Teacher CV example: the lines a school reads before your interview
Put your subject, the age range you teach and your licence status in the opening lines, then give each school its classes, levels and one measured outcome. The worked example below is for a secondary maths teacher.1
Written 13 October 2026. CitedCV. How we write our guides
Write three facts before anything else
A school's first question is whether you fit the post at all. So before you touch the experience section, write down three things in one line each: the subject or branch you are qualified to teach, the ages or grades you have taught, and the exact status of your teaching licence today. If any of the three is unclear, the rest of the CV will be read with doubt.
Subject and age range in one line
Write it the way the school's own vacancy describes the post: 'Mathematics teacher, ages 11 to 18 (GCSE and A level)' for England, 'Grades 9 to 12 Algebra and Geometry' for a US district, 'Matematik öğretmeni, 9 to 12. sınıf' for a Turkish private school. One line, no adjectives.
Licence status in plain words
Name the licence and say whether it is held, pending or not yet applied for. 'QTS awarded 2024', 'Texas certificate pending, student teaching completed' and 'Recognition application submitted in Berlin, March 2026' are all honest and readable. A vague 'certified teacher' makes the reader go and check.
What schools check first, country by country
The first screen is legal, not stylistic: may this person teach this age group in this kind of school? The official sources below answer that question differently in each country, and your top lines should answer it for the country you are applying in.
| Country | State schools | Private schools | What the CV should show early |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | QTS is usually needed; the National Careers Service also lists enhanced background checks | Not covered by the same profile; read the vacancy | QTS and year, subject, key stages, safeguarding training |
| United States | A state licence or certificate for the grade level you teach, plus student teaching and a background check (BLS) | BLS says private schools typically do not require a licence | State, certificate area, grade band, student teaching placement |
| Germany | Teaching is regulated by each federal state; foreign qualifications need recognition (Berlin asks for a tabular CV) | Depends on the school and state | Both subjects, grade levels, recognition status, German level |
| Türkiye | Since 1 September 2025, Ministry posts go through the National Education Academy entrance exam and a preparatory programme (Law 7528) | Graduates of the qualifying programmes, with a work permit approved by the governorship (Law 5580, art. 8) | Branch, grade levels, pedagogical formation, exam year and score type if relevant |
England and the US: the licence decides the shortlist
The National Careers Service profile for secondary teachers lists three routes into the job: a degree with QTS, a PGCE after a first degree, or a teaching apprenticeship. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says every state requires public high school teachers to hold at least a bachelor's degree and a licence for the grade level they teach, and that every state offers an alternative route for graduates without education coursework. Say which route you took; it explains your dates.
Germany: the CV is part of the recognition file
Berlin's recognition service for foreign-trained teachers lists a dated and signed tabular CV among the documents, together with proof of teaching work from the last ten years showing subjects and grade levels. A CV that already names subjects and grades for every post saves you rewriting it for the authority.
Türkiye: exam scores for state posts, CVs for private ones
Law 7528 says Ministry teachers are chosen from graduates of qualifying degree programmes who complete the Academy's preparatory training, which lasts four terms (three for some programmes). ÖSYM's 2026 guide weights the entrance score half on the general AGS paper and half on the subject test (ÖABT); foreign-language branches use YDS or e-YDS instead. Private schools hire by CV and interview, which is where the example below is aimed.
Worked example: a secondary maths teacher
Example only. Mert Kaya is an invented person; the schools are described, not named, and every number is made up to show the form of a good line.
Header and profile
- Mert Kaya · Mathematics teacher, grades 9 to 12 · İzmir · mert.kaya@example.com
- Licence: BSc Mathematics (2018) with pedagogical formation certificate, noted on the diploma (2018).
- Profile: Six years teaching algebra, functions and statistics to grades 9 to 12 in a private high school, including two years preparing grade 12 students for the university entrance exam.
Teaching experience
- Mathematics teacher, private high school, İzmir · Sept 2021 to present
- Teach four classes a year (about 120 students), grades 10 to 12, 24 lessons a week.
- Raised the share of grade 10 students passing the spring common exam from 61% to 74% over two years by adding a fortnightly diagnostic quiz and regrouping support sessions.
- Wrote the department’s statistics unit for grade 11 (8 weeks, 32 lessons), now used by three colleagues.
- Run a weekly problem-solving club of 15 students; four reached the regional round of a national maths competition in 2025.
- Mathematics teacher, private middle and high school, Manisa · Sept 2018 to June 2021
- Taught grades 7 to 9 (three classes a year) and tutored a group of six students with learning difficulties under a support plan.
