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How to Write a Killer Resume for Getting Hired to Teach English Abroad

Looking for some guidelines to write your TEFL resume? Follow our top tips, along with a TEFL CV example, to create a killer resume that will get you hired to teach English abroad.

Written By: John Bentley | Updated: June 29, 2023

Written By: John Bentley

Updated: June 29, 2023

The Inside Scoop on How to Write A Resume that Will Get You Hired As an English Teacher Abroad

There's an old cliché that "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" and when you apply for jobs teaching English abroad - or just about any job for that matter - your resume, or "CV", can make or break your chances of getting an interview and ultimately the job you want. Here are some key points to help you put together a killer resume that will greatly enhance your prospects of getting the job you want teaching English abroad, whether it be in China , Spain , Argentina or anywhere else.

*Note: This article is an excerpt from the 350-page International TEFL Academy (ITA) Job Search Guidance Manual that is provided exclusively to International TEFL Academy students and graduates as part of their lifetime Job Search Guidance . It was prepared by expert job placement advisors in the Student Affairs Department at ITA, who provide personal assistance to hundreds of students and graduates each year with their resumes and cover letters in addition to other aspects of the job search and interviewing process . 

The TEFL Resume Basics

While putting together your international resume, always remember that you are marketing yourself as an English teacher who is prepared to move to a new country, adapt, and serve the needs of your students and the school that hires you .

You should highlight any and all teaching experience, training experience, and international experience you have. You must also be prepared to provide personal information that is not typically required in the United States or other countries, including your racial background, your age, and your marital status.  You may also see the abbreviations listed for a CV.  This is Curriculum Vitae (it is Latin for "Course of Life").

When to Use a Curriculum Vitae (CV):

When should job seekers use a Curriculum Vitae, rather than a resume? In the United States, a Curriculum Vitae is used primarily when applying for academic, education, scientific, or research positions. It is also applicable when applying for fellowships or grants.

The Differences between a Resume and a CV

There are several differences between a curriculum vitae and a resume. A curriculum vitae is a longer (up to two or more pages), more detailed synopsis of your background and skills. A CV includes a summary of your educational and academic backgrounds as well as teaching and research experience, publications, presentations, awards, honors, affiliations and other details. As with a resume, you may need different versions of a CV for different types of positions.

Top TEFL CV Guidelines

• Highlight your educational, academic pursuits, as well as public service and examples of your ability to adapt and work with others.  Note that your educational background may be given more attention than your actual work experience.
• If you are not a native English speaker, highlight and emphasize your fluency and work any work or academic studies that you have accomplished in English.
• List your education, skills, certification, and coursework in a clear and concise manner.
• Always include your country code with your telephone number.
• Use basic and simple formatting and avoid complex graphics or anything else that may not translate when viewed on an alternate (or more primitive) operating system. Italics and font changes should be avoided.
• Remember that not everybody who reads your resume is a native English speaker, or even a fluent English speaker, so avoid non-education-related jargon and avoid abbreviations like “Mgr.” or “V.P.” Use “Manager” or “Vice President.”
• Include a photo, preferably a professional-looking headshot. In Asia in particular many schools are keen to know that potential teachers look professional.

Basic TEFL Resume Format

The following list will help you understand how to make your TEFL resume stand out:

1. Add Your Personal Information

List your name, contact information, citizenship/nationality, any work/residency visas that you may hold (particularly in the country where you seek employment), gender, age, and marital status. This is listed at the top left of your resume. It may seem unusual or intrusive to an American but this is standard around the world for international jobs.

2. List Your Education And Certificates

Include any and all programs, degrees, certifications, and other formal training programs that you attended in-person or online. This section is where you want to put your TEFL certificate on your resume.

Where to put TEFL certification on your resume?

Highlight your TEFL Certification, including the number of hours, hours of practicum at or near the top of the education section of your resume or cv. Note that the course is internationally accredited and meets or exceeds all international standards.

• List your highest-level qualifications first.
• Be specific and detailed about the institution, major, campus location, date of completion of final degrees listed.
• If you are applying for an ESL Teaching assignment and do not have an Education Degree, mention courses taken in related fields including English literature, journalism, public speaking and foreign languages.

3. Highlight Your Skills

Summarize your skills in education, foreign languages, computers, animation, sales, and any other areas. Example: HTML, Adobe, Quark and Flash Programmer. Fluent in Spanish, working knowledge of German.

4. Share Your Career Experience

List your past employers, job titles, and dates of employment for each position you have held over the past 10 years.

• Bear in mind that many foreign companies and institutions are very keen on job titles.
• Be very clear and concise in your descriptions.
• List your work experience starting with the most recent or relevant assignment.
• For each position, list your Job Title (using universal career titles), list the start and end dates, list the Company’s name and its location, and be sure to highlight any relevant accomplishments and accolades as well responsibilities.
• You may be right out of college and have little job experience.  Highlight relevant activities to teaching, i.e. teaching or working at a summer camp, tutoring.  Don’t forget to list your volunteer work in an ESL classroom for your practicum.  Paid or free experience is still the same experience.

5. Add in Extracurricular Activities and Accomplishments

List the things you like to do in your spare time, particularly if they involve teaching, coaching, public service and mentoring others. Many potential employers want to make sure that when you come to a country you are outgoing, independent, and can find your own way. List any accolades or recognition you have received and other achievements, whether it be climbing a famous mountain, completing a marathon, or winning a writing contest.

6. Provide Professional References

While they are not mandatory, they are a good addition to the International Resume. There is no need to list your current employer unless you want them contacted. Try to list at least three references that you know well. Provide their name, title, company/school name, telephone number (include country code) and email address.

Sample Resume To Teach English Abroad:

Posted In: Job Search Guidance

John Bentley

Co-founder at international tefl academy.

John Bentley is Co-Founder & Senior Writer for International TEFL Academy (ITA), the world leader in TEFL certification for teaching English abroad. A graduate of Harvard University and the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern, John is a recognized expert in the field of TEFL. His articles have appeared across the field's top websites, including GoAbroad.com, StudyAbroad.com, InterExchange, GoOverseas.com, Adventure Teaching, & many others. He has also spoken as an expert on Teaching English Abroad & TEFL certification at major conferences like MeetPlanGo and Lessons from Abroad (LFA) in Portland & San Diego.

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17 Tips to Have the Best TEFL Resume & Get Hired

Lauren has popped around the globe since high school graduation through 20+ countries. She has st...

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You’ve finally secured that TEFL certificate and are ready to hit the job market to teach abroad. There are so many jobs and recruiters floating around the internet that finding that perfect match for your ESL job seems a bit overwhelming. “How do I emphasize my skills even if I have no experience?” “How do I stand out in comparison with all the other applicants?” “How do I not sound desperate on my resume!?” 

Here’s our best advice to make your TEFL resume shine bright AF.

It’s rare to show up to a foreign country without the proper credentials and snag a job on the spot. If you’ve got a TEFL and a degree, you’re already a step ahead of the game. What other key points can you add in to make your TEFL resume stand out among the rest? We're here to teach you how to write a kick ass resume for teaching abroad. (And P.S. If you don't have that certificate yet—check out International TEFL Academy . They offer job placement too!)

How to put a TEFL on a resume and really sell it

“I really, really want this job ‘cause I am awesome and speak English reallllll goooood.” Yeah, no. Be professional, don’t use lame adjectives, have a clear cut TEFL resume objective, and make sure you edit! The following 17 tips will tell you how to make your TEFL resume stand out.

1. Have a focused TEFL resume objective. 

“I really want to teach abroad because I like to travel and see new cultures” vs. “Seeking a position teaching business English while utilizing my TEFL certificate and business degree to help adults looking to expand their careers.” You can easily see which person threw in a bit more pizzazz on their TEFL resume objective to better fit their employment goals. Although you may find it easier and more convenient to be vague about your objective, a little bit of extra effort could make you much more likely to be called in for that job interview.  

2. Focus on your top skills.

Are you a grammar whiz? Do you have a creative side when it comes to lesson planning? How do you do with administrative paperwork, group projects, and public speaking? Write a list of your hard and soft skills and add the ones that have any kind of relevance into your TEFL resume.

Don’t include skills that aren’t relevant to your teaching position.

3. Add in education and certifications. 

Many countries require either a Bachelor’s degree, a TEFL certificate, or both. Make sure that you add your education and certifications. If you have any special rewards from your degree that could be found relevant, add those in too! Having your TEFL on a resume should be emphasized near the top so that it is easily seen by employers. 

4. Emphasize experience as an ESL teacher. 

If you have past ESL teaching experience, make sure that is highlighted on your resume. What ages did you teach? Where did you teach? How long? What were your main duties? 

5. Share your formal teaching experience. 

If you have your teaching certification at home and have set your career as a teacher, make sure that is laid out in detail in your TEFL resume. You’ve already made your life goal to teach and adding as many details about your formal classroom experience back home will be eye-catching for employers. 

Pro tip: If you have a teaching license check out international schools abroad for higher pay and more job opportunities. 

6. Emphasize informal teaching experience. 

You might have more informal teaching experience than you think!

Many people who teach ESL abroad have no experience as teachers in their home country. If you don’t have “formal” classroom experience, make a list of experience you have that is relevant. Have you coached sports, nannied, tutored, worked at summer camps, or organized student groups? Those are all relevant teaching experience that can give you a better chance at getting an ESL job. 

7. Use keywords from the job description. 

Many resumes are scanned through a computer before any “real person” gets ahold of them. Because of this, it’s important to read the job description for where you are applying. This is so that the “scanner” can see if the focus of your resume matches the job. Use words throughout your resume such as “teaching, students, education, classroom, ESL.” When you look through job descriptions, you’ll find a better idea of what it is exactly that the school is looking for and that will give you an idea on how to make your resume more focused with proper keywords. 

