English teacher CV example for language schools at home and abroad
Language schools hiring English teachers look first for a recognised certificate such as CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL, then for the CEFR levels, exam classes and hours you have taught. Put the certificate and its grade near the top.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
First, find the certificate line the advert expects
Open three job adverts from the kind of school you want and copy the qualification sentence from each. Prospects, the UK graduate careers service, says most TEFL employers expect a recognised certificate, mainly the Cambridge CELTA or the Trinity CertTESOL, and that shorter online certificates of around 120 hours suit casual or voluntary work. If the adverts name CELTA and you hold an online 120-hour certificate, that gap is the first thing to fix, not the wording of your CV.
TEFL, TESL and TESOL are not the same promise
Prospects separates the terms: TEFL usually means teaching abroad, TESL means teaching people who live in an English-speaking country, and TESOL covers both. Use the term the employer uses in the job title, and keep the certificate name exact; 'TEFL certified' says nothing about which course or how many hours.
How the main teaching certificates compare
The table is built from the awarding bodies' own pages, read on 13 October 2026. It shows what each certificate actually contains, which is what a director of studies checks when your CV names it.
| Cambridge CELTA | Trinity CertTESOL | Cambridge Delta | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who it is for | New teachers and those wanting a first recognised certificate | New teachers and experienced teachers without a recognised initial qualification | Teachers with at least one year of experience |
| English level | High C1 or above | Normally C1 for non-native speakers | C1 or above |
| Hours | At least 120 contact hours plus about 80 hours of own work | 200 hours total, at least 130 guided | Three modules, taken in any order |
| Teaching practice | 6 assessed hours with adults at two or more levels | At least 6 supervised hours with real learners | Not described on the overview page |
| Grades or level | Pass A, Pass B, Pass, Fail; no final exam | Level 5 on the Ofqual framework | Proficient to expert stage on Cambridge’s teaching framework |
Writing the certificate on the CV
- CELTA, Pass B · Cambridge English · course centre and city · month and year
- Trinity CertTESOL · Trinity College London · course provider · year
- Delta Module 1 · Cambridge English · year (list each module you have passed separately)
- If the course was online or mixed mode, you may say so; Cambridge offers CELTA face to face, online or mixed.
Cambridge issues the CELTA certificate up to eight weeks after the course. Until then write 'CELTA, completed June 2026, certificate pending' rather than a grade you have not yet been sent.
Worked example: an EFL teacher applying to schools abroad
Example only. Deniz Arslan is an invented person, the schools are described rather than named, and all numbers are illustrative.
Header and teaching qualifications
- Deniz Arslan · English teacher (EFL), adults and teenagers, A2 to C1 · Ankara, open to relocation · deniz.arslan@example.com
- CELTA, Pass B, Cambridge English, mixed-mode course, Ankara, 2021
- BA English Language and Literature, 2019
- English: C2 (IELTS Academic 8.5, 2024) · Turkish: native · Spanish: A2
Teaching experience
- English teacher, private language school, Ankara · Sept 2021 to present
- About 1,100 contact hours a year across general English (A2 to B2) and exam classes; groups of 8 to 14 adults.
- Taught six IELTS preparation courses (10 weeks each); 41 of 58 learners reported their target band or higher.
- Built a 20-lesson B1 speaking module from authentic podcasts, adopted for all B1 groups in 2024.
- Teach two online groups a term on the school’s video platform, with recorded feedback on each learner’s speaking.
- English teacher, private secondary school, Ankara · Sept 2019 to June 2021
- Taught grades 9 and 10 (four classes, 5 lessons a week each) and ran a debating club of 12 students.
