Want to Land Your Next Teaching Role? Let’s Talk CVs!

Thinking about applying for a new teaching role? Whether you’re looking for your first position, ready for a change, or taking the next step in your education career, let’s make sure your CV is doing you justice.

Now, if you’re looking to join Toi Toi Recruitment as a reliever, you don’t need a CV to get started! Our application process gathers the information we need about your experience, qualifications and work history.

But if you’ve spotted a permanent or fixed-term role that has caught your eye, having a great CV ready to go can make all the difference.

So, how do you make yours stand out?

Show them who you are

Your CV is often the first introduction a centre or school has to you. Before they meet you kanohi ki te kanohi, it needs to give them a feel for who you are as an educator and what you could bring to their team.

Start with a short personal profile outlining your qualifications, experience, strengths and approach to teaching and learning.

Keep it genuine. You don’t need to fill it with fancy words - you want the reader to get a sense of the person behind the CV.

Your experience is worth more than a job title

Listing where you’ve worked is important, but showing what you’ve contributed is even better.

Think about the age groups or year levels you’ve worked with, your approach to supporting learning, your relationships with tamariki and whānau, and any additional responsibilities you’ve taken on.

Have you contributed to a new initiative, supported a learner with additional needs, mentored colleagues or helped strengthen team practices? These are the details that help bring your experience to life.

And if you’re a new graduate, don’t sell yourself short. Your practicum placements, previous employment and transferable skills all have a place on your CV.

Make the important details easy to find

A busy centre manager or principal needs to quickly understand what you bring to the role.

Make sure your CV includes:

• A short personal profile.

• Your employment history, starting with your most recent role.

• Your relevant qualifications and professional development.

• Your Teaching Council registration and practising certificate status, where applicable.

• Your key skills and achievements.

• Referees who can speak to your professional experience.

• Current contact details.

Keep the layout clean and easy to read, use bullet points rather than lengthy paragraphs, and check your spelling, grammar and dates before sending it through.

Tailor your CV to the role

This is where you can really make your application work harder for you.

Read the job advertisement carefully. What skills, experience and qualities are they looking for? Think about how your own experience matches those requirements, then make sure those strengths are easy to spot in your CV.

If a role focuses on building strong relationships with whānau, inclusive practice, curriculum planning or supporting additional learning needs, highlight relevant examples from your own mahi.

You don’t need to rewrite your whole CV every time. A few thoughtful changes can help show the employer why you could be a great fit for that particular team.

Before you hit send…

Take a moment to read through your CV with fresh eyes.

Does it reflect your experience accurately? Are your qualifications and registration details clear? Do your examples show what you can bring to the role? Are your referees happy to be contacted?

If possible, ask someone you trust to read it over. Sometimes another pair of eyes will pick up something you’ve missed.

Most importantly, don’t underestimate what you have to offer. Your CV is your chance to showcase it.

Ready for your next opportunity?

At Toi Toi Recruitment, we love seeing our kaiako grow, develop and take the next step in their careers.

Whether you’re picking up relief work or setting your sights on a permanent position, we’re here to support our Hawke’s Bay education community.

And remember, if you’re looking to join our reliever pool, you don’t need to worry about preparing a CV for us - our application process takes care of gathering that information.

But for that dream role you’ve got your eye on? Let’s get your CV ready to open the door.