaching knowledge and dedication even without a long work history. Education details may include your major or minor concentration, GPA, academic honors, dissertation title, or coursework on relevant teaching topics.
Consider adding any college degree(s) you earned previously if they were in subjects you’d now like to teach. Also, don’t forget to cite your formal teaching credential(s), so hiring managers have no doubt about your readiness to enter the profession.
Below are templates and examples to help you format your education and certification details. Note, optional template areas appear in [brackets].
Education
Template
- Degree Name — [Major, Minor], School Name, City, ST | [Month Year]
Example
- Bachelor of Education (B.E.) — Secondary Education, Tufts University, Medford, MA | May 2023
- 3.8 GPA
Certification
Template
- Certification Name or Title, [Awarding Organization] | [Month Year]
- [Description]
Example
- Single Subject Teaching Credential — English, State of Massachusetts | 2023
4. Make a list of your first-year teacher-related skills and proficiencies
Develop a key skills section to show the various ways you can contribute as a new teacher. Feel free to include your specific teaching methods, soft skills, or technical skills like Zoom or Blackboard Learn. Also include the academic subjects or student age groups from your teacher’s assistant or student teaching experience, if those overlap with the teaching jobs you’re now after.
Below are some common skills and keywords for first-year teacher resumes:
| Key Skills and Proficiencies | |
|---|---|
| Behavioral analysis | Blackboard learn |
| Classroom management | Cooperative learning |
| Cross-department collaboration | Curriculum development |
| Differentiated instruction | Early childhood education |
| Education technology | Individualized education plans (IEPs) |
| Interactive learning | Language arts |
| Lesson planning | Mathematics |
| Microsoft Office Suite | Parent communications |
| Preschool teaching | Science |
| Secondary education | Social studies |
| Student advocacy | Student assessment |
| Student-centered learning | Team leadership |
| Tutoring and mentoring | Virtual learning |
| Zoom | |
How To Pick the Best First-Year Teacher Resume Template
As with most vocations, first-year teachers should use a resume template that’s clear and straightforward. Opt for a layout that lets the hiring manager quickly review your best career details. Select a traditional resume font, and avoid any template with colorful or elaborate design. Also, make sure the template complies with applicant tracking systems (ATS) used by school districts to screen resumes.
First-Year Teacher Text-Only Resume Templates and Examples
- Example #1
- Example #2
- Example #3
Paul Dimarco
(123) 456-7890 | [email protected] | Wilmington, DE 12345 | www.linkedin.com/example
Profile
Certified Elementary School Teacher with entry-level experience in curriculum development, e-learning, and interactive learning. Skilled at tailoring lesson plans to each student’s needs and interests.
Professional Experience
Student Teacher, Wilmington Elementary, Wilmington, DE | January 2023 to May 2023
- Planned and delivered lessons on math, science, language arts, and social studies to classes of 20 to 25 fourth graders, and monitored student performance
- Used differentiated instruction to help raise reading GPAs by ~10%
- Coordinated with teachers during transition to virtual learning, setting strategies to maintain quality instruction in Zoom classrooms
Teacher’s Assistant, Wilmington Elementary, Wilmington, DE | January 2022 to December 2022
- Helped primary teacher manage the classroom and grade assignments
- Supervised students during lunch, recess, and class transition periods
- Resolved conflicts among students while providing guidance and emotional support
Education
Bachelor of Education (B.E.) — Elementary Education, University of Delaware, Wilmington | 2023
3.8 GPA
Certification
Elementary Teacher Standard Certificate, State of Delaware | 2023
Key Skills
- Curriculum development
- Differentiated instruction
- Elementary education
- Individualized education plans (IEPs)
- Lesson planning
- Virtual learning
Frequently Asked Questions: First-Year Teacher Resume Examples and Advice
What are common action verbs for first-year teacher resumes? -
For first-year teachers, the best resume verbs will pertain to hands-on educational experience – think “taught,” “educated,” “instructed,” “trained,” or “tutored.” But various others might describe your relevant experience so far. The following list can help you find a good mix of action verbs for your first-year teacher resume:
| Action Verbs | |
|---|---|
| Analyzed | Conducted |
| Coordinated | Created |
| Delivered | Designed |
| Developed | Drove |
| Educated | Enhanced |
| Evaluated | Executed |
| Garnered | Guided |
| Identified | Implemented |
| Improved | Instructed |
| Led | Managed |
| Met with | Oversaw |
| Partnered | Performed |
| Planned | Prevented |
| Provided | Ranked |
| Supported | Taught |
| Trained | Tutored |
How do you align your first-year teacher resume with a job posting?-
You can get more interviews for your first teaching job if you tailor your resume to each application. Start by looking closely at the job post and highlighting words that are repeated, underlined, or otherwise seem important. These key words can tell you what details to feature in your resume profile or skills sections (as long as they’re accurate to your experience).
In addition, consider adding brief descriptions of the schools where you’ve worked so far, in [brackets] right next to or below the school name. School descriptions let you show any similarities between your past employers and the one who posted the job. For example, maybe you’ve worked for schools of a similar size or in a similar community. Or perhaps you’ve worked at schools with a similar mission or teaching philosophy. Working these details into your resume makes it more relevant to each new job opportunity.
What is the best first-year teacher resume format? -
In nearly all cases, use a combination (or hybrid) resume because it’s easiest for hiring managers to learn about your pertinent skills and experience – it’s also simplest for you to align with your job goals.
With the combination format, you highlight your most relevant skills and highlights in your experience section, and an intro section. (This combination of experience and intro content is where the format gets its name.) Your resume intro should include a profile summary and key skills section, but you may also add a career highlights or awards section. By carefully choosing intro details, you can (a) position yourself for your target job and (b) give hiring managers a clear, quick view of what you offer.
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To increase your chances of an interview, write and submit a strong cover letter. The key to a good cover letter is tailoring it to each job opening. Read our Teacher cover letter guide to learn how. For other related examples, see our Student Teacher and Elementary Teacher cover letter guides.
