Writing a CV that will set you apart

Our tips for making your CV suitable for international school jobs

If you’re a teacher applying for an international school job, your CV will need to be different from the one you use in your home country. Here is our team’s top tips for adapting your CV for international schools:

Include your marital status, partner’s occupation and dependent children

These are very important as the recruiting school will need to think about immigration requirements, accommodation, employment needs for your partner and school places for your children.

Include a Skype address in your contact details

The majority of international school interviews are conducted via Skype. Make sure you are familiar with using the programme and include your Skype name on your CV.

Include a professional photograph (head and shoulders)

It is standard for international school applications to include a photograph. This personalizes your CV so make sure it is professional looking. Include it in the top right-hand corner of your CV.

Include personal skills that reflect an international approach

If this is your first experience of working overseas, include references to skills that reflect international mindedness and the ability to cope with an international employment. This may include working with children that have ESOL, experience with using the International Baccalaureate, arranging overseas school trips etc.

Avoid the use of humour

Humour is very subjective and can be difficult to translate cross-culturally. It is safer to avoid it when applying for overseas positions.

Make your CV clean and easy to read

Most recruiters spend less than 20 seconds looking at a CV, so make sure yours is well written and easy to read. Stick to one or two fonts, ideally a sans font such as Calibri, Arial, Helvetica or Verdana. Keep it down to two pages (three at very most), and avoid bright colours and distracting backgrounds.

For more advice on preparing your CV for international school jobs, book a one-on-one CV building session with a TIC recruitment consultant at our Teaching Overseas Seminar. The seminar’s being held on 29th November in London and is absolutely free for teachers.