7 Steps to a Stand Out Resume to Teach English Online

Online English teacher wanted! ☆ Resumes are never fun and add an extra level of daunting importance if they become your only point of interaction with a future employer. After all, even if you bring in a less-than-majestic CV to a physical job interview but charm everybody with your charismatic personality, chances are that your infectious grin and enthusiastic inquiries as to the interviewer’s favorite hobbies are going to get you a team jersey by the time you walk out the door. Psychologically, people tend to hire who they like, not necessarily who is the most competent. 

So, it’s time for a new game plan rather than just sending another boring cookie cutter resume to the electronic stack of Last_FirstResume.docs. Online English teacher wanted? Online English teacher found! Time to sparkle.

Consider your resume an extension of your radiant, qualified self. You are more than just an unformatted lump of Times New Roman text, and your online employers are dying for a professionally quirky resume to break the flow of free resume templates. There are hundreds of online jobs teaching English and thousands of candidates with years of teaching experience; you need to add something more to make you a star teacher candidate and sign that online contract.

Thus, without further ado…

7 tips to improve your resume for online English teaching

1. Appearance is important

Formatting a resume is simple, but it’s also what is noticed first, so it’s no small thing. A digital resume is basically you going to an interview in person, so tidy up: groom it well, be presentable, make a great first impression, stand out. Choose a clean font (Times New Roman is a safe classic, but Arial and Calibri are also acceptable modern wonders), stick with black-on-white, use correct headings, pay attention to spacing, organize data chronologically, spell check five times.

 While a professional, easy-to-read appearance is key to your teach English online resume, sprucing it up with something memorable is also a game-changer and will help others remember you. For example, include a well-designed horizontal line, stick in a personal logo, or get a graphic designer to add a sleek layout. Take calculated risks though, as anything too over-the-top is liable to backfire. Leave out the hot pink Comic Sans, Elle Woods.

2. Follow directions

As a teacher, you should know that following directions is a big one. Don’t automatically disqualify your wonderful self by not including critical information requested by the employer, such as contact information. Also, that “Requirements” section is there for a reason. If you fall short of more than one or two of those listed, you might not want to waste your time applying. Maybe you interview amazingly, but you have to actually get there first, and your resume is the golden ticket.

In short, follow all formatting requests, attach all required components, adhere to deadlines, possess all requisites. This tip is also very easy to check off, but serves as a building block for your accountability, so be thorough. 

3. Have superfly wifi (or get wired—even better!)

Since your computer is gonna be your classroom, it’s essential to make sure that you have all of your equipment up and functioning. List your computer model, internet connection (run a speed check, take a photo, and include as attachment), headset features, and any other relevant technological information. A crucial component to being able to successfully find online jobs teaching English is your hardware, so make sure yours meets minimum operating standards.

Virtual interviews will probably be conducted via Skype, so be sure to include your username with your resume and practice logging into the software prior to your interview to make sure that your password is correct. Let’s pour one out for all virtual interviews torpedoed by a poor wifi connection.

4. List relevant skills and education

Critical content of any teach English online resume includes prior experience and a strong skill set for the job. List any experiences chronologically, starting with your latest gig. When it comes to skills, don’t be shy—focus on the ones that make you a stellar teacher: leadership, computer skills, foreign language experience. If you are a native English-speaker (automatic bonus skill points!), clarify your accent: American, British, Australian, etc.  

This is where you list any and all teaching courses completed. Do you have a TEFL, TESOL, CELTA, or other teaching certificate? Display it here! Prospective employers want (and need) to know how you stack up against the competition when it comes to certifications. (Don't have a certification...yet? No problem! Cool companies like International TEFL Academy will help you get started.)

5. Be the one

Most online schools will require a cover letter or resume objective. This is the golden key to prove to your future employer just how much of a rock star you are and how well you fit what they are looking for. Whether you have a few paragraphs in the cover letter or a few lines in the objective field, it is critical to condense information, experiences, and relevant skills to provide a vision that aligns your interests and experience to the mission of the school.

For example, if the school you’re applying for is geared toward teaching elementary classes in China, your online ESL teacher resume objective should reflect teaching international kiddos (instead of the local elderly). This section proves not only that you did your research about the particular organization (it’s always nice to throw in a couple of allusions to the company’s mission statement), but also that you best fit this type of scenario. Mix-and-match your experience with the school’s needs.

6. No experience? No problem.

Let’s be honest: Experience is great. It gives you credibility and confidence, and you have a ready-made list of lesson plans that you can reuse for the next semester. However, if you are an online teacher n00b, don’t lose hope. Instead of dwelling on what you don’t have, highlight what beneficial involvements you do have.

Leadership and language proficiency are two of the biggest bullet points you could elaborate on a resume for online teaching without experience. Even if you have never stood in front of a classroom before (or, rather, talked into a Skype classroom before), maybe you have worked as a counsellor at a summer camp, babysat neighbors, served as president for an after-school club, volunteered at an art center, or toured freshmen around the college campus.

Show off any valuable management positions and social skills. Similarly, if you’ve never taught English before, maybe you went through the process of learning another language, so you can bring difficulties or successful lessons from someone else’s classroom into yours. Brainstorm and dig deep! Chances are, if you’re applying to be an online teacher, you have a history of somehow helping others. (And if you want to escape the need-experience-to-get-experience vicious circle, consider volunteer teaching for a few weeks—or more!)

7. Extra credit

Once you’ve made sure that your resume has covered all the basics, it’s time to shine as bright as that golden star sticker. Add an intriguing layout to your resume, include a headshot if you feel so inclined, list any other experiences or education that give you a leg-up, and think about any additional materials you could include that would make you stand out. Since we’re talking about teach English from home jobs, why not include a short video shot in your quiet at-home classroom introducing yourself?

Subtly show off teaching props, prove that you speak slowly and clearly, and flash that charming smile. Of course, you don’t want to spam your potential employer with unsolicited materials, and any extra credit potential is linked with the personal nature of the school you’re applying for. If it’s a fun place, why not show off your enthusiastic energy in that video? If it’s a professional institution, why not include a certificate attachment of 100,000 TEFL hours completed? Anything to set you apart and a step up! 

Score opportunities to teach English from home & jobs with a standout resume

Now that you have a list of helpful hints to give you honor teacher status, take the time to put all the ingredients together in a well-balanced package. Don’t be lazy! If you put in effort initially to create a strong resume foundation, you can re-use it over and over again through the years; simply keep adding new experiences and awards.

It’s definitely easier to just rewrite the online ESL teacher resume objective and ctrl C+V previously-existing information around your resume to highlight the most relevant bullet points than to recreate entire resumes for every “online English teacher wanted” ad.

Just make sure that you sound sincere! Even through electronic means (and in this modern fast-paced world) people appreciate details and a personalized effort. When crafting up your teach English online resume, take the time to cater directly to the school and establish a meaningful interaction. Maneuver around the virtual playing field strategically.

Stand tall, count your red apples, and put on your best game face. In no time, you’ll be making the world a better (and more universal) place from the comfort of your own home! 

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