CV guide: What qualities are international schools looking for in a teacher
The schooling system has remained pretty much the same since it was established as a working model at the dawn of modernity. It has always relied on gathering students in a classroom with their teacher to be instructed on whatever subject the class is about. The advent of COVID-19 put an end to that practice rather abruptly, and although many attempts to resume it have been made, it doesn’t seem like it will be returning in force any time soon.
Still, education doesn’t have it nearly as bad as many other industries. The pandemic may have thrown a spanner in its works, but luckily we had the technology to transfer it to another medium already available.
Since learning is essential for building the future, the need for education hasn’t really diminished. In fact, if anything, with so many people locked down tight, the need for online classes has only increased.
Both local and international education centers are looking for fresh talent for their new programs. This could be a good opportunity for both veteran teachers and those who are fresh to the profession to find worthwhile employment.
Naturally, education centers, and especially prestigious international schools, will not take just anyone on board. This is why candidates need to do their best to present their prospective employers with a well-written CV that emphasizes their strengths.
But what should you put on your CV if you want to apply for a position at an international school? What qualities and skills should you really emphasize when applying for the job?
Technical skills
Command of technology has always been relevant when it comes to finding a job, but now that everything has been transferred online, it has become more crucial than ever. Remote classes will be the norm while this pandemic lasts, but many schools will likely keep up their online activity after things calm down as well.
With this being the case, it doesn’t matter whether you’re planning to move abroad to teach or you’re going to do it online. In either case, your technical skills will need to be on a decent enough level – and you need to advertise that extensively when writing your CV.
Make absolutely sure that you list all your certificates when it comes to technology. Аny classes you took, extracurricular activities you’ve attended, projects you’ve worked on should make their way into your CV. List all your IT skills, even if you don’t have a certificate to prove your knowledge. Emphasize your experience with all communication platforms, especially those used for business or education purposes.
Expertise on the relevant subject
Naturally, being well-versed in a subject is mandatory for an educator specializing in that subject. Any document that you can produce to showcase the mastery of your chosen field is a boon in this regard. Make sure to list any certificate, diploma, award, or any other document that could establish your credentials as a master of your field of work, regardless of the source.
As usual, it doesn’t hurt to list all your other qualifications as well, even though they may not seem relevant to the application at hand. While they may not be applicable for your desired position, showcasing your other achievements and talents presents you as a versatile and multi-dimensional professional with a wide field of expertise.
Even if it doesn’t seem like these additional details may give you a leg up, they make a good impression, which is very important when it comes to hiring.
Experience as an educator
When tailoring your CV to apply to an international school, it is important to emphasize your experience as a teacher. Make an extensive list of all your previous schooling employment experience, and make sure that’s prominent on your CV.
Remember to detail all your experience as a teacher on your CV – especially if it includes online seminars, talks, or workshops you may have organized, etc.
Experience with various cultures
When applying for a job at an international school, it is essential to emphasize your openness to other cultures and people. Demonstrating your appreciation for the culture of the people who you are going to teach is crucial for relating to them. Relating to them, in turn, is necessary for educating them effectively.
Demonstrating your openness to other people’s cultures in the format of a CV can be rather tricky to do, but there are ways to go about it. Listing a couple of courses or seminars that you’ve attended that have subjects related to said culture and its cuisine, history, traditions, etc., will probably do the job quite nicely.
Adaptability and flexibility
The world of 2020 was a pretty complicated place, even before the coronavirus pandemic messed everything up. Now, with so many things up in the air, companies are reevaluating their priorities when it comes to soft skills they value in their new hires. In an almost universal trend, adaptability and flexibility seem to have been shifted towards the top of the list.
Again, those are difficult qualities to prove or quantify, but having a diverse and wide-reaching set of skills and experiences goes a long way towards attesting to that fact. To this end, make sure you list all your skills, qualifications, and job experience when composing your CV. Things that may not be in any way related to the current job could well be included at the back of the list, but make sure they are present.
Ability to cope with stress
Teaching is often a very stressful job. Educating people from another culture further complicates the matter – especially if they speak the course’s language as a second or third language. International school teachers often have to contend with such difficulties, and dealing with them can take quite a bit of patience, resolve, and perseverance.
The matter is further complicated by the very nature of teaching classes in an international school. If you’re doing it online, not being in the same physical space as the students poses some very specific challenges that are difficult to resolve. On the other hand, if you’re doing it in person, you likely have had to physically move to a foreign country, with all the logistical difficulties and other complications that entails.
Both of those things would introduce a significant amount of stress in your life, and if you want the job, you should do your best to demonstrate to your employer that you can handle the pressure. Again, proving that you can in a CV may be challenging, but listing all your outstanding or remarkable achievements may be helpful in that regard.