Why each line is there
| Line | What it proves to the reader |
|---|---|
| Grades 9 to 12 in the header | You fit the age band before they read further |
| Formation noted on the diploma | The teaching qualification exists and can be checked |
| Four classes, 120 students, 24 lessons | A full timetable, not occasional cover |
| 61% to 74% with the method named | An outcome you caused, with how you did it |
| Unit used by three colleagues | Work that outlived your own classroom |
Skills a teaching CV should prove
The National Careers Service names curriculum design, managing behaviour and learning conditions, patience under pressure and confident computer use among the skills for secondary teaching. A list of those words proves nothing; a line of evidence for each does.
| Skill | Weak wording | Evidence line |
|---|---|---|
| Curriculum design | Experienced in planning | Wrote an 8-week statistics unit used by three colleagues |
| Assessment | Good at assessment | Fortnightly diagnostic quiz; pass rate up 13 points |
| Inclusion | Supports all learners | Tutored six students with learning difficulties under a support plan |
| Safeguarding | Aware of child protection | Completed the school’s safeguarding training, renewed yearly |
| Digital tools | IT literate | Set and marked homework in the school’s learning platform for 120 students |
Sources and the date they were read
Every rule above was read on the official page on 13 October 2026. Teaching rules change; check the linked page before you apply.
- Law 7528 (Öğretmenlik Mesleği Kanunu), articles 7 to 9, 37 and transitional article 1: Ministry teachers come from the Academy’s preparatory training; these articles took effect on 1 September 2025.
- ÖSYM, 2026-MEB-AGS guide (version of 3 June 2026): the exam has an AGS and an ÖABT session, both scheduled for 26 July 2026; the subject score type weights ÖABT at 50%.
- Law 5580, article 8: private institutions employ graduates of the qualifying programmes; the governorship approves their work permits.
- YÖK letter on pedagogical formation (29 December 2022 decision): formation courses taken as electives appear on the transcript and the back of the diploma.
- National Careers Service, secondary school teacher; BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, high school teachers; Berlin, recognition of foreign teacher qualifications.
Where this example stops
This page is about classroom teachers in primary and secondary schools. A teacher of English as a foreign language is judged on different certificates, CELTA and CertTESOL above all, and has its own page. Nursery and pre-school teachers work with ages and programmes that change the whole CV, so they have one too. University lecturers need an academic CV with publications, which is a different document.
England's state schools also ask many applicants to fill in an application form rather than send a CV; the UK teacher guide covers that form and the QTS route for overseas teachers.
Teaching abroad and next steps
- For England, read the UK teacher guide (QTS for overseas teachers, the application form, safeguarding).
- For Germany, contact the recognition authority of the state where you want to teach; Berlin takes applications online only.
- Translate your diploma and formation record and decide how to show them; the degree recognition guide explains the wording.
- Write the CV in the language of the school. CitedCV can draft it in English, Turkish or German from the facts you enter, with the photo and personal-detail rules of the region you choose.
Questions people ask
What should a teacher put at the top of a CV?
Your subject, the age range or grades you teach and your licence status, in that order, followed by a two-line profile.
How do I write QTS on a CV?
Write "QTS awarded" with the year, and add the route in brackets, for example PGCE or a degree with QTS, so dates make sense.
How can a teacher show results without sharing student data?
Use class-level figures such as pass rates, attendance or the number of students in a club, never names or individual marks.
Should a teacher CV include safeguarding training?
Yes, in England especially; name the training and the year, since the National Careers Service lists safeguarding among the daily duties.
Do private schools in the US need a teaching licence?
Often not; the BLS says private schools typically do not require one, but the vacancy decides, so read it first.
Is pedagogical formation enough to teach in Türkiye?
For Ministry posts it is not; since September 2025 candidates also need the Academy entrance exam score and preparatory training under Law 7528.
Can I teach in Germany with a teaching degree from Türkiye?
Only after the federal state recognises it; Berlin, for example, usually decides four to six months after a complete file and charges €85 or €340.
Sources
- Law 7528, Öğretmenlik Mesleği Kanunu (mevzuat.gov.tr)www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuat?MevzuatNo=7528&MevzuatTur=1&MevzuatTertip=5
- ÖSYM, 2026-MEB-AGS Kılavuzu (3 June 2026)dokuman.osym.gov.tr/pdfdokuman/2026/MEB-AGS/kilavuz-agsd03062026.pdf
- Law 5580, Özel Öğretim Kurumları Kanunu (mevzuat.gov.tr)www.mevzuat.gov.tr/mevzuat?MevzuatNo=5580&MevzuatTur=1&MevzuatTertip=5
- YÖK, letter on pedagogical formation training (2023)msgsu.edu.tr/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/PedagojikFormasyonEgitimi.pdf
- National Careers Service, secondary school teachernationalcareers.service.gov.uk/job-profiles/secondary-school-teacher
- BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook, high school teacherswww.bls.gov/ooh/education-training-and-library/high-school-teachers.htm
- Service Berlin, recognition of foreign teacher qualificationsservice.berlin.de/dienstleistung/329595/