8. Don’t add in every. single. job. since. high. school. 

Yawwwwn. As stated, keywords and reading job descriptions is important. Employers will not care that you served burgers at McD’s when you were 16 years old. Keep your past experience RELEVANT. Even if you have no experience teaching, you can tweak your resume to stand out to the employer. Did you work as an administrator in an office? Great! You are organized and can deal with loads of paperwork. Did you coach soccer to a group of kids at a summer camp? Awesome! You can work with groups of kiddos. If you are going to add in former experience, see how you can creatively describe how it is relevant to the ESL position you are applying for. 

9. Add in language skills. 

Are you bilingual? If you can speak multiple languages, add that into your resume for teaching abroad. Although this is not usually a requirement, it shows employers that you may have some understanding on the wonderful world of linguistics and studying a language that is not your native tongue. Being a student of languages yourself will showcase an ability to empathize with your future classroom.

Do you speak a foreign language? Slap it on your TEFL resume!

10. Emphasize international experience. 

Have you lived abroad before? Did you ever study abroad or intern abroad? Have you been an au pair? International experience is important to employers because they know you’ve seen a different culture before. Employers will be impressed by learning about your international experience. And NO, that is not by describing that time you had too many buckets of rum at the full moon party in Phuket. 

11. Add in volunteer experience. 

Whether you’ve volunteered internationally or locally, long-term or short-term, you should highlight any relevant volunteer experience to your TEFL resume. Volunteer experience on a resume always looks good. Describe your duties and how they can be used when you teach abroad.

12. Be honest. 

Maybe you never volunteered abroad; but how would the employer really know that? Hmmmm let me just add in a few little fibs to make me sounds “employable-er.” BAD IDEA. Don’t lie. Don’t even make up little white lies about duties you’ve never done. Be honest because you want to go into this new ESL job knowing you secured it because of the wonderful human you are, not the lie you wrote down to make you feel better about yourself. 

13. Stay positive. 

Don’t write down information on your resume about past mistakes at prior jobs, negative feelings towards past employers, or reasons you may have gotten fired. Keep everything positive. There’s no reason to make your resume a confession of why things didn’t go well in prior jobs. 

Tools like Google and GoAbroad can help you spice up your CV.

14. Use the wonderful world of Google. 

If you’re applying for an ESL job through a specific agency or to a specific school—Google them! Having an understanding of the mission statement and the way the school is run will help you prepare for your future job as an ESL teacher. Although not all schools abroad have websites that are easy to access, you may find a ton of info that is at your fingertips. If applying through an agency, do your research. By having an understanding of these jobs, you can tweak your resume to fit what they want to see. 

15. Keep it professional. 

Resumes should not be written in the first person. Also, check your adjectives and read it out loud. You are not a “rad teacher” who is “totally excited” about the idea of extending your trip to Thailand by “teaching adorbs little kids.” Professional. Professional. PROFESSIONAL.  

16. Looks matter.

Check the resume requirements before you hit send. Some employers ask for a photo and references. Others do not want a photo or references. Make sure you read carefully what is required so that you can have a better shot at getting that interview. 

• Keep your resume between one and two pages. One page is typically preferred. 
• Keep the colors neutral. Don’t add flowery colors that are distracting. Microsoft word templates have many easy ideas for professional templates. You can also find tons of free downloadable resume templates online.
• Make sure it’s readable. Fonts should be very basic and easy to read. The margins should be reasonable and the text shouldn’t be too small that you need to squint to read. 

17. Have a friend or family member edit your resume. 

Your family and friends might catch some errors you overlooked!

When you look at your resume as you add the finishing touches, you can easily make mistakes when rereading it dozens of times. This can be a curse when you are tediously perfecting your last thoughts. Make sure to have an outsider’s perspective as fresh eyes are always the best editing tool for your resume. With someone else’s help, you can be assured that you did a great job making your resume and feel confident that you are ready to send it out to your future employers.

Bonus: How to prepare your TEFL resume objective for teaching ESL online

Although a resume to teach in a classroom or online can be very similar,  there are some extra key points that can be highlighted if you are applying to teach English online. 

• Emphasize keywords EVEN MORE. Wasn’t this already stated? YES. But it’s even more important if you apply for a teaching job online because it is very likely that the company in China that has over 60,000 teachers will be completely robotic before you even get an interview. You more than likely will be scanned into a system first before getting the “okay” to pass your resume along to a real person.
• Emphasize your outgoing energy. Teaching online can be exhausting because you always have to be “on.” You aren’t only a teacher, but a star actor for the live version of “Dora the Explorer.” Because of this you need to prove that you have the ability to engage students who are thousands of miles away by using TPR, props, songs, and playfulness.
• Emphasize your promptness. Teaching online usually comes with wacky time zone differences. You may have to work odd hours. Show your employer that you are always on time and ready to go. If you ever worked a swing shift, highlight this in your resume!
• Emphasize tech skills. You are tech savvy. You’ve got proper equipment, internet speeds, headphones, etc. You can easily function through Skype, Zoom, multiple platforms, and are always online checking emails and staying organized. 
• Show off your classroom. If possible, add a photo of your online classroom with you at the center. Do you have a colorful background? Are you dressed professionally with good lighting? Are you smiling a big and happy smile? Add your classroom photo to your resume to show that you are prepared to teach online. 

Check out these TEFL resume examples

It’s always nice to browse online to find stellar TEFL resume examples, courtesy of all-star TEFL program provider, Premier TEFL . Check out some of these for a little bit of inspiration. 

Other TEFL resume and career resources

These additional resources will help put smiles on your ESL students’ faces

We know a LOT about what it takes to write a TEFL resume and get hired, but our friends from other TEFL companies have their fair share of knowledge, too. Here are some additional articles and tips to check out as you craft your winning CV:

• Preparing a Winning TEFL Resume from PremierTEFL
• How to Create a Killer Resume from ITA
• Example TEFL Resumes from Teaching House
• 5 Steps to the Perfect ESL Teacher Resume on GoAbroad
• 11 Tips to Update Your Resume After Teaching English Abroad

Get hired ASAP thanks to your stellar TEFL resume

Become a TEFL teacher abroad and make a difference in the world!

Easy peasy! Download one of your favorite templates and start plugging away your experience. Whether you’ve been teaching for years or consider yourself to have minimal experience, you can make a great TEFL resume. Teaching ESL abroad is at your fingertips and you just need to get that resume perfected. Remember to not overthink it, be honest, and stay positive. With people teaching English across the globe both online and in person, there are no shortages of jobs. You just need to create a focused resume that shows you are ready to conquer the classroom. 

Besides creating the perfect TEFL resume, make sure that you are applying for jobs that you really want. You’ve got to take into account the country, ages, and types of schools that you are applying for when you edit your resume to cater to those details. ESL jobs around the world—or from the comfort of your home office—are calling your name! 

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• TEFL CV: How to Write the Best TEFL Resume & CV
• James Prior
• No Comments
• Updated February 23, 2024

So, you’ve finally decided to take the plunge and start applying for that English language teaching job you always dreamed about! But, if you want to find a great job teaching English as a foreign language, you first need to craft a great TEFL CV.

While this is a very exciting endeavor, it can be quite intimidating. Just like with any job or career path, your CV will be what separates you from other candidates. You want to highlight your skills, experience, and education.

Writing a CV or resume is a skill. You need to know what to include and how to present it. In this article, we are going to give you a run down of what you need to do in order to create the best TEFL CV or TEFL resume. Let’s get started.

Table of Contents

Your TEFL CV

If you have made it to the point where you are writing your TEFL CV, then you should have completed your TEFL certification and be ready to take on job-hunting for the perfect English teaching position.

If you don’t have a TEFL certification yet, before you go any further you should find and complete a TEFL course .

Most TEFL jobs require you to be TEFL certified and you’re very unlikely to make a successful job application without one. It doesn’t matter if you’re planning on teaching English abroad or teaching English online, employers will expect you to have one. Essentially, it wouldn’t be a proper TEFL CV if it didn’t include a TEFL certification.

You should think of your TEFL CV as your key to English teaching jobs. The quality of it will affect the amount of opportunity that you receive and having a TEFL certification is an integral part of that.

With the right CV or resume , you will be teaching English in no time.

But when should you use a resume and when should you use a CV?

TEFL Resume or TEFL CV?

Depending upon where you’re applying for jobs it may be more appropriate to use a TEFL resume over a TEFL CV and vice versa. While a resume tends to be a very concise, one page document highlighting your skills, a CV can go into more detail and present a full history of your academic credentials. You can read more about resume vs CV here.

Let’s take a look at when you should use each one to find a TEFL job.

When To Use a TEFL Resume

When writing your TEFL resume, it is always important to keep in mind who your audience is. Your audience determines the language you should use and what you should include your application.

If you are applying to TEFL companies based out of the United States, then you will most likely be asked to submit a resume rather than a CV. The information expected from a resume is pretty much the same as a CV.

However, a resume is expected to fit on one page. So you will have to be very concise with your description. You will have to determine which skills, professional experience or education is most relevant to the job you are applying for.

When To Use a TEFL CV

A curriculum vitae, known as a CV, is a more detailed version of a resume. It is typically two pages long, compared to the one page that is expected for resumes.

A CV really allows you to give a summary of all of your past experiences and achievements. You can add more details to each section to emphasize your skills, talent, and potential.

If you are looking for a TEFL job in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, or Asia, then you will most likely submit a TEFL CV rather than a TEFL resume. Employers expect personal information on your CV, which is typically not found on an American-style resume. This information includes your birthdate, nationality, and place of birth.

As a TEFL CV is more comprehensive, this is what we’ll focus on here. It will then be up to you to trim this down if you ever need to create a more concise TEFL resume.

How to Write a TEFL CV

Remember that you are writing an international TEFL CV, so you will need to keep in mind that there may be a language barrier for those who are reading it.

If you use too much technical jargon, then you may find your CV in the bin. You can emphasize your skills and come across as an impressive candidate without using language that is too technical or difficult.

Try to avoid abbreviations as well. For example, don’t write “Mgr” on a resume when describing yourself as a “manager”. These abbreviations are not globally recognized and may be mistaken for strange, foreign words.

