Looking to land your dream job teaching English online but not sure how to make your resume stand out? In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how to craft a winning TEFL resume—step by step, with examples and tips tailored to your experience level.
Table of Contents
Quick Overview of a TEFL Resume (CV)
A TEFL resume is a specialized version of a traditional CV, tailored to highlight your qualifications, skills, and experience relevant to teaching English as a second language. It typically includes personal information, a professional photo (if culturally appropriate), your education and certifications (like a TEFL certification), relevant teaching or work experience, and extracurricular activities that showcase your adaptability, communication, and cross-cultural understanding.
Unlike a standard CV, a TEFL resume focuses on skills and achievements that demonstrate your ability to teach and engage students, even if you lack formal teaching experience (more on this in a bit). The goal is to present a clear, concise case for why you’re an excellent candidate for teaching English online or abroad, capturing the attention of recruiters or school administrators and encouraging them to invite you for an interview and demo!
How to Write a TEFL Resume for an English Teacher
1. Personal Information
A difference between a standard resume and a TEFL resume is that you should add more personal information such as date of birth (or age) and citizenship. Some countries may have visa restrictions based on nationality and age – which is why this is a common feature for a TEFL resume.
Some employers may also want to know your marital status – so you can opt to include this or not – depending on the region you’re applying to.
2. Photo
Similar to the more personal details about yourself, a TEFL resume is unique in that a photo is often preferred by potential employers.
Do not use a selfie or passport photo – this photo should feature a friendly, approachable expression, clear lighting, and a plain background – ideally with you dressed in business casual or formal attire. This doesn’t need to be taken professionally – but you’ll likely need a friend with a smartphone or digital camera to help you get the right shot.
Above is an example of a headshot I had taken at a photo studio in a mall in China. While you do not need to go to a studio to have your photo taken, you should look professional for the camera – dress smart and put extra attention into your appearance.
3. Education and Qualifications
When applying for a teaching job, your TEFL certification should always take center stage on your resume. Make sure to list it as the first qualification, along with the date it was awarded and the number of hours in your course.
Depending on the job, you might also want to highlight specific aspects of your training, such as modules in teaching young learners, business English, grammar instruction, teaching practices, or video classroom observations. These details can demonstrate your specialized skills and make your application more compelling to employers.
If you’re a qualified teacher with a PGCE, BEd, or equivalent, list it next with details like the subject, institution, and date qualified. Follow with your degree(s), including the university, subject, GPA, and date awarded, and then any other higher education qualifications relevant to teaching or English.
Include school qualifications if they’re recent or relevant, focusing on key subjects like English or foreign languages. Lastly, mention any foreign language abilities, as they can be a valuable asset in teaching roles.
4. Experience / Employment
List your work experience in reverse chronological order, including your job title, the company or organization, location, and dates. Add a couple of lines about your responsibilities and accomplishments, especially those that showcase skills useful for teaching, like mentoring, presenting, organizing, or training. If there are any gaps in your employment history, briefly explain them.
Focus on experiences relevant to TEFL—no need to go into detail about completely unrelated roles like mowing lawns or delivery services. For business English roles, highlight tasks from previous jobs that involved negotiations, sales, or finance. Don’t forget to include voluntary positions, especially if they involved teaching, training, or working with specific age groups.
Keep the language clear and simple! Many employers might not be native English speakers, so avoid complicated terms or jargon. The goal is to make your experience easy to understand and relevant to the teaching job you’re applying for.
What if I Have No Teaching Experience?
You can create an outstanding ESL resume even if you’ve never stepped into a classroom. The key is to highlight transferable skills and experiences that align with the demands of teaching English. Start by listing skills that show you’re ready to excel in an ESL role—strong communication, patience, adaptability, and cultural awareness are all essential qualities.
For example, if you’ve worked in customer service, you’ve likely honed your communication and problem-solving abilities, which are just as valuable in the classroom.
Think about other experiences that demonstrate relevant skills. Have you mentored a colleague, coached a sports team, led group projects, or volunteered with children? These roles show leadership, teamwork, and the ability to engage and guide others—exactly what employers are looking for in ESL teachers. Don’t forget to mention language skills if you’ve studied or speak a second language; understanding the process of learning another language makes you more empathetic as a teacher.
