| A teacher has a great job to do: he or she must | | | | prospective employers can sense this. |
| be mentor and supervisor in the classroom, and | | | | Don't make your letter boring: use language that is |
| counselor outside of it. Such a job requires people | | | | conversational and exciting, but be polite and |
| skills, passion, enthusiasm, and a lot of patience. | | | | tactful. You want your teaching cover letter to be |
| Such a job is actually in great demand: there are | | | | bold, and to show your passion. You want to be a |
| thousands of schools all over the world with so | | | | personality in the classroom, not a cardboard |
| many students, but with very few good teachers. | | | | cutout reading lessons to a bunch of sleepy |
| If you are looking for a job as a teacher, then | | | | students. Your letter should reflect this desire, so |
| you might be preparing your documents right | | | | make every word count. |
| now. Your resume will probably outline all your | | | | Your teaching cover letter should also be relevant |
| educational and career achievements, and will | | | | to the school's mission and goals. State your |
| show all the awards you received, all the work | | | | experience as a teacher, and make sure that you |
| you had peer-reviewed or published, and all the | | | | align all these experiences with how you want |
| workshops or seminars you participated in and | | | | your career to progress, and how this career |
| attended. Your transcript will show all the | | | | progression is in line with the school's own aims. |
| wonderful grades you got. Your cover letter will | | | | Show that you can offer the school something, |
| act as the complement to both these documents, | | | | and that you can make its students better than |
| and showcase your personality. | | | | ever. You have only a few sentences at your |
| But wait, you think: can the cover letter be so | | | | disposal, however, so avoid gushing about what |
| important? How can one sheet of paper hold so | | | | you can do and what you want to do. |
| much power? Do prospective employers actually | | | | Lastly, use an active, exciting voice in your letter. |
| read the cover letter? | | | | State that you are looking forward to being |
| Believe it or not, a cover letter is actually the | | | | interviewed, and that you anticipate a positive |
| most important part of your job application. Your | | | | response from your prospective employers. |
| teaching cover letter can show your passion for | | | | Provide contact information, and make sure that |
| teaching, as well as your enthusiasm in dealing | | | | all the information is valid. Don't make any |
| with different people. Your resume and transcript | | | | promises that you can't keep: wait for the phone |
| can only go so far in providing your prospective | | | | call or email from the school, and respond |
| employers a glimpse of your personality. | | | | immediately. If you don't hear from your |
| So what goes into the great teaching cover | | | | prospective employers, make a follow-up call. |
| letter? Your cover letter has to grab your | | | | Show persistence and dedication at this stage of |
| reader's attention, and make the attention stay | | | | the job application, and chances are, you might be |
| there. There are so many ways by which you | | | | hired as a teacher. |
| can do this - but there are also so many ways by | | | | Your teaching cover letter should show what kind |
| which you can get it wrong. First, you need to | | | | of a teacher you will be. You have to show |
| use direct, terse language that does not alienate | | | | personality and be exciting, but you have to be |
| your letter's reader. Stay away from deep English | | | | mature and professional at the same time. If you |
| words, long paragraphs, or run-on sentences. | | | | can show your passion and make your teaching |
| Check your grammar: if you are careful about | | | | cover letter matter, then your teaching career |
| how you write your letters, you can be careful | | | | may soon blossom into the kind of career that |
| with how you handle your job, and your | | | | you really want. |