2.Contact Details

This is the easiest section to write on your TEFL CV, but also one of the most important aspects. You will want to write your full name, nationality, and contact information. It is best to provide both an email address and a telephone number where you can be reached. If you’ve got your own teacher website you may also want to include your link here to showcase yourself.

Note: If you are writing a resume for a Canadian or American based company, then you may not have to write as much personal information as you you do on your CV for other countries.

There are particular privacy laws that protect this kind of information in the U.S. and Canada. However, employers outside of these countries will expect this information and will use it during their hiring decision.

For most CVs and resumes, photos should be avoided. However, TEFL CVs can be boosted by a photo. A nice photo that shows your smile and professionalism can demonstrate that you would make a friendly and encouraging English teacher.

4.Background/ Objective

This can be the most difficult feature of your TEFL CV or resume to write. You will need to write a short summary (think 3-5 short sentences) about yourself and your professional goals.

You want to make sure that you are able to make yourself stand out with this quick summary. Your summary should quickly express who you are, what you do, and what your career goal is.

It can be helpful to use resources when crafting this section. Look up CV examples or even look at LinkedIn to find bios from teachers with TEFL positions. This section often serves as an “attention grabber”, so try your best to sell yourself here.

5.Education

In the education section, you will list your education history. If you have both graduate and undergraduate experience, then it is best to leave out your high school information in order to leave space to discuss your more advanced educational experiences.

However, if you do not have any graduate school experience, then writing both your undergraduate and high school information is wise.

You will want to summarize the main points of your coursework in this section. Try to make the information about your education relevant to TEFL. So even if you have an engineering degree, try to discusses the coursework that is relevant to teaching.

Did you do a lot of public speaking in your undergraduate years? List this in your education section to show that you have experience with teaching, even if it is not in the traditional sense.

6.Employment History

In this section you will list out your employment history. Do you have any existing teaching experience? This is where you will show your professional experience. Even if you were not an EFL or ESL teacher previously, you still have the opportunity to demonstrate that your other work experience had similar skills and job expectations as teaching English.

You will want to list these jobs in chronological order, so write your most recent job first and then about two other past jobs underneath the most recent.

If you’ve had a TEFL job before, then this will be an additional boost to your resume, but do not stress if you have not. There are many other experiences that demonstrate your capabilities to be an excellent teacher. Plus you can find opportunities to teach English online with no experience .

If you have had any jobs abroad or, even worked with international coworkers, then these are relevant experiences that you can discuss. Describe the role that language played in these experiences and you may impress your new employer.

7.Skills and Relevant Information

This is the section where you can proudly add that you have your TEFL certificate. You want to describe the skills that make you a strong candidate around the world.

A TEFL certificate will open a lot of job opportunities for you, so really draw on the knowledge you learned during the TEFL course. And if you’ve completed a TEFL internship , definitely include it!

If you have gained any relevant, transferable skills in other jobs include them. Check out some of these teaching qualities if you’re unsure what to include.

Communication skills are always a bonus in this section. Any job, internship or freelance work experience where you can demonstrate this should be included. Try to use different synonyms for communication skills if you want to to emphasize this skill without repeating it all the time.

Any form of teaching experience will look great on your resume, so whether you had a tutoring job, a short-term camp counselor job or an assistant teaching position, it is always worth adding these to your experiences. Just make sure to highlight the skills that you developed during these jobs.

It is also great to share any information about studying or working abroad in this section. Even if you were not an ESL teacher, any experience you have with living abroad can strengthen you as a candidate.

Living abroad teaches you how to adapt, learn new cultures, and communicate with others. This knowledge can make you a great future ESL teacher.

Just remember, some of the skills that you may have gained in jobs unrelated to teaching English might not be transferable to an ESL teaching position. You should therefore make sure that you are only writing about relevant skills that are applicable to teaching English.

8.References

You will want to add 2-3 references to this section. Even if have zero teaching experience, you will still want your previous employers to serve as references. Former university professors, mentors, or TEFL certification instructors can be great for this.

If you studied abroad, then those professors or host families can also serve as helpful referees. Especially if you acted as a teacher, formally or informally, while there. These references can prove that you are able to convert your Native English skills into ESL teaching opportunities.

If you don’t want to provide information on your references, then simply write, “References available upon request”.

Always ask your references for permission before adding them to your TEFL CV.

9.Review, Review, Review!

One of the biggest mistakes that people make when finalizing their CV is not giving their hard work a thorough review. It would be terrible to miss out on a job because your CV or resume contains grammatical errors or reverse chronological order.

TEFL teachers are in high demand, but that does not mean that employers want to hire an English language teacher who makes grammatical errors or does not understand how to simplify their English.

It is best to have another person review your CV as well. Sometimes a new eye will catch mistakes that you didn’t realize were there. A second opinion can also help shape up any possible errors or even assist with re-wording any sections. Businesses like StudyCrumb can also help with this.

And remember, if you have any form of prior teaching experience, then try to emphasize those skills and experience. Even if you are fresh out of university, you should still try to highlight any experience you had working with children, managing groups of people or public speaking.

Theory Into Practice

So, we have told you the basic requirements for writing an effective TEFL CV, but what do those requirements look like on paper?

Rules of Design

The way you choose to present information on your CV is determined by your own personal preferences. Do you think a photo would be a nice touch? Add it! Do you want your resume to have a simple design? Choose to write yours with a simple style!

As long as you don’t include any distracting elements, you can tailor your CV or resume to reflect your personality. Some employers even like it when there is a splash of color! Try to avoid flashy colors, but a splash of neutral or cool colors can be a good thing. You can find many examples of  creative resume templates  to help you get started.

Below you will find examples that can serve as a visual representation of what your final resume should look like.

You will see that we are providing examples that look quite different from each other. While they may have similar information, each resume demonstrates a different way to display this information.

If you want some assistance with putting together your own CV, go here for CV help .

TEFL CV examples

Here are some examples of effective TEFL CVs and TEFL resumes. You can see that there are many ways you could design yours.

TEFL CV Example #1

TEFL CV Example #2

TEFL CV Example #3

TEFL CV Example #4

TEFL CV Example #5

TEFL CV Example #6

Updating Your TEFL CV

This is the last important tip for your CV. You may have sent your CV or resume to one or two companies already, but since sending then, you have volunteered as an ESL teacher at your local community center. Add this to your resume before sending it anywhere else!

If you don’t have a ton of qualifications, then you may need to “beef” up your CV/resume before you land an interview or job offer. If you gain any other certifications or attend any workshops, then add these to your education or relevant information section.

Finally, if you’ve already had a TEFL job and are preparing to move on, don’t forget to update your CV with your current experience.

Best of luck with your new endeavors and remember that your TEFL CV can land you your dream job. So, take your time and sell yourself!

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How to Make a Stand-Out Online Teacher Resume (+ Sample!)

Krzl light nuñes.

• September 9, 2022

Whether you want to get your feet wet in online English teaching or are ready to press the “apply” button on that virtual ESL job ad, you will surely be asked for your online teacher resume. But you may wonder, is it important to have a resume specific to teaching English online ? Definitely! But don’t worry, it’s not difficult to make one, especially if you give the resume you already have a little revamp. Here’s how you can make your professional profile dazzle, plus a sample resume for inspiration.

How is a resume for an online teaching job different?

Your technology-related skills are taken into consideration.

Are you tech-savvy? As an online English tutor, you’ll teach in a virtual classroom, so your knowledge of digital tools and communication platforms like Zoom or Skype will carry a lot of weight. This is also true for other programs used for online teaching, including presentation tools like Microsoft PowerPoint and class management tools like ClassDojo or Google Classroom.

Do you need to learn tech skills like these? Learn your way around these popular platforms and much more with Specialized Certification in Teaching English Online .

The equipment you have counts

Having quality equipment is very important in online classes, so you should mention the basic specifications of your computer (make/model/operating system/processor speed/etc.) and other relevant equipment you may have, such as a webcam and working headset.

Your internet speed and connection are also important for teaching English online . Make sure that you have a stable Wi-Fi connection, or better yet, get wired! Some jobs may require you to include the type of connection and internet speed you have on your resume, but even if they don’t, it’s a good idea to list these things. If you’re not sure how fast your internet is, you can do a speed test through this site .

You may have to include a video introduction

It’s not uncommon for online English teaching companies to require applicants to provide a link to a video introduction for teaching online on their TEFL resume . This is one notable difference between applying for online English teaching jobs and classroom-based ESL work. If you already have a professional video uploaded to the web (such as on YouTube), include the link on your resume.

What if I have no teaching experience?

If you’re new to teaching, don’t worry! Some ESL companies don’t require prior teaching experience . Always include your other work experience, internships, projects, and even volunteer ESL work on your resume; any role related to teaching and helping others can be relevant, even if it wasn’t in a formal classroom setting.

Maybe you gained valuable skills working with kids when you tutored your neighbors’ son, coached a soccer team, or did babysitting work. Or, a past writing gig for a magazine could prove you have English language mastery, while the non-profit organization you started reveals that you have great leadership skills. Regardless if they are paid or not, these experiences can show that you have certain crucial skills required of online ESL teachers.

Learn ways your non-teaching experience can transfer to teaching English online.

Good resume writing essentials

Your resume’s overall goal.

Yes, your resume highlights what you’ve done in your professional life, but it also provides a snapshot of what you can offer to the employer and why you stand out among dozens of other online English teachers. This snapshot should be presented in a way that is both compelling and easy to read because hiring managers only have so much time to take in all the details on a resume.

Additionally, your online teacher resume strives to show that your profile, experience, and achievements match or at least share some characteristics with the prospective job. Plus, you can also use the information from your resume if you create a teacher profile to market your tutoring services via an online teacher marketplace . Simply copy and paste the information right off your resume to save time!

Formatting basics

In general, your online TEFL resume should look clean and crisp.

