Crafting a quality ESL teacher resume is going to be your first step to securing a job teaching in the ESL industry. Your résumé is going to be the first thing a recruiter sees before they even know what you look like. Thus, if your résumé doesn’t do the job of leading recruiters to believe that you are the perfect candidate, then you are starting out at a disadvantage and may not land an interview. Following these simple yet effective outlines to create a résumé that is going to have recruiters clamoring to land an interview with you.
What if I don’t feel comfortable writing my résumé?
At the end of the day resume writing is a skill just like any other and if it isn’t a skill you think you can do well enough then there are professionals out there who can write the perfect resume for you. As I stated above, your résumé is going to be the first thing a recruiter sees and is going to be the only thing that they have to judge you from in the beginning. Why even leave it up to chance? If you do not feel like you can write your résumé in a way that is going to captivate a recruiter and lead them to believe you are the best candidate to fill the position, then spending the money to hire a professional can be a wise investment that will pay for itself in the first month of working. Don’t leave anything up to chance when it comes to your professional life. Remember that you are competing against numerous other people and hiring a professional that is going to create the perfect ESL teacher resume is going to make sure to set you apart from the rest.
What does a good ESL teacher resume sample look like?
A good ESL teacher resume is going to demonstrate that you have the right experience that a recruiter is looking for in order to make a decision you are worth spending the time to interview. Everything on the résumé should be well-selected to demonstrate that you have the relevant experience, the proper credentials, the right skills, and are a dependable candidate. The important thing to remember is that actions speak louder than words and the more specific your examples the better you are going to come across to any potential recruiters. Below I’ve listed the exact resume I have used to be hired for different positions despite not having much experience. I have listed my résumé as a good example of an entry-level resume and have also listed a friends resume who has worked in the industry for over ten years as a good example of an upper-level resume. Feel free to use these template to create your own. I will go into how to fill out each section in order to maximize the effectiveness of your words below .
Entry-level resume:
Professional Summary
Multi-talented English teacher with a desire to create an open classroom environment for students. Proven record of inspiring students to learn English and a track record of successfully engaging students. Committed to working with each student to encourage individual success.
Skills
- Experience managing large student numbers
- Proven ability communicating challenging concepts to students
- Track record of working with the administration to further student development
- Experience working with other teachers to improve teaching methods
Experience
University Level English Camp Leader – Somewhere, Thailand
12/2015 – 04/2016
- Managing students from various universities completing a restaurant and hotel management program.
- Encouraging units to use English in different situations simulating real life in the restaurant and hotel industry.
- Working with administration from the various schools to target specific issues students were having further instruction.
Large Online ESL Company – Remote
12/2016 – Present
- Managing students on a 1 to 1, 1 to 3, and 1 to 5+ basis in an online classroom environment.
- Working to improve students pronunciation and grammar and to engage students in conversation using the English language.
- Encouraging students to continuously step outside their comfort zone in order to improve their speaking abilities and to exceed expectations.
- Using online courseware to deliver lessons in an efficient and precise manner and gauge students abilities based on the material presented.
Education
University of North Texas
2012 – 2014
Bachelors of Arts in Journalism
South Plains College
2009 – 2012
Associates of Arts
Upper-level resume:
OBJECTIVE
TESOL certified English language instructor seeking professional teaching position. 10+ years’ experience teaching academic, business and conversational English to professionals and university students.
EDUCATION AND CERTIFICATION
ECC Teacher Training Centre City, Country
Certificate in TESOL January 2005
A Major University City, Country
Human Resources Management November 2002
A Major University City, Country
BA, Political Science June 1996
RELATED WORK EXPERIENCE
English Language Instructor City, Country Major Aviation Institution
2016 – Present
- Taught listening, speaking and writing in English for academic and general purposes to undergraduate students in the aviation engineering college of the major aviation institution.
- Assessed the English-speaking and writing abilities of students to correctly place them in the institute’s English program
- Prepared, invigilated and evaluated exams
- Conducted interviews with college teachers and lecturers to evaluate their English capabilities for scholarship programs
Business English Trainer City, Country A Major Company – Corporate Training Department
2003 – 2009
- Taught Business English to Thai employees of multinational companies
- Designed in-house Business English programs for several client companies
- Taught TOEFL, TOEIC and IELTS preparation courses
- Prepared lessons using provided curriculum and personal training materials
- Focused on improving learners’ language skills (vocabulary, grammar, speaking, listening, writing)
- Conducted one-day/multi-day soft skills workshops (presentation, meeting, negotiation, business writing)
- Assessed English language abilities of learners to assign course levels using standardized testing and interviews
Business English Trainer City, County A Major Training Center
2000 – 2002
- Taught Business English to Thai employees of multinational companies
- Conducted one-day/multi-day soft skills workshops (presentation, meeting, negotiation, business writing)
- Prepared lessons and activities using provided course books and personal materials
ADDITIONAL WORK EXPERIENCE
Digital Solutions Consultant City, Country A Major Company
2015 – 2016
- Lead a team of digital marketing specialists to design digital strategy and solutions for SMEs
- Setup and manage paid search advertising campaigns
- Design and test client landing pages for optimized conversion rate
- Test and measure client campaign performance using various analytics methodologies
Business Analyst – Digital (Consultant) City, Country
2014 – 2015
- Captured and clarified functional IT requirements from business stakeholders using various techniques, including interviews, meetings, workshops, and demos
- Co-led the Emirates.com analytics implementation across all digital channels, ensuring all requirements were satisfied and met specifications through rigorous user acceptance testing
- Led the redesign of the major company Official Store e-commerce website, extending its functionality to enable international orders and shipping, ERP integration and fully responsive design
- Collaborated with internal and external vendors/agencies to ensure deliverables (designs, solutions) were aligned to stakeholder requirements
Marketing Director City, Country
2011 – 2014
- Oversaw the company’s overall marketing strategy and implementation
- Managed all traditional and digital marketing channels, including international trade shows, exhibitions, online advertising, website
- Designed and implemented SAAS solution for order, inventory and channel management, providing more efficient operations and better management reporting
Sales & Marketing Director City, Country A Major Company
2009 – 2011
- Responsible for the company’s sales and marketing strategy and implementation
- Grew sales from $1.8M to $4.3M within one year through strategic hiring of sales staff
- Managed a team of 40 sales and marketing staff, responsible for business development and customer relations
- Introduced digital channels to the company’s marketing assets (website, social marketing)
- Managed and participated in international trade shows and exhibitions
Senior Research Manager City, Country A Major Company
2006 – 2009
- Managed the largest portfolio of clients, representing 40% of the company’s turnover
- Specialized in automotive consumer studies, qualitative and quantitative market research design and project management
- Worked closely with multinational client stakeholders from project inception to completion to ensure requirements were met
- Prepared research analysis and reports and presented findings to client executives and marketing department heads
Skills
Technology:
Proficient in Microsoft Office, Microsoft Visio
Language:
English: Fluent, Native
Thai: Fluent, Conversational
How do I properly fill out my ESL teacher resume?
