Tips for getting your dream teaching job! by Nadia Distel

Getting your dream teaching job!

I remember when I finished University, the education department implemented a form of scare tactic that if you did not tick the box that said you would work in remote locations, then you would be lucky to find a job. I did not want to leave family and friends in my home town, so I refused to go. It was my experience that I was easily able to find a job, even without leaving my home town. Infact, I ended up getting back to back contracts in one of Brisbane's most affluent schools, while my poor uni friends were struggling in remote locations, wishing they had not said they'd leave.

Some hints and tips I found out when starting out included:  Get yourself a snappy resume together. Schools like to see that you have a positive can-do attitude and will go the extra mile - my advice to you is to have a resume that indicates your active involvement in your community, including any involvement in voluntary work, sports, artistic pursuits etc. If principals are looking for a teacher, and they also need someone to help with Extra Curricular activities, then you will be picked if you can show you are an 'extra-curricular' sort of teacher.

# If you are looking to work in a non-government, religious school, make sure your resume highlights your involvement in your religion of choice.

# Approach the schools you want to work at for supply teaching by taking your resume to them, and then giving them a follow up call. Then a follow up email. Be noticed!

# When you get some supply teaching, make sure you go to the staff room for Morning Tea and Lunch (don't hide in your classroom) and get to know some of the staff there - they are a valuable resource for employment

# Once you have some supply teaching regularly at a school that you like, approach the principal and tell him or her you are interested in any contract opportunities that come up, and that you are ultimately looking for permanency.

Interview Tips

When you finally get an interview for the job you want, you might benefit from a few tips that helped me secure the employment I wanted:

# Dress Professionally - and by that I mean a suit. Even though you probably won't wear a suit when you are teaching, wearing one speaks volumes about your attitude towards the job and your profession and professionalism

# Smile - people want to work with people who are happy. Smiling will increase your confidence level and put your interviewer at ease that you really are someone who would fit with the school's culture

# Ask Questions - asking questions in the interview shows that you have really thought about the position you have applied for. Some good questions may include 'How can I get involved in the Extra Curricular Program at the school?' or 'Are there any literacy/maths/(your area of interest) committees that I could be involved in'? etc.

# Be prepared for their questions. In my experience, I have been asked these questions in teaching interviews:

o How will you integrate technology in your classroom

o What strategies will you use as a new teacher to help you implement a solid program?

o What type of behaviour management strategy do you use?

o What is your biggest strength in teaching?

o What is your biggest weakness in teaching?

o What does an integrated curriculum mean to you?

o How will you manage communication with parents?

o Have you ever had a conflict with a colleague? How did you handle it?

About the Author

Nadia Distel is the author of the New Teachers Kit, which can be found at http://www.newteacherskit.com. The New Teachers Kit is a downloadable, printable, editable kit of all the resources a student teacher or new graduate could ever need. It has helped thousands of graduates get that extra edge when student teaching.

Too Crazy to Work... I Think

Cool Blog Sociale - 10 July 2008 - Original Resume T-shirt by BlackBirdTees A
Originally uploaded by SOCIALisBETTER

Here's a way to make a splash at the next Teacher Job Fair. On second thought... maybe people would just think you're off your rocker.

It's a funny idea, anyway. I snatched it from FLickr, though it also appears here. Brush up on your Italian before you follow that link.

Sample Teacher Cover Letter

Here's a sample of a teacher cover letter. If you have the time, you should carefully compose your own... but this site isn't for teachers who have the time. The clock is ticking, so snatch this, make your changes, and fire it off.

Richard Anderson,
1234, West 67 Street,
Carlisle, MA 01741,
(123)-456 7890.

Date: 1st May, 2005.

Mr. John Smith,
National School,
257, Park Avenue South,
New York, NY 12345-6789.

Dear Mr. Smith,

I am writing to introduce myself to you as a student of International School of Arts (ISA). I'm responding to your advertisement in the local Employment News for want of a special education teacher for your school.

As you can see in the enclosed resume, I have a very strong academic background in child psychology combined with over five years work experience in Regional School as a history teacher. My recent position Major School, New York, allowed me to further develop and strengthen my communication skills. I believe that I could make a significant and valuable contribution in your firm.

I would appreciate the opportunity to discuss how my education and experience will be helpful to you. I will be contacting you tomorrow morning on phone to talk about the possibility of arranging an interview. Thank you for your time and consideration.

Sincerely,

Richard Anderson.

Enclosures:
1. Resume - myresume.doc
2. Letter of appreciation by The Head of Department, Arts, ISA. - appletter.doc

This letter comes from the Teacher section of Bestcoverletters.com. There are plenty of other templates available there.

Ten Tips: How to Write a Resume

Okay, teachers, take a break.

The pressure to get a job is brutal. Take two minutes and 17 seconds to breath deeply and review the basics. This video short is simple and fun, made by Howcast. Go ahead, you deserve it.

Digital Resume Example

What if you submitted your teacher's resume -- and your teaching portfolio, for that matter -- on a DVD?

That would pretty much sink your competition.

If you did it well, that is.

So take a look at this sample of a digital resume, in the form of a menu-driven DVD. It's for a producer named Donny Manco, who's not a teacher... but that's the point. If you only do what other teachers do, how will you stand out?



If you decide to go this route, and you need, say, a thousand copies to mail out, Oasis might be able to help.

Teaching Resume Example

If you need an example of a teacher resume -- and quick! -- then look here.

It's template for an elementary teacher named Richard Anderson... but don't let that stop you. You can edit the template quickly and easily and get your application in to the school district on time.

Sample Teacher Resume

Sample teacher resumes are the first step for any teacher who needs to write a teacher resume. When you want to apply for a teaching position you can get tips from a sample teacher resume to help you create your own unique resume. Since teaching methodologies have changed, if you are returning to the teaching profession after some time or if you are a recent graduate, your resume should reflect that you have knowledge of how to use these methodologies. You do need to highlight your accomplishments and demonstrate areas of strength in your teaching profession.

Teaching is one area where educational background is just as important as work experience. However, like all jobs, you learn more in your first year of teaching than you ever could in five years of university. This is where you put the theories you learned to the test in actual practice.

Your resume should start with a summary of your profile as a teacher. In this section, you showcase areas of specialty or areas where you feel you made a contribution to the teaching profession in your most recent assignments. You can also include the accomplishments you made in areas of extra-curricular, since taking part in after school activities, such as coaching and supervision is an important part of a teacher's job, even though it is not paid.

Since "balanced literacy" is the buzzword in every job posting, your resume should demonstrate that you can deliver a balanced literacy curriculum in your classroom, whatever the grade level. This includes providing details of the use of guided reading, literature circles, small and whole group discussions and hands-on learning.

If you have training outside of the regular university courses, you must include them in your resume. It is best to include these professional activities in a separate section, especially if you have a certificate from the course. Some of the areas that you could include in this section would be any professional development that you took part in, such as attending seminars. Review the sample teacher resume to see how other teachers have described themselves.

The resume for a teaching position is only one part of the process for obtaining a teaching position. There will be many resumes similar to yours submitted for each job posting. You may need to submit many resumes before you are even contacted for an interview. The tip that you should remember is to tailor the resume for each job that you apply for. If you have experience teaching several different grades, concentrate on your skills and accomplishments pertinent to the grade level advertised for in the job posting.

Copyright 2007 Jay Tokarz Career Expert

Find a sample teacher resume with the help of Free Resume Example. This article was written by Jay Tokarz recruiting expert and career author.

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