• If you’ve earned digital badges for your Bridge TEFL/TESOL courses , include them toward the top of your resume to grab the attention of the hiring manager.
• Use fonts that are easy to read. The most common font used in resumes is Times New Roman, but Arial, Calibri, and Verdana are also clean and sleek.
• Stick to no more than two font styles.
• Use black for text and white for the background color. You could also use one other color for accent, but try to use around two colors max.
• Emphasize headings or subheadings by using bold or italics, but with consistency. For instance, heading titles could be bolded and job titles could be italicized.
• Steer clear of ALL CAPS, except for section titles like “WORK EXPERIENCE.”
• Divide the sections using white space so that they look neat and can be easily distinguished.

General tips:

• The highlights of your profile should be easily scannable. For this, keep job titles clear and brief, changing your official job title if necessary. For instance, the job title “English Language Teacher – Adults” is much clearer than “Adult Education Language Acquisition Specialist: Level 1.”
• Avoid abbreviations. Not everyone can easily understand what it means if you have an A.Ed. or have passed the ACTDEC.
• Jargon and flowery language are best avoided. Terms like “scaffolding” and “coursecasting” might not be common knowledge. You can always mention these skills in your interview .
• Make good use of bullet points for breaking down job responsibilities, achievements, and skills.
• After you proofread your resume, ask a friend to look it over and/or use an online proofreading app like Grammarly .

These free resources can enhance your TEFL/TESOL resume.

What should my online ESL resume include?

Basic information.

Your name, address, phone number, email, and citizenship should all go on your resume’s header. If you have a Skype number/ID, you can include it too, especially if you’re a traveling teacher. It’s also important to include a professional-looking headshot next to your personal information. In addition, some positions may require you to add your gender, age, or marital status, so you can include these to be on the safe side.

Digital badges

When you complete a Bridge online TEFL course , you’ll earn a digital badge in addition to your certificate. Your resume is the perfect place to showcase these badges because they’re not only visually appealing but also a dynamic representation of your achievements. When employers click on your digital badges, they’ll be taken to a unique landing page where they can see all the details of the courses you took, including verifiable skills and achievements.

• Pro Tip: Digital badges can be shared anywhere employers are looking, such as on your LinkedIn profile, on Facebook, on a personal blog, or in your email signature. Learn more: How to Use Your Digital Badges to Get a TEFL/TESOL Job .

Professional summary

Usually a short paragraph of one to three lines, this introduction to your resume gives a summary of your teaching background, outstanding traits, career objectives, and the most relevant degrees or certifications you have. Align your professional summary with the profile of the online school or job you’re applying to. For instance, if you are applying for a job as a business English teacher , mention your expertise in this area.

Most teachers put this section next. List your degrees, certifications, and other formal training programs that you’ve taken, and include their completion dates, beginning with the most recent one. Besides your online TEFL certification , any related specialized training you’ve had, like Teaching English Online Certification , will also be an advantage!

You can also include Micro-credential certifications to make yourself stand out even more. These are short, targeted professional development courses that help you develop skills in specific areas like teaching English online to groups or using games and activities in the online classroom .

Teaching experience

Next, if you have teaching experience, list any relevant jobs you’ve had for the last 10 years, starting with the most recent one. Each entry should include the job title, name and location of the employer, and employment dates. Briefly explain the responsibilities of each role, either in a sentence or two or using bullet points. As with job titles, keep your job descriptions clear and concise. Also, don’t forget to highlight any particular accomplishments you’ve had in each job.

• Pro Tip: Numbers create a better picture of your achievements. Consider answering the questions “How much?” or “How many?” in your job descriptions. For example, instead of flatly stating, “Prepared and conducted English lessons for high school students,” you could make it more specific by writing, “Prepared and conducted five weekly English lessons for third- and fourth-year high school classes of 20-30 students.”

Here’s how to get TEFL/TESOL experience if you’re newly certified.

Other employment experience

This is where you’ll list non-teaching jobs. If you don’t have any teaching experience, simply call this section “Employment Experience” and include your work history here. List your previous jobs in the same format as above.

Remember that while these are not teaching jobs, these experiences reveal not only the number of years you’ve worked professionally but also the skills you’ve acquired. Always look for ways to connect the jobs you list with the online ESL teaching job you’re applying to. For example, if one of the positions you held was “Online Technical Support Specialist,” be sure to highlight the computer and customer service skills you developed in this role since those same skills apply to teaching online.

Create a list of your job skills that are in line with the online English teaching position you are targeting. Put hard skills, such as computer software knowledge or excellent command of other languages, at the top of your list, then mention relevant soft skills, like creativity or communication.

Achievements

This section is optional, but adding any awards or recognition you have received helps you stand out further!

Including this section is also optional, but mentioning your interests and free-time activities could give employers insight into your personality or provide talking points for your interview!

Sample Resume

Need some inspiration? Check out this sample online teacher resume with digital badges!

Whether you’re about to write your first resume ever or you just need to tweak your current one, creating a TEFL/TESOL resume specific to teaching English online will be sure to get a second look and put you a notch above the competition in your search for online English teaching jobs !

Once you’ve applied for jobs with your updated online teacher resume, get ready for the next steps: the interview process and demo lesson. Learn what a teaching demo is and how to ace yours!

Back in her hometown in the Philippines, Krzl worked as a writer at a TV station before moving to Chile. After she completed her TESOL certification, she worked for language institutes and then decided to become an independent English teacher to business professionals. When she’s not giving classes, she’s either surfing along Chile’s long stretch of coastline, traveling, or practicing photography by the beach.

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How to Write the Best TEFL / TESOL Resume

• TESOL Job Search
• March 1, 2022

Before applying for English teaching jobs using the OnTESOL job board , consider these tips on how to prepare your resume and how to tailor it to get the TESOL / TEFL job you want.

Include Relevant Information to TEFL / TESOL

As much as we think we should fill our resume up with all of our past work experience, such as Customer Service Representative position at a call center or serving at your local university pub, it’s simply not all relevant to the teaching job.

Keep only the teaching positions or positions related to TEFL / TESOL on the resume, and elaborate on the skills you demonstrated in each one.

Ideally, you should have at least a few hours of volunteer or paid teaching or tutoring before applying for a teaching job. If not, then, by all means, add your Customer Service experience or that which is relevant. However, the position should be framed in a way that applies to teaching English or teaching in general.

The best way to know if you are doing this is to read the job description. This takes me to our next point.

Find English teaching jobs on our TEFL job board !!

How to Tailor Your Resume to TEFL / TESOL

Read the job description thoroughly to get a clear sense of what the employer is looking for. If it helps, write down the salient points of the job description.

Although every teaching role appears to be the same, requirements are unique to different positions. In addition to the requirements, find out everything you can about the school. This includes reading their website and doing a quick Google search.

Research everything you can about a school, including the staff and job requirements. Find out what their approach is, and even what language they use to describe their approach. Tailor your TEFL / TESOL resume by using some of the same words from the job post and the school’s website. Insert this into your resume’s profile, in your positions’ descriptions, and in your cover letter.

Grammar And Spelling

This should be evident, but review your resume and cover letter for all grammar and spelling or syntax errors.

There are two creative ways to tackle this. First, you can print your resume and review it. Reading the resume on paper will change your perspective after spending hours looking at it in front of a screen.

You will instantly notice errors that you may not have noticed on the computer. This is because it is like looking at a brand new document!

Second, send your TEFL / TESOL resume to someone you know and trust, who has a good eye for grammar and spelling errors. It’s ideal to find someone who can also give you feedback on the structure of the resume. However,  grammar and spelling feedback is the minimum to look for.

List Your TEFL / TESOL Certification!

This may seem obvious, but you would be amazed at how many resumes I receive from certified teachers who do not even list the school they took their TEFL / TESOL course from and when they completed it. Do not forget to mention this in your resume, including when you took the course, how long it took you, how many hours of training you received, and the institution from which you received it.

Make Your Resume Visually Appealing

Start out with the format. If you are unsure where to start with the format, take a look at this site that helps you to build your perfect resume.

The resume should read easily for the employer starting with your name and profile at the top, followed by your job experience on 1-2 pages.

Make the resume colorful by listing your name and headings in a soothing neutral color, that’s not overly bright.

Make sure to add your picture at the top right-hand corner, as well as your e-mail address, mailing address, Skype username, LinkedIn profile, and website with your portfolio, if you have one. Here is a great example of a digital portfolio and blog, our graduate Samantha, created.

The more ways that the employer can get to know you personally, beyond your resume, the better, which brings me to the next point.

Read: 5 Tips For Every New English teacher!

Highlight Your Personality

Get personal in your resume by including volunteer work, the languages you speak, and the awards you have won. The Human Resources Director is not looking to hire a resume, but a person who has a passion for teaching, learning, and overall who has an outgoing personality.

Use language that creates a connection with the school such as: ‘fostering student development’, ‘establishing meaningful relationships’, ‘encourage students to feel welcome in the classroom’, and ‘creating a warm and inviting classroom environment’.

However, keep the language clear and concise. Try not to make it about you, and avoid writing in the first person. Instead, make it about the tasks you performed. Let your previous experience and qualifications speak for you.

Provide A Professional Photo

Unlike resumes that we create for positions in North America, positions outside of North America require a picture. If your plan is to teach English abroad , it is advisable to add a picture on your resume.

Take the time and effort to seek out a professional photographer to take your picture. School Directors are looking for healthy, fresh-faced, and confident-looking individuals.

Please do not include selfies or photos with other individuals in the picture. The more time you take to invest in your own image, the more likely you are to land the best teaching job abroad.

Read: How To Prepare for A TEFL/TESOL Job Interview

An Exercise In Introspection

Creating a good resume does require investing some time in personal reflection; reflection on your teaching experiences, on who you are as an individual, and what your objectives are.

Think about being succinct in your language, as well. If you find yourself overwhelmed when you go to write the resume, sit down, and write all of the qualities you admire about yourself.

In addition, consider the skills you have developed from teaching, volunteering, education, and so on.

The first step is in knowing who you are.