Non-Teaching Skills to Highlight on Your ESL Resume
- Communication: Clear and effective verbal and written skills.
- Patience: Remaining calm and understanding in challenging situations.
- Leadership: Experience in mentoring, coaching, or managing teams.
- Organization: Planning events, managing schedules, or coordinating teams.
- Teamwork: Collaborating effectively with others.
- Presentation Skills: Leading meetings, workshops, or group discussions.
- Language Skills: Experience learning or speaking another language.
By showcasing these skills, you’ll demonstrate that you’re ready to take on the challenges and rewards of teaching English, even without formal classroom experience.
5. Extracurricular Activities / Achievements / Other Information
If you have space or would like to showcase other activities that you enjoy, you can add them in this section of the resume. Keep in mind that these should showcase some skill or trait that you believe would make you a great teacher. These can include activities such as mentoring, volunteering, or coaching.
Achievements may include winning a contest or award that required dedication on your part.
TEFL Resume Tips
Putting It All Together: TEFL Resume Examples
Example 1: A TEFL Teacher with No Prior Experience
In this example, you can see that Ryan does not have any specific teaching experience – but that’s okay! He highlights his education first – leading with his TEFL certification. Because he took an advanced TEFL certification course – he lists out the additional certification he received to teach ESL online.
As you can see, Ryan has rich experience working with people – he lists a role as a residential assistant at his university as well as a volunteer role he took on at the Boys & Girls club.
If you find yourself applying to TEFL jobs with no teaching experience, it helps to brainstorm any types of jobs or volunteer positions you’ve taken that showcase you working with others and taking on a responsibility in your community. If you do not have any experience at all, then consider signing up to volunteer at a local event or charity so that you can gain those interpersonal skills as well as be able to talk about it in an interview!
Example 2: A TEFL Teacher with Experience at Multiple Schools
In the following example, you’ll see that Sarah Miller has held multiple teaching jobs – so her experience is the highlight of her resume. Her experience is in reverse chronological order and includes 2-4 bullet points per role.
Each job experience she lists is uniform – sharing her job title, the name of the school, the dates of which she was employed, the location, and bullet points listing her responsiblities and achievements.
Because Sarah Miller has extensive experience, she shares her experience before her “Education” section because this helps her to stand out.
Advice on Next Steps
1. Proofread your resume
Before sending off your resume, proofreading for grammar and errors is a must. After you proofread, send to a friend or partner who can also give it one more pair of eyes before you apply to jobs.
2. Start your job search
You can start your hunt for online jobs or teach abroad roles immediately. You can find a list of hiring online ESL employers here or for teaching abroad work at Teaching Nomad. There are also job postings at country-specific job boards such as:
- Ajarn for Thailand
- eChinacities for China
- Naukrigulf for UAE
3. Schedule interviews
Once you begin getting interview invites – you will likely also need to perform a demo. If you are not located in the country yet, most schools now offer ways to either perform a demo live online or to simply submit a pre-recorded demo/introduction video.
Some demos may be with real students, but oftentimes the demo is with your interviewers acting as the students. Although this can be a bit awkward, the interviewers are just looking for how you communicate new information and interact with students.
TEFL Resume FAQ
Can I teach ESL online without a degree?
Teaching ESL online is definitely doable without a degree! To make yourself more competitive, however, it’s recommended to at least complete a 120-hour TEFL certification to display your qualification.
What if I have no teaching experience?
Not all jobs require teaching experience, but it is still important to highlight any related or relevant skills or qualifications such as communication, leadership, and responsibility through other past roles or experiences.
Do I need a TEFL cover letter, too?
A TEFL cover letter should be included when applying for English teaching jobs – briefly introduce yourself and explain why you’re excited about the specific teaching role. Highlight your most relevant qualifications, like your TEFL certification, teaching skills, or transferable experiences, and show enthusiasm for helping students learn English.
Where does this post come from?
This post was originally published at How to Write a TEFL Resume: English Teacher Resume Examples on the TEFL Hero Website.