What a director of studies reads in it
| Line | Question it answers |
|---|---|
| A2 to C1, adults and teenagers | Can you take the classes on our timetable |
| CELTA, Pass B | Recognised certificate, and how well you did on it |
| 1,100 contact hours a year | Real classroom load, not a summer job |
| 41 of 58 reached their band | Exam teaching with a result, stated honestly as self-reported |
| Online groups | You can cover the school’s online courses too |
Skills to prove, not list
| Skill | Evidence line |
|---|---|
| Teaching across levels | Taught A2 to C1 groups in the same term |
| Exam preparation | Ran six IELTS courses; 41 of 58 learners reached their target band |
| Materials design | Wrote a 20-lesson speaking module now used across the B1 level |
| Online teaching | Two online groups a term with recorded individual feedback |
| Cultural awareness | Taught mixed groups of learners from five countries |
| Your own language level | C2, with the test and year that show it |
Prospects lists communication, planning, adaptability, cultural awareness and confidence with technology among the skills for this job. Each row above turns one of them into something the reader can check in an interview.
Teaching abroad: what changes by country
Where you can teach depends on visas and programme rules more than on the CV. Three examples, each from its own official or careers source:
- China: Prospects says most TEFL jobs abroad do not need a degree, but some countries, China among them, require a bachelor’s degree or higher for the visa.
- Japan, JET Programme: for 2025 to 2026, assistant language teachers need a bachelor’s degree and must be nationals of the country where they apply, not only residents. Teaching qualifications help but are not required.
- United Kingdom: Prospects says state schools generally require QTS and further education may require QTLS, so CELTA alone does not open UK school posts.
- Türkiye: Ministry English-teacher posts use a YDS or e-YDS score instead of a subject test, according to ÖSYM’s 2026 MEB-AGS guide.
Prospects also advises checking visa requirements and contract terms before accepting any post. Offers that ask for a fee before a contract are covered in the guide to overseas job scams.
When this page is the wrong one
If you teach English inside a state school system as a subject teacher, your CV is judged on the national teaching licence first; the teacher CV guide covers that, and the UK teacher guide covers QTS. If you teach children under six, the early years rules in the preschool teacher guide matter more than CELTA, which is assessed with adult classes.
Next steps
- Match the certificate line to the adverts you collected; take CELTA or CertTESOL if they ask for it.
- State your own English level with a CEFR label and the test behind it; the CEFR guide explains how.
- Write a short cover letter that names the levels and exam classes the school runs.
- If you want help drafting, CitedCV writes the CV in English from the qualifications and hours you enter, and leaves out any line it cannot tie to them.
Questions people ask
Is CELTA enough to teach English abroad?
Often yes for private language schools, which Prospects says mainly ask for CELTA or CertTESOL, but visas may also require a degree.
Can a non-native speaker take CELTA?
Yes. Cambridge asks for English at high C1 or above, education to university-entry level and a minimum age of 18.
How do I write my CELTA grade on a CV?
Write the grade exactly as on the certificate (Pass A, Pass B or Pass) with the centre and year; leave the grade out until it is confirmed.
CELTA or Trinity CertTESOL: which looks better on a CV?
Neither outranks the other in Prospects’ description; both are named as the main recognised certificates, so choose by dates, place and price.
Do I need a degree to teach English abroad?
Not for many TEFL posts, but some countries require one for the work visa, and the JET Programme requires a bachelor’s degree.
What should an ESL teacher resume include with no experience?
Your certificate and its six hours of assessed teaching practice, the levels you taught on the course, your own English level and any tutoring.
When should I take Delta?
After at least one year of teaching, which Cambridge sets as the starting point; it suits teachers aiming at senior or trainer roles.
Sources
- Cambridge English, About the CELTA coursewww.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/teaching-qualifications/celta/about-the-celta-course/
- Trinity College London, CertTESOLwww.trinitycollege.com/qualifications/teaching-english/CertTESOL
- Cambridge English, Deltawww.cambridgeenglish.org/teaching-english/teaching-qualifications/delta/
- Prospects, English as a foreign language teacherwww.prospects.ac.uk/job-profiles/english-as-a-foreign-language-teacher
- JET Programme, eligibilityjetprogramme.org/en/eligibility/
- ÖSYM, 2026-MEB-AGS Kılavuzu (3 June 2026)dokuman.osym.gov.tr/pdfdokuman/2026/MEB-AGS/kilavuz-agsd03062026.pdf