Once you are confident in this, writing a creative resume and winning over your future employer will come much more easily to you.

By Clare Linton, Graduate and Recruitment Services Coordinator with OnTESOL.

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5 Ways Teaching English Changes Your Life And The Lives Of Others

Do I Need To Speak A Foreign Language To Teach English Abroad?

3 Biggest TEFL Job Scams And Myths

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TEFL CV example

Whether you choose to do this in the UK or abroad, teaching English as a foreign language can be a very rewarding career move.

However, these positions can be competitive and you need to put your communication skills to good use if you hope to create an engaging application that gives you an edge.

Find out how to showcase your language skills effectively on your CV using our writing guide below. You can also check out our TEFL CV example to inspire you further.

CV templates 

TEFL CV example

This example CV demonstrates how to structure and format your own TEFL CV, so that it can be easily digested by busy hiring managers, and quickly prove why you are suitable for the jobs you are applying to.

It also gives you a good idea of the type of skills, experience and qualifications that you need to be highlighting in your CV.

TEFL CV layout and format

In today’s fast-paced job market, recruiters and employers are often short on time. If they can’t locate the information they’re searching for within a few seconds, it could result in them overlooking your application.

To avoid this happening, it’s critical to structure and format your CV in a way that allows them to quickly identify your key skills and offerings, even when they’re pressed for time.

Tips for formatting your TEFL CV

• Length: Your CV should always be limited to two sides of A4, regardless of whether you have a year or three decades of experience. With recruiters juggling multiple responsibilities, they don’t have time to sift through lengthy applications.
• Readability : To help recruiters quickly skim through your CV, it’s important to format your section headings with bold or a different colour font and break up lengthy paragraphs into short sharp bullet points. This enables them to easily identify important information and assess your suitability.
• Design: It’s generally best to stick to a simple CV design, as funky or elaborate designs rarely add any value to your application. A clear, modern font and a subtle colour scheme work perfectly and allow your skills, experience and achievements to speak for themselves.
• Photos: Profile photos or aren’t a requirement for most industries, so you don’t need to add one in the UK – but if you do, just make sure it looks professional

Quick tip: Creating a professional CV style can be difficult and time-consuming when using Microsoft Word or Google Docs. To create a winning CV quickly, try our quick-and-easy CV Builder and use one of their eye-catching professional CV templates.

CV structure

When writing your CV , break up the content into the following key sections, to ensure it can be easily digested by busy recruiters and hiring managers:

• Contact details – Always list these at the very top of your CV – you don’t want them to be missed!
• Profile – An introductory paragraph, intended to grab recruiters attention and summarise your offering.
• Work experience / career history – Working from your current role and working backwards, list your relevant work experience.
• Education – Create a snappy summary of your education and qualifications.
• Interest and hobbies – An optional section to document any hobbies that demonstrate transferable skills.

Now you understand the basic layout of a CV, here’s what you should include in each section of yours.

Contact Details

Tuck your contact details into the corner of your CV, so that they don’t take up too much space. Stick to the basic details, such as:

• Mobile number
• Email address – It should sound professional, such as your full name.
• Location -Just write your rough location, rather than your full address.
• LinkedIn profile or portfolio URL – If you include these, ensure they’re sleek, professional and up-to-date.

TEFL CV Profile

Recruiters read through countless applications every day.

If they don’t find what they’re looking for quickly, they’ll simply move onto the next one.

That’s what makes your CV profile (or personal statement , if you’re an entry-level/graduate candidate) so important.

This short and snappy summary sits at the top of your CV, and should give a high-level overview of why you’re a good match for the job.

This way, you can ensure that busy recruiters see your suitability from the outset, and so, feel your CV is worth their time.

CV profile writing tips:

• Make it short and sharp: Aim for a short, snappy paragraph of 3-5 lines. This is just enough room to showcase why you’d make the perfect hire, without going into excessive detail and overwhelming busy recruiters.
• Tailor it: If recruiters don’t see your suitability within a few seconds, they may close your CV straight away. Your CV profile should closely match the essential requirements listed in the job ad, so make sure to review them before you write it.
• Don’t add an objective: Career goals and objectives are best suited to your cover letter , so don’t waste space with them in your CV profile.
• Avoid generic phrases: Focus on fact, not fluff. Phrases like “Committed and enthusiastic thought-leader” and “Dynamic problem solver” might sound fancy, but they’ll do nothing for your application. Not only do they sound cheesy, but they have no substance – stick to real skills and facts

Example CV profile for a TEFL Teacher

What to include in your tefl cv profile.

• Experience overview: Start with a brief summary of your relevant experience so far. How many years experience do you have? What type of companies have you worked for? What industries/sectors have you worked in? What are your specialisms?
• Targeted skills: Ensure that your profile highlights your key skills that are most relevant to teaching English as a foreign language , and tailor them to match the specific job you are applying for. To do this, refer to the job description to closely align your skills with their requirements.
• Key qualifications: If you have any qualifications which are highly relevant to TEFL jobs, then highlight them in your profile so that employers do not miss them.

Quick tip: If you are finding it difficult to write an attention-grabbing CV profile, choose from hundreds of pre-written profiles across all industries, and add one to your CV with one click in our quick-and-easy CV Builder . All profiles are written by recruitment experts and easily tailored to suit your unique skillset.

Core skills section

In addition to your CV profile, your core skills section provides an easily digestible snapshot of your skills – perfect for grabbing the attention of busy hiring managers.

As TEFL jobs might receive a huge pile of applications, this is a great way to stand out and show off your suitability for the role.

It should be made up of 2-3 columns of bullet points and be made up of skills that are highly relevant to the jobs you are targeting.

Important skills for your TEFL CV

English language proficiency – Maintaining a strong command of the English language, including grammar, syntax, and vocabulary.

Lesson planning – Creating lesson plans that are engaging, effective, and appropriate for the level and needs of the students.

Classroom management – Maintaining a positive and productive learning environment, managing student behaviour, and handling any issues that may arise in the classroom.

Cultural sensitivity – Understanding and respecting different cultures while working with students from various backgrounds and nationalities.

Assessment and evaluation – Assessing and evaluating student progress including designing and implementing effective assessments and providing meaningful feedback to students.

Technology – Utilising technology to enhance learning and engage students.

Quick tip: Our quick-and-easy CV Builder has thousands of in-demand skills for all industries and professions, that can be added to your CV in seconds – This will save you time and ensure you get noticed by recruiters.

Work experience section

Recruiters will be itching to know more about your relevant experience by now.

Kick-start this section with your most recent (or current) position, and work your way backwards through your history.

You can include voluntary and freelance work, too – as long as you’re honest about the nature of the work.

Structuring each job

If you don’t pay attention to the structure of your career history section, it could quickly become bulky and overwhelming.

Get in recruiters’ good books by creating a pleasant reading experience, using the 3-step structure below:

Provide a brief overview of the job as a whole, such as what the overriding purpose of your job was and what type of company you worked for.

Key responsibilities

Using easy-to-read bullet points, note down your day-to-day responsibilities in the role.

Make sure to showcase how you used your hard sector skills and knowledge.

Key achievements

To finish off each role and prove the impact you made, list 1-3 stand out achievements , results or accomplishments.

This could be anything which had a positive outcome for the company you worked for, or perhaps a client/customer. Where applicable, quantify your examples with facts and figures.

Sample job description for a TEFL CV

Provide online instruction on reading, writing, and speaking to non-native English adults, for a global educational company that offers individuals, universities, and businesses with test preparation, student recruitment, and language services.

Key Responsibilities

• Establish structured lesson plans and teaching materials for each session, including textbooks, reading materials, hand-outs, and visual aids.
• Use video conferencing to teach English to students from different parts of the globe, such as Asia, South America, Eastern Europe, and North/central Africa.
• Administer, grade, and convey feedback on assignments, tests, and projects to determine students’ level of English proficiency.
• Monitor student progress, identify areas of improvement, and adjust lessons as needed to optimise vocabulary, composition, and comprehension capabilities.

Quick tip: Create impressive job descriptions easily in our quick-and-easy CV Builder by adding pre-written job phrases for every industry and career stage.

Education and qualifications

After your work experience, your education section should provide a detailed view of your academic background.

Begin with those most relevant to TEFL jobs, such as vocational training or degrees. If you have space, you can also mention your academic qualifications, such as A-Levels and GCSEs.

Focus on the qualifications that are most relevant to the jobs you are applying for.

Hobbies and interests

The hobbies and interests CV section isn’t mandatory, so don’t worry if you’re out of room by this point.

However, if you have an interesting hobby , or an interest that could make you seem more suitable for the role, then certainly think about adding.

Be careful what you include though… Only consider hobbies that exhibit skills that are required for roles in TEFL, or transferable workplace skills.

There is never any need to tell employers that you like to watch TV and eat out.

Once you’ve written your teaching English as a foreign language CV, you should proofread it several times to ensure that there are no typos or grammatical errors.

With a tailored punchy profile that showcases your relevant experience and skills, paired with well-structured role descriptions, you’ll be able to impress employers and land interviews.

Good luck with your next job application!

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Finding an English teaching job abroad always starts with your resume and in this post we’re going to show you how to craft a solid TEFL resume step by step.  In addition, we’re going to explore the most common mistakes that job candidates make in their resume and how you can avoid them.

Let’s get started!

The anatomy of a TEFL resume

First, let’s begin with what a TEFL resume should look like.  In general, your resume will be divided into the following three sections:

• Contact information
• Work and volunteer experience

Let’s get into more detail what each section should include.

Contact Information

This section of your resume should have general information about yourself. For example, you should add your personal contact information, your overall objective and a photo of yourself.

• Your personal contact information will be your current mailing address. This includes your name, city and postal address. Make sure to add your email address to your resume because this is the most common form of communication during the application process.
• Your objective describes the intent of your resume. The main purpose of it is to identify your professional goals in the position you’re applying for. If you’re sending your resume to several schools, then you should customize it according to the job posting. 
• It’s common to affix a photo of yourself to your resume. If you don’t send one and it’s required in the job posting, it’s almost an automatic way to get screened out. In the employers perspective, they just want to put a face to the resume. 

