Update your CV
Tailoring your CV to a career in FE teaching will help you to stand out when applying for further education jobs.
With roles available across a wide range of subjects and sectors, teaching in further education is a flexible and rewarding career path. However, competition for jobs can be fierce. So, if you want to stand out from the other applicants and give yourself the best chance of securing an interview, you’ll need to spend some time polishing your CV.
This page provides practical CV writing tips for prospective FE teachers. Learn how to present your skills, work experience, and qualifications in a way that shows employers why you’re the right person for the job.
Once you’ve updated and improved your CV, you’ll be ready to move on to step 3: starting your further education job search.
How to use the STAR Method to enhance your CV
When writing your CV, instead of simply listing what responsibilities you held in your previous jobs, you can use the STAR method to show employers what you achieved and the impact your work had.
STAR stands for Situation, Task, Action, and Result. The method is used to demonstrate your achievements in a more engaging and persuasive way.
Look at job descriptions for further education teaching roles, identify which of your achievements are most relevant, and then highlight them on your CV using the STAR method.
For each achievement, start by describing a situation you faced. Then explain the task you were responsible for and the specific actions you took, and finally, the results you achieved.
The STAR method also provides a clear structure for answering interview questions. So, getting used to using this technique when writing your CV doubles up as great interview prep.
Transferable Skills for FE Success
Transferable skills are skills that can be applied across various jobs and sectors, not just within the job where they were developed.
So, while you may not have worked in further education before, you may still have many of the transferable skills for teaching that FE employers are looking for.
For example, even if you haven’t worked as a teacher before, you may have experience in public speaking, hosting meetings, or running training sessions. This demonstrates that you already have the good communication and presentation skills needed for college teaching roles.
Sit down and brainstorm what transferable skills you have and how they can be linked to the specific subject area you would like to teach in further education. Then, update your CV to highlight these strengths, using clear and relevant examples to demonstrate the value you could bring to an FE teaching role in your chosen subject area.
Show your Passion in your FE teaching application
To improve your chances of being offered a job interview, you should always include a cover letter or personal statement for FE roles.
Your cover letter should explain clearly and concisely why you are a good fit for the job and your reasons for applying. This is your chance to show employers where your passion for teaching or a particular subject comes from.
Sharing a personal story about what motivated you to pursue a role in FE teaching can help your application stand out.
For example, rather than simply stating that you’re passionate about teaching, you could tell a story about how mentoring a colleague or running training sessions at work inspired you to change your career path.
This helps employers to understand how your experience and enthusiasm align with the job you’re applying for and understand your personal reasons to teach in further education.
List Relevant Qualifications to Boost your FE CV
If you already hold relevant teaching qualifications for college roles, like a PGCE, DET, or QTLS, or have completed other further education teacher training, this can give you a significant advantage when applying for FE teaching jobs.
Make sure you clearly list all relevant teaching qualifications or applicable training on your CV. Don’t forget to explain how the skills and knowledge you’ve gained through your studies help you meet the job requirements for the specific subject or sector you’re applying for.
Alongside any teaching qualifications, colleges will also want to see any technical qualifications you hold for the subject you want to teach – this will usually be a minimum Level 3 qualification in your specialist subject area. Make sure you showcase all technical qualifications clearly on your CV.
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Common CV Mistakes to Avoid
When updating your CV it’s important not to make these mistakes:
- Sending the same CV to every employer instead of tailoring your CV.
- Not explaining how your experience and achievements are relevant to the role you’re applying for.
- Listing duties rather than highlighting specific achievements.
- Using long, unformatted paragraphs instead of breaking up information with bullet points and headings.
- Forgetting to proofread your CV before applying for jobs.
When you're ready, move on to Step 3: Start your Job Search.