How ECTs can write a standout CV and cover letter

If you’re an Early Career Teacher (ECT) and have your eyes set on a career in the classroom, showcasing your skills and experience in the right way will be pivotal to landing your first role.

Alongside the top things to include in a job application and creating a standout CV that demonstrates exactly what you can bring to the table as a new teacher, you’ll also need an eye-catching cover letter to go with it.

Here we’ve listed some handy tips and resources to help you on your way:

Polishing your CV and online presence

To make your CV stand out, you’ll need to do plenty of research before you get started to target your CV at the specific role and school you’re applying for.

Recruiters will notice when time and care has been taken over an application, so avoid sending generic documents and tailor your CV every time you apply for a new teaching position.

You’ll also want to check through your social media accounts and online presence to ensure that nothing appears which could be detrimental to your application. Adjusting your social media settings can be useful to limit what can be seen online.

Demonstrating your experience

Even though you might lack some classroom time when compared to other applicants, make sure your ECT placement experience is prominent in your application.

Details around the type of school and class sizes, as well as pupil ages and any additional responsibilities, should all feature in the experience section. You should also showcase this experience in your personal profile at the top of your CV so that it stands out to the recruiter.

Consider if you have transferable skills from previous employment or life experiences that could be applied in a classroom setting. You’ll want to demonstrate examples of skills like teamwork, communication, time management, or IT skills.

Keep things simple and easy to read throughout, and don’t feel you need to be extravagant in order to stand out – recruiters want to find information, so the easier that is, the better chance you have of success!

Crafting your cover letter

The key thing to remember with your cover letter is that it’s your first impression – so make it count!

You should keep the structure of your cover letter simple. Alongside contact details at the top, include space for your signature at the bottom and keep it to one side of A4 paper. Keep examples short throughout and aim for between six and ten sentences in total. Keeping things clear and concise will help your letter to stand out.

Whenever possible, address your cover letter to an individual, such as the recruiter or hiring agent (often named in the job advertisement), or contact the school if the information is not provided. If all else fails, opt for ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ instead.

Showcasing the best of you

To make an impression, you’ll want to make sure that your cover letter reflects the specific needs of the school you’re applying to.

We recommend reading the job description carefully and picking out the main two or three requirements. This is where you can really excel, as this section provides an opportunity to demonstrate situations you have been involved in, alongside the actions and positive results that you were able to achieve. Relate these to the main requirements of the role to ensure they reflect your subject knowledge, understanding of behavioural policies, and personal skills.

In addition, you should also provide a brief introduction to yourself, although we recommend avoiding repetition from anything that may be on your CV. Ideally, you’ll be able to show your educational background, previous experience, and cover any potential career gaps.

Re-read everything!

Once you’ve finished writing your cover letter and CV, it’s important to read through it and check for spelling and other grammatical errors. Ask a friend or family member to proofread for you, as they should be able to highlight if it doesn’t read clearly.

All that’s left is to apply for your ECT job role, so good luck!