The education background section of your TEFL resume is where you summarize any of the degrees and certifications you’ve obtained. 

• For college and university degrees, you will first add the type of degree such as a Bachelors or Masters program.  In addition, you will include the name of the university and the period of time you attended.
• Employers abroad often prefer candidates who have certifications such as TEFL, CELTA or TESOL . If you have taken a certification course, be sure to lay out the program you were enrolled with and how long it took you to complete it.

Work and Volunteer Experience

• The work and volunteer sections are where you can showcase your professional teaching and non-teaching experience. In general, your most recent work experience is at the top and oldest is at the bottom.
• For your work experience, you will include your job title, the company name and the period of time you worked.  It’s common practice to add bullet points that summarize all of your roles and responsibilities.
• Volunteer experience is just as important as your professional work experience, especially if you are a recent graduate.  Similar to your work experience, you will list your title and the volunteer organization. Then, you can include your duties in point form with bullet points.

If you don’t have any direct teaching experience in a classroom, be sure to read below for tips on how to “transfer” your skills from your past employment.

Common TEFL resume mistakes

Cater your resume to the job posting.

When you find a job posting you want to apply for, you should rewrite it according to the criteria needed for that specific job.

If the company decides it’s important enough to be a required qualification, then it should be important enough to add as part of your resume.   

First, highlight each job qualification one-by-one. After you’ve reviewed all the necessary qualifications, you can describe your relevant skills. Now, you can rewrite your resume using the job posting like a checklist. 

I understand that it takes more time to do it this way. But if you do, your resume will match the specific criteria required for that job. Only this way, you can guarantee not being screened out as an applicant.

Stay consistent with grammar and punctuation

The most common mistake that I see in TEFL resumes is that the verb tense , punctuation and grammar points are inconsistent. This commonly happens when candidates list their work experience.

For example, I often see verb tenses are inconsistent when they are in bullet point form. If you use past tense, then you have to stick with it throughout. Try not to alternate between present continuous (-ing), present simple or any other verb tense.

For punctuation, you should finish your sentence with a period. Oddly enough, they’re easy to forget on job resumes. Try not to mix periods with semicolons or ampersands. 

Finally, when you’re finished writing your TEFL resume, have someone else look over it. Does it sound natural? Is it grammatically correct? Does it flow well?

What about work experience?

It’s all about transferable skills.

It’s rare that any candidate has all the necessary skills laid out in the job posting. This is especially true if you’re new to the industry – after all, everyone has to start somewhere. So, if you are missing some of the requirements, it’s all about transferable skills that you do have. 

For example, teaching often requires standing and speaking in front of large groups of people. When was the last time you presented in a work setting? If you speak at conferences or lead groups of people, this is your transferable skill set.

Have you ever trained anyone in the job? This in itself doesn’t make you a teacher but it’s definitely a transferable skill that you can add to your TEFL resume. 

Volunteer for work experience

If you don’t think you have any transferable skills, then volunteer to gain those skills. Because the more you think of it, the more you realize that volunteering is a win-win situation.

It’s a win for volunteering organizations because they can fill in the gap with a capable teacher like you. Literacy groups, churches and community clubs are always accepting ESL teachers. Just ask around.  

It’s a win for you because you gain valuable work experience for your resume. And not only do you volunteer your time to help a cause, but you get a preview of the teacher setting you’re seeking.

Don’t forget that volunteering has different levels of commitment so go at your own pace. Most importantly, it’s an opportunity for you to get your foot in the door. 

Take a TEFL certification course

The result of obtaining a TEFL certification is two-fold. 

First, you can brush up your English grammar skills. Even though we use English everyday, we forget the technical aspects and underlying grammar points. Most TEFL certification tests your proficiency in this respect.

Secondly, TEFL certification often gives you teaching experience. You often create a lesson plan for a specific grammar point. Then, you implement it and get relevant feedback from others in your class.

Overall, TEFL certification can give you a big boost on your resume. But I can’t recommend it to everyone – especially if you already have a teaching degree.

More ways to help your TEFL resume stand out

Worksheet portfolios .

Beforehand, try to build a set of ESL worksheets or lesson plans that you can use in the classroom. If you do land an interview, show them to your potential future employer. It shows that you’re eager and serious about becoming an ESL teacher. 

Personal websites 

Hiring managers are most impressed by a candidates website. If you’re serious about getting hired, your own personal website may be the best way for you to really stand out from other candidates. Moreover, it gives you more exposure than a single page resume.

Tutor in school  

Even if you’re still young and you want to become a teacher, try tutoring at your school. Not only does it help you become more proficient in a particular subject, but it helps you build confidence in yourself.  

Age is just a number

Teachers come in many different ages. It’s never too early to plan your teaching career. On the other side of the coin, it’s also never too late to be a teacher too. Teachers range in all ages – from college graduates to retirees.

Final thoughts on TEFL resumes

Today, you’ve learned how to craft the perfect TEFL resume – if you follow these steps, you can significantly boost your chances of becoming employed. 

Did we miss anything? What’s your favourite TEFL resume tip we missed? 

Please let us know with a comment below!

Thomas Berg is a retired ESL Teacher from Japan and South Korea and author of AllESL.com , a website for ESL teachers and students of all ages. 

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Tefl jobs: how to write a CV for teaching English abroad

Here are tips, insights and a CV template to help you impress a Tefl employer How to move your career abroad: tips, tricks and insights What’s it like teaching English as a foreign language? Five things to do on a gap year to boost your CV

• Looking for a teaching job? Explore Guardian Jobs and find the perfect role for you

Tefl (teaching English as a foreign language) is popular with both graduates and career changers. How you write your CV depends on the job specification and your background.

General guidelines

Experience and qualifications are two important factors, but specific requirements vary worldwide. Use resources such as "Teaching English Abroad" (Susan Griffiths), Transitions Abroad and Dave's ESL Cafe to find out requirements for your chosen destination.

In many countries, a degree is necessary for a visa, with a Tefl qualification secondary in importance. But many European countries and certain organisations require both a qualification (Celta or Trinity Cert Tesol) and experience – even for entry-level jobs. Further qualifications, such as the Delta or MA in Applied Linguistics are useful for higher-level posts, or certain countries.

However, Joe Hallwood (Guardian Careers' Tefl expert) explains: "We recruit for a lot of schools worldwide that don't require experience but only entry-level qualifications. While courses with observed teaching practice are excellent courses, the vast majority of initial Tefl training is entry-level, pre-Celta, training."

For more information, see Choosing the right Tefl course and A guide to Tefl qualifications .

If you need to build experience, your options include one-to-one tutoring or coaching, voluntary or summer residential course teaching, or even a year abroad teaching in a country where experience isn't required.

Preparing to write your CV

Find the most essential requirements in the job description, then make these prominent. You may need details such as your date of birth for some countries.

Keep your CV brief, highlighting skills such as training, presenting and time-management, for example. Mention experience of living abroad, as it shows self-reliance and adaptability. You don't need to know the language of the country you want to teach in, though some familiarity helps you settle in quicker and reduce culture-shock.

Suggested CV format

Name and contact details

Profile (include qualifications, experience, teaching specialisms)

Example: Graduate (BA Hons Spanish) and Celta-qualified teacher with two years' experience in general English, YL and Cambridge exam preparation (Ket, Pet, FCE). Keen traveller with extensive experience in Europe and Asia. Fluent in Spanish.

(Optional: career changers can add relevant skills. Technical/job-specific skills may position you for business English or English for Specific Purposes, for example.)

Professional Experience (put this section before education if you have teaching experience or you're a career changer.)

Give details of employers, dates, responsibilities and achievements.

Example: Language Academy, Barcelona, Sept 2009 – June 2011

Teaching one-to-one, groups of both children and adults, and Cambridge exam preparation.

* Increased pass rate from 75% to 85% across Cambridge exams * Expanded enrolment at a children's afternoon activity club by over 50% in eight months * Developed speaking materials which were adopted by five technical schools * Regular positive performance appraisals

(Optional: include an endorsement from an ex-employer)

Joe Hallwood advises career changers to pull out relevant non-teaching experience. Consider a functional CV grouping experience by theme and give employment details.

Example: Web developer (Sole proprietor) 2004 – 2010 Managing projects for local businesses.

Communication Skills Performed a "needs analysis" for each client, aligning goals with budgetary and time constraints. Client satisfaction ensured repeat business and referrals.

Presented customisable e-commerce and web publishing packages in workshops and seminars.

Training Coached school-leavers in web design / development skills.

Planning and organisation Provided tailored project plans with regular meetings to assess progress.

Education (this section can precede the employment section if you lack experience)

In reverse chronological order, give details of your Tefl qualification including specialist modules such as teaching young learners or business English; your degree, and other relevant training. Mention extra-curricular activities, such as sport or coaching.

(Optional: Hobbies and interests. Joe Hallwood suggests highlighting your personality fit. Tie in your interests with the job description such as: sporting activities if you're applying for a summer camp.)

A covering letter adds further weight to your application. Say why you're interested in the opportunity and give some examples to show your qualities as a confident, engaging teacher, who can build rapport with students.

(With thanks for the input from the Guardian's Tefl expert Joe Hallwood. )

To get more content and advice like this – including links to forthcoming Q&As – direct to your inbox, you can now sign up for our weekly Careers update .

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English/ESL teacher CV: samples, templates and advice

Table of contents

Contact information, what should be description of resume, summary of skills in cv, employment history, resume/cv for english teacher with experience, resume/cv for english teacher with no experience, resume/cv for online teacher, cv templates in word format (doc), resumegenius.

The profession of English teacher is currently in great demand. This is due to the fact that the number of people speaking and learning English exceeds two billion people. And these numbers are growing. Therefore, competition for prestigious positions among teachers is also growing. To stand out among the mass of teachers and get your dream job, you need to advertise yourself well to the employer. It's worth working hard to create a brilliant resume that shows you your best and most Protable sides. How do you create a resume, you ask? What should it contain? And in this article we will answer these questions in detail and not only.