Name, contact information, etc.
This is going to be upfront information about you. Keep everything short and simple here. Remember that you are probably going to be applying for positions in different countries from your own and as such should make it easy for the recruiters at these schools to easily contact you. Include your city and the country you are currently located. Make sure to include your email address as this will be the easiest way for schools to contact you. If you are currently in the country of the schools you are applying to then you can also include your phone number and address as schools might give you higher priority over potential ESL teachers outside of the country.
Professional summary
This should be no more than three or at the most four sentences. The important thing to remember is that your résumé should be able to fit on a single page as recruiters are busy and probably have a number of candidates to review. Keeping things simple and precise will ensure they are more likely to read through and, more importantly, remember your résumé when it comes time to contact candidates for interviews. This section should be a succinct and summary of your professional experience and what you bring to the table. Think of this as the hook in a song. This summary is going to attract the recruiter’s attention to read further.
Skills
This part will need to be adjusted based on the position you are applying for and the ad listing. If you are not responding based on a listing the school placed then try to find one so that you can read over it. The reason for this is that you want to be able to adjust your skills based on what that specific school is looking for. So, for example, if the listing the school placed states they are looking for a teacher with experience managing large groups of young students, you want to list something to the effect. Don’t lie. The last thing you want to do on your résumé is lie and then get caught in it later. So going off the above example, if the school is looking for a candidate who has experience working with large groups of young students, don’t say that you have this experience if your work history only lists experience working with university students. Instead, go with the truth but word it in a way that shows you have the skills the school is looking for and can manage the job. Matching your resume to each school can go a long way in helping you to secure an interview.
Experience
This is another section that should be tailored to the specific school you are applying for. Especially if you have a long work history as an ESL teacher. You want to pick out two or three of the most recent and, if possible, most relevant positions that will prove you already have the experience the school is looking for. Remember to keep this section short and precise and list at the most three or four bullet points stating what you did at each position that would be relevant to the school you are applying for. The idea is to demonstrate through your past work history that you have the relevant experience the school is looking for and that they are hiring someone who will not need a lot of training or will fail to live up to expectation.
Education
This should be at the most your university education. If you are looking to get hired abroad as an ESL teacher but do not have a degree then you should list any relevant certifications. It is highly advised if you do not have a degree that you have a TEFL certification at a minimum. If you have multiple degrees then make sure to list the most relevant to the position you are applying for. Keep this section short and simple with the name of the school, the years you attended, and what degree you graduated with.
What else should I know when writing my résumé?
The most important thing to remember is short and precise is the way to go. Recruiters have a limited amount of time during the day and oftentimes the recruiter may also be another teacher or some kind of administrator whose primary job isn’t hiring staff. Especially at smaller schools. Keeping your ESL teacher resume short will allow them to read and remember everything easier so that you are more likely to be shortlisted for an interview. No more than one or two pages is a good rule to follow when trying to determine the optimal length for your ESL teacher résumé. Also, you absolutely must tailor your resume for each school you apply for. Do not just create a single resume and send it to a hundred schools. Instead, look at the job listing for the schools you are applying for and try to use the wording that the school uses. Not only will this demonstrate that you have done a bit of research but it will also help you include the right skills that particular school is looking for in a candidate. Lastly, you want to include a line to the effect that you will send upon request letters of recommendation from past employers. In many countries, a letter of recommendation is absolutely vital to securing employment so it always good to request one when leaving your last employer as long as you leave on a good note.
Putting it all together
As stated above, if you keep your ESL teacher résumé short and precise and tailor it towards what that particular school is looking for then you are guaranteed to be shortlisted for an interview later on. From that point, it becomes a matter of providing the answers to the ESL interview questions that are going to get you hired. If you do not feel comfortable writing your own interview then do not hesitate to hire a professional resume writing service. Remember, the cost of hiring a professional writer is going to pay for itself likely within the first month if you land the job you want. Resume writing isn’t a complicated process but one that is critical to get right when applying for jobs. Following the above tips will help make this process easier.