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Covering Letter & CV Advice:
Why should you write a covering letter?
A covering letter offers you the ideal platform to summerise how your skills & experience match those required of the teaching position you are applying for. As there are likely to be many applications for the same position, the covering letter offers you the first chance to sell yourself to a potential employer. It is also worth remembering that the company might be advertising several positions at the same time, so ensure you include the job reference within the covering letter.
What should be included in a covering letter?
A covering letter should ideally be split into two parts, an introduction & main body.
Introduction:
The introduction should state how you came to apply for the teaching position in question. As an example you may have seen the position advertised in a local paper, and may write:
“I wish to apply for the position of xxx as advertised in the “local paper” on the 5/10/2009…”
You should then go onto write the main body of the covering letter, which should include the following content.
The Body:
- Qualifications you hold that are specific to the teaching job in question
- Your personal strengths/qualities, which would make you a good candidate for the position
The body of the covering letter is also a great chance to add extra weight to information contained in your CV. However you take extra care not to just repeat information that is contained in your CV, as this is likely to bore the person reviewing your application. You should also try to ensure you highlight what you can bring to the table, i.e. what can you do for the employer? Avoid just stating why you think the position would benefit your particular need.
In addition to the above, you should include your contact details in the covering letter as well as the date you wrote it.
Formatting of your covering letter
The covering letter (unlike the CV) should confirm to standard writing style. As you may imagine, it is important to ensure your covering letter looks as professional as possible. If you know the name of the person receiving your application you should address them by name, other use Dear Sir or Madam.
Ideally your covering letter should be no more than one page in length as you are just summerising how your skills & experience match the teaching job in question. It should also be written in concise paragraphs, which in turn will make it easy to read.
Your covering letter should also be signed off like a normal formal letter, e.g. “Yours Sincerely” or “Kind Regards”.