11/22/2016

Writing a Teacher Application Letter? Learn from These 6Mistakes

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Your teacher application letter, also know as a teacher cover letter, is the first thing a hiring administrator reviews. Itwill prompt him or her to either move on to your teacher resume to learn more or immediately place your jobapplication in the discard pile.

Even if you are not a teacher, these application letter writing tips and strategies will help you immensely.

Your teacher application letter is your opportunity to make a good first impression, so you need to do it right!

Six Application Writing Letter Mistakes to Avoid to Secure a Teacher Job Interview

Mistake #1:

Writing a Generic Teacher Application Letter to Submit to Teaching Jobs

It is essential your cover letter for a teaching position is tailored to the position and school district where you aresubmitting your application. The only time it is acceptable to present a generic letter is when you have come acrossa job posting at the very last minute and are rushed to send off your job application documents. Very last momentmeaning just that – you only have one minute to submit. Otherwise, don’t send it as a generic letter.

Being proactive in your education job search will solve this problem. It is a good idea to keep an excellent genericcover letter on hand, just in case – it is better to apply for the job, than not at all. In most cases, you will have plentyof time to create a targeted application letter.

Have a generic application letter written to show your passion and is unique to what you have to offer a schooldistrict ready to go. By having a solid letter available, it will be easier to fine-tune it to meet the school districts’needs.

A tailored teacher application letter should be focused on the desired instructional open position. It will directly relateto the job posting, incorporate relevant keywords, and targeted toward the needs of the school district.

Make sure you research the school district before you begin writing your letter. If it is a school or district that caters toan inner-city population, you will want to use examples and descriptors that are relevant to teaching those students.The same can be said for an ESL population, students with special needs, or a higher-functioning group.

For instance, say you are a middle school social studies teacher. Your application letter will change depending onwhether the school is public or private, urban or suburban, a long-term substitute or full-time position, or a grade 6versus a grade 8 classroom. Do you get the picture?

Even though your skills, experiences, and knowledge remain the same, the aspects that you will highlight in yourapplication letter will change. Adapt your cover letter accordingly to ensure your application documents are given thetime and attention they deserve.

Mistake #2:

Not Incorporating Enough Action Words

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Do not start each sentence with “I;” use action words and unique descriptors to grab the reader’s attention. As well,highlight your accomplishments by explaining how your actions benefited the classroom and enhanced the learningexperience. For example:

Instead of: I designed fun lesson plans to interest students.

Use: Designing creative and exciting lesson plans to spark student interest is just one of my strengths.

Instead of: I used books and technology to differentiate instruction.

Use: In the classroom, I enjoy integrating age-appropriate literature and innovative technology to differentiateinstruction and facilitate all types of learners.

Instead of: I maintained a well-behaved classroom at all times.

Use: Cultivating a solid rapport with students and implementing positive reinforcement to maintain a focused andwell-behaved class at all times is one of my successes.

Instead of: I boosted student reading levels by one level.

Use: By incorporating read alouds, hands-on activities, and literature-based thematic units, I was able to raisestudent reading levels by one level, while instilling a passion for reading.

Do you see how the “improved” sentences grab your attention and demonstrate how the writer is an experiencedand accomplished teacher? These examples show how you will want to highlight your teaching accomplishments,teaching style, and value as an educator in your application letter.

Include action words in education resumes and cover letter to generate reader’s interest.

Mistake #3:

Forgetting to Include Your Teaching Accomplishments

No matter how long you have been teaching, you are bound to have several academic achievements to include inyour academic resume and cover letter. The last example listed above can be used as a teacher accomplishment.Other themes you may want to focus on, or questions you should ask yourself, include:

Have I increased student participation levels?

Have I decreased student absenteeism?

How were students performing by the end of the school year, as opposed to the start of the school year?

How does my 4th-grade class stack up against the others in the school? What about in the district or state?

Have I won any awards that would be worth mentioning?

Have I pioneered any new teaching techniques or instructional programs that have proven to be successful?

When developing the teaching accomplishments for your cover letter, use as many facts and figures as possible toconcretely demonstrate your aptitude and skill sets. It is also great if you can highlight accomplishments that aredifferent than in your resume. When writing your cover letter, you do not want to rehash and copy your resume. So,either re-word your accomplishments or use different accomplishments in your cover letter to avoid being redundant.

Also, make sure that the accomplishments you choose are relevant and important to the position you are targeted.You can change up the accomplishments you highlight depending on the teaching position of interest.

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We have an excellent post on finding education accomplishments to write a credible resume.

Mistake #4:

Writing a Boring Application Letter for a Teaching Position

Your teaching cover letter is your chance to make your personality shine for potential schools. The worst thing youcan be in your teaching application letter is boring!

If you come across as humdrum or lackluster, you can bet whoever is reading your letter will think the same, andyour application will go in the “No” pile. Remember, this letter will be a school’s first impression of you. You want toensure it is a positive one!

It is also good to bear in mind that your resume is meant to be purely professional with a very rigid format andstructure. Your cover letter, on the other hand, is your chance to introduce yourself, your personality, your teachingstyle, and your passion for teaching.

As mentioned in the second mistake to avoid, use action words and exciting descriptors when writing about yourself.You want to communicate passion, enthusiasm, and drive in your cover letter! Show the reader you are excited tobe applying for this position, and you are committed to giving it your absolute all!

You need to be able to show that you are a successful and talented educator in an engaging way that makes theperson reading your cover letter want to learn more about you by continuing to your resume.

Review more teaching cover letter writing tips with examples to gather further in-depth information and ideas.

Mistake #5:

Addressing Your Letter to the Wrong Person

A sign of a good teacher is attention to detail. If you address your instructional cover letter to the wrong person, youhave already earned yourself strike one. Usually, at the bottom of the job advertisement, you will find contact detailsfor the person in charge of hiring.

Include the person’s name, his or her title, the school or district, and full address at the top of your application letter.If you cannot find the name of a contact person, call the district’s head office to find out.

Not only is this professional and the polite thing to do, but it will also ensure that your application ends up in the rightperson’s hands.

Mistake #6:

Not Proofreading

Submitting a letter which contains spelling or grammatical errors will make the interviewer think you didn’t careenough to proofread your letter before sending. Even if you think you are good at writing and have few or nomistakes, always have your letter proofread.

Someone else may see errors that you didn’t notice. Don’t use large or unusual words. Keep it plain, simple and tothe point. The easier they can read your letter, the better chance you have against the competition.

So, when writing your next teacher application letter, remember always appropriately to target your letter to the jobposting, incorporate action verbs and your teaching accomplishments, include your personality and passion forteaching, properly address your letter to the hiring authority, and always, always, proofread!

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By avoiding these six teacher application letter writing mistakes, you will be on your way to securing more teachingjob interviews and more job offers.

If you’d like to see some examples of teacher application letters, the sample cover letters on our website will showyou examples of the work we produce.

You can also contact us to help you write a strong application letter for your dream teaching or any other educationposition of interest.

Analyze the vast career services we offer.

Contact Candace Alstad-Davies directly either by email or toll-free: 1-877-738-8052.

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