Veteran applicants should not be satisfied with his first draft of a cover letter. Closely reexamine the letter to incorporate alterations and corrections not visible in the first draft.



All cover letters for a teaching job should be written in a business letter format and generally with a content of three brief paragraphs. The first paragraph states the purpose of the letter. The second paragraph summarizes your qualifications for the teaching job. Be concise and avoid redundancy. The final paragraph is basically a request to be considered for the job, and stating the possibility of being interviewed for the position.

Cover letter for a teaching job is expected to be scrutinized more than any other cover letters for most industries. School administrators can gauge an applicant's exuberance for teaching and his/her communication ability through his/her cover letter. A lively cover letter stands out from the crowd – it can show a part of your personality that is not usually evident in a resume. Cover letters allow a teacher applicant to:

1. Show eagerness to apply for a particular district. Spend a fraction of your time researching for that school district and write a little something about it in your letter.

2. Highlight 2 or 3 of your strengths as an educator – and contemplate some of your special teaching experiences.

3. Convey your teaching enthusiasm in educating young minds and in specific subject or level of grade you are interested to teach.

Cover Letter Guides for a Teacher

Send it to a specific person. Again a short research or telephone call will make you certain about the name of the recipient. Don't use salutations like “Dear Sir,” “Dear Madam,” “Dear Personnel,” “Gentlemen,” or “To Whom……”

Make it as short as possible. One page, 3 to 4 paragraphs is enough. Effective cover letters concentrate on qualifications and not on mere claims of competency.

Showcase your interest. Convey what you know about the industry or the organization. Your networking skills will help. Use the specific vocabulary of a particular industry/discipline if suitable.

Be original in your writing. You can take a colloquial tone but your writing must be untainted and void of grammatical errors. Choose the active voice and use strong verbs. Avoid cliché statements.

Put yourself on the reader's shoes. Feel like you are the recipient of the letter. Express what you can do for the organization of the reader and not what you expect to happen.

Closely watch the details. Employers look forward to the writing prowess of their applicants in the cover letter. Everything must be correct; grammar, punctuations, spelling; no typographical errors. Let a proofreader check your writing for content, correctness and clarity. When sending your cover letter for a teaching job via email, save the letter as a Word document and paste it to your email.

First impressions last. Every year, an employer reads cover letters by the hundreds. Be sure yours will stand out by taking consideration of the following:

• Use the same font in typing your resume and cover letter, for example 12 point, Times New Roman.

• Print the cover letter and resume using exactly the same plain bond paper. White/off-white bond paper is preferable.

• Use a blue or black pen in signing a hard copy of your cover letter and resume.

The Postscript Technique

Add luster to the cover letter by appending a P.S. It can highlight your most marketable qualification. Take note of this example:

“P.S. I was the only student-teacher given recognition by John's University for my passion in teaching.”

The only sure way that your cover letter for a teaching job can reach those possible employers is by hand-delivering it. The administrator may give you a spot interview. The odds of being hired are great.