By Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa of the TEFL Tips website

Cover letters are just as important, if not more so than your actual CV. A Cover Letter is the first thing that an employer sees, so it has to make a good impression. Here are some tips on how to write a good teaching cover letter.

Dos

● Personalise it for each employer. You should address it to an actual person, not just Dear Sir or Madam, or To Whom it May Concern. Call the institute and ask who the director is and address your cover letter to that person.

● Briefly sum up your CV. Give a bit of information about your studies and experience.

● Tell why you want to work for them. Show the employer that you know something about them. If they are an IB school, state that you would like to put your theory into practice by working for them.

● Tell them what you have to offer. Why should they hire you? This is your chance to sell yourself. If you have experience creating exams, placing students, or being a head teacher, let them know.

● Be formal. There should be no contractions or informal language in your cover letter. Same goes for nicknames, use your legal name on your cover letter.

● End your cover letter asking for an interview. Remain positive that you will get the job and it will show the employer that you think you deserve the position.

● Write your contact information on your cover letter. Give your phone number and email so that they have a choice of how they would like to reach you.

● Go online and look for same cover letters. There are lots of examples out there.

● Have someone else read over your cover letter to make sure it makes sense and there are no mistakes.

● Update it when necessary. Take out the old information and put in the new.

Don’ts

● Discuss subjects that aren’t related to your job or career.

● State that you only want to stay for a few months.

● Talk badly about past employers. There’s no reason why you should say why you are leaving your current job.

● Talk about other people in your cover letter. That’s great that your mom’s a teacher, but how does that relate to you? Unless you helped her teach or observed her, don’t mention it. And when you refer to your mom, use her legal name, not “mom”.

● Rehash your entire CV. A cover letter is suppose to entice people to read your CV. If they both have the same information, there’s no point in reading your CV.

● Wait until the last moment to update it. You should update it every time you have something pertinent to add. Did you organise a talent show? Put that down while the information is still fresh in your mind.

About the author

Sharon K Couzens de Hinojosa is the creator and writer for TEFL Tips, The LA Job List, and The Ultimate Peru List. She enjoys answering people’s questions about TEFLing and Peru.