Tips for Teachers: The Cover Letter

If you are interested in changing jobs, you have to update your CV and I recommend that you create a cover letter that you would submit with your CV. The CV is normally a one to two page introduction of you that should include your basic information: career goals (what job you are applying for), brief bio, your educational experiences , your education and certifications, any special skills and activities, as well as awards and honors.

The cover letter should introduce you to the interviewer. Why are you applying for the position? Why you are a good fit for the job and the school? What do you bring to the position inside and outside the classroom? This is your opportunity to sell yourself. Remember getting a job is a job. This one page letter should be dated (to show it is current) and use the school’s name (to show this is not a form letter). You want to personalize both the CV and the cover letter to let the interviewer know that this job is important to you. Even if you are applying to multiple schools, the personalization can make a positive impression.

In a one page letter you should not repeat information that you wrote on your CV. Before you always send anything in writing to an interviewer, read it over several times. You are looking for: typos, grammatical and spelling errors.

You just have one opportunity for a positive first impression!

I recommend having someone read your CV and cover letter as these fresh eyes can be very useful to you.

Good luck!

Les Potter, Ed. D.
Founder of Potter’s Educational Services
A free service for educators
Reviewer of CVs, Cover Letters and Career Counseling
[email protected]