How to Fill Out Your Teaching Application the Right Way

Application FormWhat to Do Before You Apply

Before you apply for any job, you should look into the business to find out exactly what they do. The same goes for teaching – every school is different, and roles will differ from school to school.

Find out about the school/multi-academy trust

  • Check the website – what kind of school is it? What is its ethos?
  • If possible, ask if you can visit the school before submitting an application – you will get a much better feel for the place if you visit
  • Read the school’s most recent Ofsted report

If you don’t live locally, research the area

 

Filling Out Your Application for Education Jobs in Cambridge

Personal Information

Read the application pack carefully – it’s often easy to miss something that could prove to be important. Once you’re happy, the first step will be to fill out your personal details. You will need to make sure that all your details are correct as the information you give will be vital in terms of getting in touch with you and performing any necessary checks.

Current/Previous Employment

If this is your first teaching position, then you will need to give details of all your training placements. Other employment before you started training should also be mentioned, including any voluntary work (especially if this was education-related).

References

You will need to give two references for the job you are applying for, one of which should be your current employer if relevant, or, for your first teaching post, your tutor from your training institution. It’s vital to ensure you have up-to-date contact details – don’t forget to ask their permission to be given as a referee before you submit the application.

 

Why Do You Want this Job?

This section of the application form may be called the ‘supporting statement’, or you may be asked to provide a ‘covering letter’. Whatever its name, this is the most important part of the whole application for any education job in Cambridge. Often guidelines are given as to length; if not, then you should aim for approximately 1000 words.

This is where you impress the school’s headteacher with your suitability for the job.

  • Describe your previous experience and explain how it has prepared you for this role – give specific examples
  • Say what it is about this school that makes you want to work there – perhaps you are impressed by its commitment to social, moral and spiritual education, or you feel like you can contribute to its extensive extracurricular activities. Whatever it is, this part of the statement should be unique to this particular application. DO NOT copy and paste these statements in their entirety – while sections will be relevant to more than one application, headteachers are used to seeing (and are unimpressed by) generic applications that could be used for any teaching job.
Menu