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Formatting basics

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Your resume should look clean and crisp.

• If you’ve earned digital badges for your courses, include them toward the top of the document.
• Use fonts that are easy to read. The most common font used in resumes is Times New Roman, but Arial, Calibri, and Verdana are also clean and sleek.
• Stick to no more than two font styles.
• Use black for text and white for the background color. You could also use one other color for accent, but try to use around two colors max.
• Emphasize headings or subheadings by using bold or italics.
• Steer clear of all caps, except for section titles like "WORK EXPERIENCE".
• Divide the sections using white space so that they look neat and can be easily distinguished.

General tips:

• The highlights of your Prole should be easily scannable. For this, keep job titles clear and brief, changing your official job title if necessary.
• Avoid abbreviations.
• Jargon and flowery language are best avoided.
• Make good use of bullet points for breaking down job responsibilities, achievements, and skills.
• After you proofread your resume, ask someone to check it as you can easily miss your own typos and other mistakes.

Samples of English teacher resume

Below you can find examples of ready-made resumes and brief information about their differences.

In order to issue a resume of an experienced teacher, you must fill in all the items in the "Work experience" section. This item should also include even the work of an English tutor. If you have had experience of working with foreign citizens, then this is also worth mentioning. Do not forget to indicate your place of work and achievements for them in reverse chronological order.

What if you are a recent teacher or a university / college graduate and don't have an impressive track record?

Some ESL companies don’t require prior teaching experience. Always include your other work experience, internships, projects, and even volunteer work on your file; any role related to teaching and helping others can be relevant, even if it wasn’t in a formal classroom setting.

You can give some numbers in this section to show the hiring manager the scope of your abilities and skills.

For example, you can determine the number of students you work with per semester, determine the size of the school where you work:

"You evaluate and track the progress of over 100 students throughout the semester, and work closely with other staff to effectively plan and coordinate work. You help students prepare for exams at a school with over 2,000 students".

Below are examples of documents, based on which you can write your resume.

To qualify for the position of Online English Teacher or ESL Teacher, you need to show that you have computer skills, you have experience with online platforms, you are an outgoing person who can approach any personality type. It will be great if you list your experience as a tutor or online tutor prior to taking this position. However, this is not necessary, since many online platforms do not require work experience (you can read more about this in the article ).

Your technology skills are taken into account, so your knowledge of digital communication platforms like Zoom or Skype will go a long way. This is also true for other programs used for online teaching, including presentation tools like PowerPoint and classroom management tools like ClassDOJO or Google Classroom.

Online English teaching companies often require applicants to provide a link to an introductory video for online teaching on their CV. This is one of the notable differences between applying for an online English teacher job and ESL classroom work.

How to write CV forpost of English teacher?

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You can use the templates in .doc format and draft your own resume/CV for the post of English teacher, or use the links below to generate the resume online.

Please note that in this document you can mark your scientific works, methodological recommendations or teaching methods that you have developed. This will be a "knight's move" and will give you the opportunity to outflank your competitors.

Here you can download the templates of the above resume/CV examples in Word format (.doc file extension) for:

• English teacher with experience
• ESL teacher with experience
• English teacher without experience
• ESL teacher with no experience
• online English teacher with experience
• online English teacher with no experience
• online ESL teacher with experience
• online ESL teacher without experience

We provide to you the opportunity to download the template in .docx format, whereby you can correct it as you need. Feel free to change the template design and text to your data.

Take a look at the suggested templates in the text editor Microsoft Word.

Online resume/CV builders

With the help of these sites, you can quickly and easily write the resume/CV, because there you do not need to think about which points you could forget about your professional activity. Filling out the template is more like a questionnaire, which, moreover, can tell you what to write.

This free of pay site invites you to use a resume builder. The site differs from the rest in that after registering on it, you can freely download your document in pdf format absolutely free. At the same time, the site is not limited in the number of template design options and gives a complete list of items that you need in order to unleash your full potential.

The editor suggests making a resume and a cover letter. In order to do this, you need to pre-register on the site and pay for a trial period of 14 days for $2.95 with this following features:

• Resume Templates,
• Unlimited Variations,
• Cover Letter Builder,
• Job Search and Tracking Tools,
• Professional Resume Reviews.

Or buy a monthly subscription for $7.95 with this additional options:

• Unlimited Downloads,
• Multiple Formats like MS Word & PDF,
• Unlimited resumes and cover letters.

On this site, you can create a resume, cover letter and CV. You need to register for this.

This site allows you to create a resume or cover letter. In order to download these documents, you will need to register on the site and pay for any of the packages. The subscribtion plans of this service:

This resume builder helps you make your own resume, CV, and cover letter. Like most of the sites we have described, this site requires registration and payment for one of the packages in order to download the document. 

As you can see, everything is not as complicated as it might seem. Use our resume-building tips to quickly land your dream job.

And if you want to supplement your portfolio with a professional certificate, then we suggest you follow the link and sign up for the TEFL/TESOL course . By doing it right now, you will receive a 50% discount!

Terms used:

ESL , TEFL , TESOL

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We’re now going to take a look at the different sections of our CV template, and run through how you can start to customize it. While you might choose not to use this template yourself, there will still be some useful information here which might be handy for you in the future.

Introduction:  

This opening section starts by laying out your personal details – who you are, and what you’re all about. It’s important to include a friendly, forward-facing photograph when applying for TEFL positions so that schools can begin to feel your personality coming through. If you don’t have one, then go take one! Just find a white wall with bright lighting and get a friend or family member to take 20 photos, then pick the best one.

Aside from the photograph, it’s also important to include contact information and a short bio. As an added punch, it can be good to throw some bullet points in here at the top. Recruiters may go through 30 or more resumes per day, and small things like this can help to create a stronger impression.

Work experience:  

If you’re entirely new to teaching, then filling out your work experience could be a little tricky – however with a few tips you can still steer this section in the right direction.

To start with, if you don’t have any previous teaching experience, then we’d advise keeping this section relatively brief, so that you can maximize your impact in other areas. Think carefully about any roles you’ve had in the past, then put the most relevant and longest-lasting ones into this section. For ESL recruiters, length of employment is more important than the number of jobs you’ve had, as they’ll need you to last your contract length or longer.

When listing your previous jobs, be sure to draw attention to any transferable skills that might be useful for your new career as a teacher. Some examples of these transferable skills are as follows:

• Leadership skills. If you led a group on a project this will show employers that you have the skills to control and lead a class.
• Public speaking skills. This is an obvious one. If you have ever given reports or presented your work in front of a group, make sure to highlight this.
• Communication skills. As a teacher, you have to interact with students, other teachers, parents and teaching assistants. Use your work experience to prove you have the skills to do this well.
• Problem-solving skills. This is a more abstract skill. You will need such skills to deal with problematic students, demanding parents and your own classes. If you can use your past work experience to show that you know how to identify and solve problems, it will look really impressive to your potential employer.

Note: With our template, we’ve included company logos. These aren’t necessary, but if you are able to neatly place a logo here it can help to stand out from the crowd, and also show that you’re proud of where you’ve worked before. If you can’t neatly place a logo there, don’t worry – just leave it out.

Education:  

When it comes to filling out your educational background, be sure to start with your largest achievements. If you have a degree, then you would want to mention that first. Include all the relevant information such as the university name, course dates, degree title etc. As with the work experience section above, it doesn’t hurt to add a tasteful logo from your university if you’re able to do so.

You can also add your high school and any other institutes you’ve studied at. If you don’t have a degree then these will be of more importance to you.

As a side note, it can also be useful here to mention the countries of these institutes, as many schools are interested in hiring teachers with certain backgrounds. If you’ve studied in a native-Engish speaking country, be sure to add this information here. Similarly, if you’ve studied in the country which you’re applying to work in, this could also be worth drawing attention to, as it will show you have some familiarity with the education system there.

Awards & Certifications:  

Here you can show off your new TEFL certificate. As part of this, you can mention what you’ve covered in this course and what you’re now able to do. If your resume is lacking information in other areas – such as with work experience and education, then you might wish to expand on this section further – perhaps by listing out key modules and the specific skills you’ve learned.

If you have any other awards, qualifications, certifications or scholarships then add them in here to show how hard-working you are.

Languages, Skills & Abilities:  

These sections are useful for adding some extra bites of information. If you have some other language abilities, then be sure to mention that – it can show you have some experience with language learning.

You could also mention your personal traits and other skills. These aren’t too crucial, but can be good to include especially if you have some hidden talents up your sleeve – sketching, arts & crafts, acting etc.

Comments:  

This final section brings your resume to a close. You should be brief with mentioning what you’re looking for, include a short summary of who you are, where you are, and when you’re looking to start employment. If you’re applying for a particular job advert which you’ve seen online, then be sure to modify this section to target that advert. If the position is for young learners – then mention that’s what you’re looking for.

With your final line it’s always good to leave things open for conversation. We’d recommend leaving your email here rather than telephone number – recruiters will usually be located in the countries which you’re applying to go and teach in, so they’ll often prefer to email you as the first point of contact.

Optional extras:  

If you’re looking to pad out your resume a little further, you could add some of these extra fields to it. However, if you’ve already filled up two pages of content so far, it might be worth leaving things as they are.

Activities and Hobbies

Listing these can add to your potential employer’s understanding of who you are. If you have hobbies or pastimes that could benefit your teaching practice, or your ability to adjust to a new country, you could add them here. Some great hobbies include:

• Language learning
• Volunteer positions
• Travel, particularly if you go overseas for long periods.

This section is not strictly necessary on your CV. However, you may need some references at some point during the job application process. If you don’t put them on your CV, make sure you’ve already worked out who will give you a glowing reference, and ask their permission to give their contact details to potential employers. Previous teachers, lecturers, and employers are good paths to go down when thinking of references.

