Impress Your Recruiters With This ESL Teaching Resume Format

We all have been taught to write resumes in our school days. There is a certain format that we have always followed to prepare our resumes. Later, when we have begun our corporate or job lives, we have come across multiple formats of resumes and each format is essential for each purpose. Similarly, there is a certain international CV format for teachers who have an intensive online TEFL course or a certification in an online TEFL course.

An English teacher having ESL/EFL experience is aware of how to frame a professional resume for teaching English abroad. A TEFL/TESOL certification does not provide lesson plans or an academic curriculum only but also teaches techniques on how to build a powerful resume.

THINGS TO KEEP IN MIND BEFORE WRITING A RESUME:

• ● The process for drafting an ESL teacher's resume should start with a sane dose of brainstorming. Grab a piece of paper and chalk out your academic qualifications, eligibility criteria, and teaching experiences that have made you confident enough to become an ESL teacher of any school - be it an international school, a private school, a public school, or others.
• ● You must know the nitty-gritty of the school you’re planning to apply for. Read every information that is available on their websites thoroughly. You should always be aware of the school you’re dreaming of teaching.
• ● Explaining your ESL goals is of utter importance because it will let your recruiters know a lot about your strategies and vision as an English teacher. Since you shall be teaching students who are non-English speakers, you must explain how you’re expecting to get yourself with the new culture and the new language.
• ● A clear ESL goal involves a summary of how you shall be delivering lectures in the classroom. If you’re mailing your resume, add a video link to it having a tape of your demo class where you can record yourself for some minutes on how you shall teach your students.
• ● If you are opting for teaching EFL students from the niche market like young learners or business professionals, you must mention the reason behind this. Be honest and do not try to mask your emotions. After you crack the job if they find out that you’re not living up to the expectations as per your resume, they might sack you.

STEPS TO WRITE THE RESUME:

The summary: The best way to catch the attention of your recruiter is to set up a solid summary stating your motivation for ESL/EFL teaching and your ESL/EFL teaching goals. If you’re having prior teaching experience, do not forget to mention that also. Share the most significant experiences you’ve gained from those teaching phases and let your recruiter know how those experiences have shaped you better.

While writing the summary, make sure that you’re language is powerful but not rude. Sentences should be crisp but must have all the important points that will highlight your profile a lot more than others. This tactic is a brilliant one to create a strong impact on your recruiter’s mind.

Experience does matter: International schools generally hire experienced English teachers who are pretty efficient in teaching English as a foreign language. Gulf countries, certain European and Asian countries recruit TEFL teachers who are quite experienced with the market being too competitive. Thus, boast about your experiences humbly and let employers know how passionate and effective you are while teaching a batch of non-English speakers.

Do not fail to mention if you have a niche market teaching experience because in these mentioned countries there always remains a dire need for English teachers who have solid experience in specialized TEFL courses like young learners and business professionals. Besides, you must also provide the statistical data like how many students were there in your previous batches, your working hours, the progress rate of the students, and so on. Plenty of recruiters look for numbers and providing them with the data will give them clarity.

Present your certifications properly: Be specific while mentioning the certification courses. Apart from your TEFL/TESOL certification your must mention your graduation and school level certifications as well. If you’re having a Diploma, an Advanced Diploma, or a PG Diploma in online TEFL courses, show that off.

You must include the number of hours you spent in in-class instruction and the hours you were evaluated in front of the classroom during your teaching practice. Especially in countries where certifications are required for hiring, your ESL resume should feature your certifications in a separate section.

Add your skills: Do you know how to speak Japanese? If yes, mention it at any cost in your ESL teaching resume if you’re sharing your resume with a Japanese school. This trick remains the same with any other country you’re planning to settle. Knowing the language of the students you’re going to teach English is a prime weapon of cracking the interview.

Mention some of your innovative classroom management approaches and explain how they have helped you to become a successful ESL teacher by having a majority of student engagement. If you have a background on any art or sports, add that as well. Recruiters often look for what other activities a TEFL teacher is into. This gives the impression that a TEFL teacher is versatile.

ESL teacher resume cover letter: Like any other corporate or job sector, applying for teaching English as a foreign language also requires a neat cover letter. The ESL teacher resume cover letter is the place to explain the kind of teacher you are and hope to become a better teacher down the line.

If you follow these tips to write an international CV for ESL/EFL teachers, your recruiters are bound to get impressed. An online TEFL course is intensive enough to prepare you for everything and being flexible this course gives you the liberty to finish it off at your own pace within a certain time.

The last thing before I end my writing, avoid copy-pasting resumes to the fullest. Imagine how would you have felt if you were a recruiter from UAE and you’ve received a resume from a candidate where he/she has mentioned how much he/she wants to teach in the schools of South Korea!