A teaching CV has to do more than list what you taught — it has to evidence impact in the classroom. Schools are hiring someone to raise attainment, manage behaviour and keep pupils safe, so a CV that reads as a job description tells them little. Whether you are an experienced teacher or an early career teacher (ECT), the aim is to show the difference you make to pupils, clearly and credibly.
What schools look for
Beyond the essentials of qualified teacher status and your subject or phase, schools want evidence of pupil progress, strong behaviour management, effective planning and assessment, and a genuine commitment to safeguarding. They also look for fit with the school — its ethos, intake and priorities. Make these visible rather than leaving a reader to infer them.
Lead with a focused profile
Open with a short profile stating your phase and subjects, your teaching approach in a line, and what you are looking for. A secondary science teacher and a primary class teacher should read very differently. Keep it specific and confident — this is the first thing a headteacher or recruitment lead reads.
Put qualifications and status up top
Make your qualified teacher status, degree, and any relevant training easy to find near the top; schools check these first. Note your subject specialisms and key stages taught. For ECTs, foreground your training, placements and the phases you covered, since these stand in for a long employment history.
Evidence impact — carefully
Show what changed because of your teaching: progress made by a class or group, an intervention that lifted a struggling cohort, a scheme of work or club you introduced, a responsibility you took on. Be honest and avoid anything that could identify individual pupils or breach confidentiality. Concrete, appropriate examples of impact are far stronger than claims to be 'passionate' or 'dedicated'.
Safeguarding and the essentials
Signal your commitment to safeguarding and pupil welfare — it is central to every teaching role. Include a full history with any gaps explained, relevant training, and the practical details schools expect. Getting these right reassures a reader that you understand the responsibilities of the classroom.
Tailor to the school
Read the advert and the school's priorities, and reflect them. A school focused on closing an attainment gap, or one with a particular specialism or ethos, will respond to a CV that speaks to those things. Bring forward the experience most relevant to that specific school rather than sending an identical CV everywhere.
A worked example
Before: 'Taught GCSE and A-level biology.' After: 'Taught GCSE and A-level biology to mixed-ability classes, introducing a retrieval-practice routine that lifted end-of-topic assessment scores across the cohort.' The first states a fact; the second shows a teacher who thinks about pupil progress.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Listing teaching duties instead of pupil impact
- A generic profile that ignores phase and subject
- Burying QTS and qualifications where they are hard to find
- Vague claims of passion with no evidence
- Ignoring safeguarding or leaving gaps unexplained
Common questions
How do I write a teacher CV?
Lead with a focused profile stating your phase and subjects, put QTS and qualifications near the top, and evidence pupil impact — progress, interventions, responsibilities — rather than listing duties. Signal safeguarding and tailor to the specific school.
What should a teaching CV include?
A short profile, qualified teacher status and qualifications, subjects and key stages taught, teaching experience framed around impact, training and placements (especially for ECTs), and a commitment to safeguarding — tailored to the school's priorities.
How long should a teacher CV be?
Usually two pages. Early career teachers may fit one focused page; more experienced teachers use two, foregrounding recent, relevant experience and compressing older roles.