ESL Teacher Resume Example & Writing Guide
Use this ESL Teacher resume example and guide to improve your career and write a powerful resume that will separate you from the competition.
If you’re passionate about helping people learn, enjoy working with a diverse range of learners, and want to build a career that allows you to share your knowledge with others, you might want to become an ESL teacher.
ESL stands for English as a second language, but it’s also an acronym for English as a foreign language. So if you want to teach English to speakers of other languages, you might be interested in becoming an ESL teacher. And if you are, you’ll need a great resume to help you land your dream job.
Here are some tips and an example for reference when writing your own ESL teacher resume.
How to Write an ESL Teacher Resume
Here’s how to write an esl teacher resume of your own.
Write Compelling Bullet Points
Bullet points are the most important part of your resume because they’re the only thing hiring managers will read. So it’s crucial that you use them to your advantage by highlighting your most impressive accomplishments.
For example, rather than saying you “taught English classes to adult students,” you could say you “developed curriculum for adult ESL class of 20+ students, resulting in 100% pass rate on state-mandated English proficiency exam.”
The second bullet point is more specific and provides more detail about what exactly you did and the outcome of your work. That level of detail will catch the eye of any recruiter or hiring manager and help you stand out from the crowd.
Related: What Is an ESL Teacher? How to Become One
Identify and Include Relevant Keywords
When you apply for an ESL teaching position, your resume is likely to go through an applicant tracking system (ATS). This system will scan your resume for certain keywords related to the job opening. If your resume doesn’t have enough of the right keywords, your application might not even make it to a human recruiter.
One way to make sure you have the right keywords on your resume is to read through the job posting and take note of the terms that are used most frequently. Then, use those same terms throughout your resume. Here are some common ESL teacher keywords:
- Teaching
- Language Teaching
- Curriculum Development
- Educational Leadership
- Classroom Management
- Lesson Planning
- Educational Technology
- E-Learning
- Differentiated Instruction
- Translation
- Education
- Language Services
- Staff Development
- Public Speaking
- Editing
- Higher Education
- Intercultural Communication
- Literacy
- Education Management
- Community Outreach
- Interim Management
- Project Management
- Coaching
- Business Strategy
- Microsoft Access
- Business Development
- Mentoring
- Management
- Negotiation
- Strategic Planning
Showcase Your Technical Skills
As an ESL teacher, you are responsible for teaching students of all ages how to speak, read, and write English. And one of the best ways to do this is by using technology in the classroom. Recruiters are looking for ESL teachers who are proficient in the use of technology, and who can use it to create fun and engaging lesson plans.
Some of the programs that ESL teachers commonly use in the classroom include: online dictionaries and grammar resources, video and audio resources, and interactive whiteboard software. Additionally, many ESL teachers are now using social media platforms to connect with students and parents outside of the classroom.
So if you have experience using any of these programs, be sure to list them on your resume. And if you’re not familiar with them, now is the time to learn them!
Related: How Much Does an ESL Teacher Make?
Remember The Basics
As you’re crafting your resume, it’s important to keep a few basic guidelines in mind.
Make It Easy to Scan
There are a few things you can do to format your resume in a way that makes it easy to read and understand. This includes using left-aligned text, regular font size, and limited use of bolding, italics, and all-caps. You should also try to use no more than two lines per bullet point and have a separate skills section. Finally, make sure your formatting is consistent throughout the document.
Be Concise
A resume should be as concise as possible while still highlighting your qualifications and experience. In general, a resume should be one or two pages long, with one page being the ideal length. If you have a lot of experience to include, you can make a two-page resume. But be selective about the information that you include, and try to focus on the most relevant and recent experience.
Check Your Work
Proofreading your resume is key to making sure it looks its best. Spelling mistakes, punctuation mistakes, and grammatical mistakes can all be easily corrected with a careful eye. Having someone else proofread your resume is also helpful, as they can catch mistakes that you may have missed.
Use a Summary
When you’re creating a resume, it’s important to include a summary statement to introduce your experience and skills. This statement can serve as a way to contextualize your work history and explain how your skills can be applied in a new role. The summary should be brief—no more than three sentences—and should focus on your best skills and experiences. By highlighting your strengths and explaining your goals, you can make it easier for recruiters to see how you could be a valuable asset to their team.
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