How to Adapt an Irish CV for Schools Abroad
Sorcha Coyle, Empowering Expat Teachers
I’ve been teaching abroad for over 10 years now (in Qatar and Dubai), and I can honestly say it’s been the best most empowering decision I’ve ever made. Here are some key tips in adapting your CV for schools abroad!
Schools in the UAE (and the rest of the world) start advertising their jobs A LOT EARLIER than schools at home, so I highly recommend having your CV updated and ready to apply NOW as these schools have already started advertising their teaching positions for the next academic year.
It is important to understand that CVs for teaching jobs in Ireland are different to CVs for teaching jobs in Dubai and other popular locations, in terms of length, detail, content and structure.
1. CV Length
First of all, your CV should only be 2 to 2.5 pages maximum, so remove any unnecessary information that is irrelevant to the school you’re applying to. This would include deleting any jobs you had before qualifying as a teacher, unless they’re education or student-related and/or you don’t have much teaching experience. In terms of your qualifications, remove your secondary school Leaving Certificate examination results and only keep your degree results and other relevant qualifications in your CV. Don’t include your teacher training placements if you’ve been qualified and teaching for a few years.
2. Review Wordings
Remember that the vast majority of headteachers of international schools aren’t Irish, so make sure that you explain any kind of Irish-specific terminology in your CV and cover letter, e.g. Droichead, Scoil, camogie, Gaeilge, etc. In your Work History, include school abroad’s specific curriculum terminology when you describe the year group or exam level you have taught to. For example, you can say “Taught English Literature to Leaving Certificate level (the Irish equivalent of the A-levels).” Don’t forget to explain any Irish-specific acronyms that you use in your CV, e.g. PME. Do not assume headteachers or HR of schools abroad will understand what the acronym means.
Psst… Read 5 Factors to Consider when Choosing an Expat School HERE
3. Tailor Your CV
In your CV, reflect the essential and desired skills from the job ad and tailor it to each school and job you apply to. Always provide concrete evidence to illustrate the skills that are listed in the job ad, not necessarily every single thing you’ve ever done in your teaching career.
4. CV Style
Include all work dates with no gaps in the employment history, as many headteachers will not consider an application from a CV with unexplained gaps.
In terms of your CV style, use an easy-to-read font (style and size), so it is legible to the reader. Leave out the fancy and complicated formatting and keep it simple and CONSISTENT! It helps to have clear section headings in the same colour, font style and size.
The Interests/ Hobbies section of your CV should only have a few lines or a short paragraph, to save space.
Unlike Ireland, you may be asked to include a photograph on your CV, so make sure it is a recent, professional-looking one.
Finally, always save your CV as a PDF so the format and style remain the same when you email it to apply to schools around the world!
Psst… Read 5 Factors to Consider when Choosing an Expat School HERE
Hi, I’m Sorcha! I’ve been an expat teacher in the Gulf for over 10 years now and I run the Empowering Expat Teachers community, whose mission is to empower future and current expat teachers to lead personally, professionally, and financially rewarding lives. I am especially excited about the financial empowerment aspect of expat teaching because it allowed me to save six figures in my first teaching job in Qatar and if I could do it, anyone can! I’m also a Certified Professional Résumé Writer and I am currently completing my level 7 ILM Coaching and Mentoring qualification. If you would like daily CV, cover letter and money tips, follow me on Instagram or Facebook.
In my free time, you’ll find me either Googling no-bake Nutella recipes or browsing Etsy for “Mary Poppins” inspired jewellery!
A huge thank you to Sorcha for this months Empowering Expat Teachers Series. We’re already looking forward to reading the March edition “Why I recommend moving abroad to teach”. Sorcha is also hosting our upcoming CPD webinar “Teaching in Dubai – 10 Things You Need to Know“.
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