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Example TEFL Resumes

No two resumes are the same.

To help you write a resume we have put together the following examples.

‍ Please note that no two resumes are ever exactly the same— and the length, content and ordering depend to a certain degree on the individual applying, the position being applied for and what an individual's best qualities and experiences are in getting the position.

Clare, age 32

Resume Example

Cover Letter Example

David, age 46

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How to Find Teaching Jobs Abroad Without Experience

Though making your first steps in the world of teaching English abroad can be intimidating, you don’t need vast experience to be a fantastic teacher. In fact, your fresh impetus and ingenuity could be a real plus in the classroom!

You might be at the start of your career, or at a fork in the road, and TEFL offers your brightest and best chance to reinvigorate your CV.

Maybe you’ve seen an advert for a TEFL course or you’ve just graduated from college. No matter what age you are, it’s a feeling of newness and adventure that’s putting the vigour back in your 9-5 - or at least that’s the plan.

Well, thankfully, we’re here to tell you that just isn’t the case. There is plenty of work for new TEFL teachers who don’t have any experience. While some countries and some specific jobs may require a candidate with some teaching credit in the bank, there are - quite literally - a world of opportunities out there, whether you’ve got experience or not.

Let’s dive into the world of TEFL with no experience!

Can you teach English abroad without experience?

Yes, you can teach English abroad without experience. 

Consider this: how does anyone get started in anything? If all jobs were barred to the inexperienced, there’d be no chance for anyone to master new skills, and gain a foothold in an industry.

The best first step is to become TEFL qualified. A 120-hour qualification is the industry standard, and will open the door for a litany of opportunities worldwide, but there are more advanced courses that may tailor to specific job needs, while also making applicants more attractive to employers.

Then, it’s about finding a location. Where in the world will someone who wants to teach English abroad with no experience? You’d be surprised by what’s available, across the corners of the globe.

Where can you teach English abroad with no experience?

Below, you can see a table listing dozens of countries around the world and their requirements. If a country is listed as not requiring experience then this means you should be able to find plenty of job adverts suitable for newly-qualified teachers.

If it’s listed as requiring experience then it means you’d be very unlikely to find paid work without a few years of TEFL teaching under your belt. And those listed as ‘preferred’ means that it can be possible to find work if you’re new to teaching, but expect to find it more difficult to secure work than in a country where there are lots of entry-level positions going.

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Do you need a TEFL certificate to teach English abroad?

While you don't need a TEFL certification to teach English abroad, per se, it's extremely difficult to find a teaching job without one.

If job hunting can feel like repeatedly knocking on the door, TEFL certification can represent a key. ESL jobs are competitive, and there's a whole raft of ESL teachers who are finding opportunities abroad as an English teacher, having studied and achieved TEFL certification.

It can be hard to find TEFL jobs abroad without a degree, let alone without a TEFL certification. Getting TEFL qualified really is the best way to secure a job in teaching English, and it provides a great opportunity to demonstrate your ambitions and skills in the classroom, or online.

4 steps for finding a TEFL job abroad without teaching experience

Now we've established that you can get a TEFL job in another country, and that there are jobs aplenty around the world, let's discuss the 4 key steps you'll need to take to teaching English abroad with no experience.

Step 1: Get TEFL Qualified

Years ago, it used to be possible for native English speakers to walk into TEFL jobs abroad with no teaching experience or qualifications. Today that’s much more difficult to do with the majority of employers worldwide requiring English teachers to have at least a 120-hour TEFL qualification .

Most of our students have no previous teaching experience, which is why our courses are designed to set you up with all the skills and knowledge you need to start teaching English for the first time.

You can get your TEFL qualification entirely online or combine online and classroom study. If you’re completely new to teaching then a classroom course is highly recommended to give you some practical experience that will look great on your CV.

The 120-hour TEFL qualification is the industry standard, and for sure, it'll go a long way in securing that first job teaching English abroad. A TEFL certification is a pre-requisite for those hoping to teach abroad, and English teachers without one will likely struggle to find international teaching jobs of any sort.

To set yourself apart, though, it might be prudent to become TEFL certified in different and more advanced ways. For example, an extra TEFL certification in teaching Young Learners will make any applicant more attractive to schools that teach 5-16-year-olds.

See our article about online and classroom courses for more information about choosing the right option for you.

Step 2: Choose a destination

Once you have your TEFL certification the next step is deciding where you want to teach, whether you have prior teaching experience or not. Asia, South America, Southern and Eastern Europe are great options if you don’t have any teaching experience yet.

The biggest TEFL jobs market in the world can be found in China, where the English language industry is booming , but there is plenty of work to be found in other Asian countries such as Japan , South Korea , Thailand , Vietnam , and more!

Not all countries offer an abundance of opportunities for newly-qualified EFL teachers. The most lucrative TEFL positions are found in Saudi Arabia and the UAE, but you’ll need a few years’ experience under your belt before you’re eligible for those.

You’ll also find it harder to come by jobs in Western and Northern Europe if you don’t already have some teaching experience. Because of the high level of English proficiency in many European nations, you're unlikely to find a teaching job abroad without a high level of experience under your belt.

Step 3: Prepare your TEFL CV

TEFL qualification: check. Destination: chosen. Next up: a stand-out TEFL CV.

If you have no previous teaching experience then employers are going to be looking for transferable skills and any relevant experience that would be beneficial for the role. For example, if you’re applying for a job teaching young learners then you’ll want to highlight any experience you have working with children.

For more tips for landing teaching jobs abroad and help putting together your TEFL CV see our helpful guide .

Step 4: Apply for jobs

There’s a huge demand for EFL teachers worldwide, so you can find plenty of job adverts online – if you know where to look!

It’s important to keep safe when applying for TEFL jobs, so make sure to read our post about how to avoid TEFL scams and bad employer s before you start applying. If there’s anything you’re unsure about you can always get in touch with us.

Go the extra mile

If you really want to stand out and land a great TEFL job despite having no teaching experience then there are a couple of things you can do after you get your initial TEFL qualification.

We run advanced TEFL courses in Teaching English Online, Teaching Business English, and Teaching Young Learners, and Teaching Exam Preparation Classes, which are great to add on to your training. If you’re interested in specialising and intend on applying for jobs in any of these areas, then these courses will further enhance your teaching abilities and show employers that you’re dedicated.

Volunteering to teach English as a foreign language is a good option if you do want to gain some experience before pursuing paid work. This helps to boost your TEFL employability, but more importantly, it will improve your confidence in the classroom and give you a feel for teaching. If you are able to give up some of your time to volunteer you can find positions abroad and at home.

You can also gain experience right at home as an online English teacher! Teaching English online can be an ideal way to get started and build up some confidence and experience teaching English. You’re able to put your TEFL qualification to use as soon as you finish the course and any teaching experience you gain will be beneficial when you apply for TEFL jobs abroad.

Advantages of teaching English abroad with no experience

Could there be advantages to teaching English overseas with no experience?

Perhaps! For one thing, international teaching jobs are always an option for those with great ideas. New lesson plans, games and media for English learners are always welcome, and any new ESL teacher worth their salt will have something they want to bring to the table.

No teacher, whether they teach abroad or online, was ever born ready to do it. It's all about gaining experience, and any good employer will help you through all the early challenges. You'll learn what to expect from an employer when you teach abroad, what kind of support you should get, and what works in your classes.

Not having experience doesn't have to be a bad thing. That's true for both yourself and a prospective employer.

Now we've covered all the critical areas of teaching English abroad without experience, and shown which of the different countries are likely to accept TEFL teachers without an extensive CV,  let's have a look at the most commonly-asked questions online.

Want to find out more about teaching English abroad? Check out our Guide to Teaching English Abroad for everything you need to know!

Q. Can I teach English abroad without a degree?

Experience is one thing, but many prospective TEFL teachers wonder if they can teach English abroad without a degree.

It's a similar area to the one we've discussed here, and it's just as relevant. Getting into the world of teaching English abroad can be prickly, just as it can be without experience.

However, in both cases, the answer is that yes, you absolutely can do it. Many nations are looking for fresh faces, even those who don't hold a BA or lack years of teaching pedigree. Sure, attaining a work visa in certain countries can be trickier without a degree, but it's certainly not impossible.

There's considerable overlap in the countries that don't require either a degree or teaching experience. Countries in Latin America, for example, are extremely happy to provide teaching abroad opportunities for new TEFL teachers.

For more information, check out our guide on Teaching English Abroad without a degree here.

Q. Where can I teach English abroad with no experience?

As covered earlier in this article, there are plenty of places worldwide where you can teach English abroad without experience.

To give a more truncated version, the options are expansive; Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Italy, Romania, Germany, Greece, all of Latin America (though it's preferred in some countries including Argentina), Morocco, Algeria, Lebanon, Jordan and more countries are taking on teachers without prior experience of teaching English overseas.

For a more full summary of your options, refer to the dedicated section on this article, where there's a comprehensive table of options from across the planet.

Q. How can I work abroad with no experience?

We believe it's all about 4 steps, as covered in this article.

Step 1: Get TEFL Qualified - Choose a TEFL course that meets both your demands and teaching aspirations, as well as the accepted industry standard.

Step 2: Choose a destination - Find out which countries and regions are best for teaching abroad without experience. It's also about your needs; where can you see yourself learning the native language, living well and earning a good salary? With the options available, you're bound to find the place for you - experience or not.

Step 3: Prepare your TEFL CV - Whether you realise or not, you probably have teaching experience to some degree. Maybe you've worked in childcare, or you've taught colleagues, given presentations or mentored? All of these things are transferable, along with a whole list of other miscellaneous activities you've likely done.

Then, it's about getting your CV in shape. Try volunteering, or working for an online teaching business to get your skills sharpened. Also, remember to tailor your cover letter and CV for each job you apply for. Really read the person specification and job description, and use some key terms in your application. Employers will definitely take notice.

Step 4: Apply for jobs - It's that simple! Throw some applications around, and your lack of teaching experience won't matter a jot!