Top Five Cover Letter Tips for Changing Careers to Teaching

An increasing number of people are changing careers from the business or corporate world and choosing to go into teaching. The change could be for various reasons… maybe now their children are in school and they are looking for a job that will allow time to spend the school holidays with the kids. Maybe they are looking for a new challenge or just fancy a change. Many want to teach because it has always been a passion for them, but they took a different route early in their career. Whatever the reason, getting into teaching can be quite a challenge if the career changer is not prepared. With more applicants than there are positions available, it’s important to make your application stand out – this includes your newly focused teacher resume and cover letter. If you’re considering changing careers to become a teacher, here are some hints and tips to help you achieve your goal:

1. One of the most important things about deciding to apply to teach is that you are able to capitalize on any life experiences you have had that are relevant. Stating in your teacher cover letter that you have two kids of your own is really not a huge selling point, because there’s a world of difference between bringing up two children in the way that you see fit and being responsible for the education of thirty children while adhering to state guidelines. Think about the skills necessary to be an effective teacher and how you have demonstrated those skills in a practical context.

Here are some examples:

• Organization
• Leadership
• Mentoring and Training
• Developing Programs
• Presentation
• Multi-tasking
• Diplomacy
• Creativity and Imagination
• Problem Solving
• Team Building

Make a point of describing, in your cover letter, the practical ways in which you have demonstrated and continue to develop these skills daily.

2. Demonstrate an awareness of current issues and trends in education. Speak to friends who are teachers and ask them about the hot topics in education or think about subscribing to an educational magazine. Spend time on the websites of some of the schools in your area. However you choose to gather information, it’s important to show in your letter that you have an understanding of what’s currently going on in education.

3. If you have any relevant work experience, it’s important to mention that in your cover letter – if not, it’s a very good idea to try to arrange some volunteer opportunities. If you have children of school age, speak to the staff and find out whether you can assist as a parent helper. Remember, if you make a good impression at the school, you may be able to ask for a reference to include in your application.

4. It’s vital for prospective teachers to have excellent standards of literacy and numeracy, so submitting a cover letter with spelling or grammatical errors is the worst thing you can do. Your cover letter should be typed rather than hand written, and it’s crucial that you have it proofread for errors. Ask someone you can trust to read over your letter before you submit it and ensure that it’s absolutely perfect - you don’t want to ruin your chances before you’ve even started!

5. If you know someone who has previously transitioned into teaching, speak to them and find out if they can offer you any additional tips. Someone who has recently been through the application process can often offer valuable information about what is particularly important to include.