When hiring managers read education cover letters, they are looking for both your ability to learn and to teach. You can’t be an excellent educator if you're not a lifelong learner. You’re ready to begin your job search and need an outstanding cover letter to do it.
How do you create a document that will land you at the head of the class? First, you need to understand the central message: An education cover letter that helps you graduate to the next level of your career is like a great lesson plan, it starts with the big picture and then breaks your message down into manageable chunks.
In this cover letter guide, along with the corresponding education cover letter examples, we’ll cover the following topics to help you design the best cover letter possible:
- How to choose the best cover letter format and what paragraphs the cover letter should include
- How to maximize the effect of each cover letter paragraph (header, greeting, intro, body and conclusion)
- What approach to take when writing your cover letter
- What mistakes to avoid when writing your education cover letter.
The guide below will analyze the details and give you ideas on how to make the most of this one-page addition to your application. (You can also check out our library of 125+ cover letter examples).
Best format for an education cover letter
Before you begin a new school year, you prep by outlining the units you need to teach and the time it will take. When you write a cover letter, you prep by understanding the sections that go into it. Your education cover letter should contain the following elements:
- The cover letter header
- The greeting / salutation
- The cover letter intro
- The middle paragraphs (body of the letter)
- The ending paragraph of your cover letter (conclusion and call-to-action)
The cover letter complements your resume and allows you to get into more detail. TYou differentiate for your audience, no matter what your role in education is. The same is true of your cover letter. Do a little research into the philosophy of your targeted school or company. Find out all you can about the students, customers and faculty and employees. This extra step will help you choose the best tone and wording to deliver your message.
The comprehensive cover letter guide is an impressive stop for general advice on writing cover letters, but this text gets deeper into each paragraph and the specifics of writing for an accounting and finance position.
The education cover letter example below gives an overview of how to create your own application:
Dear Mr. Jacobs,
I was elated to hear that a Classroom Teacher position is seeking candidates at the Hillside School. I have long admired the mission of your school, and personally know many families who have greatly benefited from the outstanding education and guidance your school provides. I am very much hoping for the opportunity to serve your students and families through the implementation of exceptional curriculum and instruction, and a willingness to guide and mentor students on their journey to success.
I bring forth extensive experience as a lead teacher for early childhood students, where I implemented differentiated instruction in multi-cultural and multi-racial classrooms. My Teaching Philosophy is centered around the idea that students learn best when they are fully engaged through their own curiosities and interests. I would be honored to collaborate with the educators and administration at the Hillside School to provide the most enriching learning experiences possible for students.
Please let me know if we can further discuss this opportunity in person. Thank you for your consideration.
Most Sincerely,
Sebastian Wilder
Cover letter header
The header of your cover letter is like the date and agenda you post in your classroom each day. Recruiters know where to look for it to find the information they need to schedule your interview.
Display your name, email and phone contact information prominently. Add a little flair by using a creative font and perhaps a splash of color. If you work with young students or are an art teacher, you can use a slightly more fun approach to show off your energy and enthusiasm for decorating for the little ones.
If you do get arty, remember that your real goal is to make it easy for hiring managers to contact you, so keep it legible.
Make the grade with the Applicant Tracking System
In our education resume guide, we explain how to rank high with Applicant Tracking Systems. Take the same approach with your cover letter. Many school districts use a common application system: Applitrack. It is easy to copy your application from one district to the next, but make sure you differentiate your cover letter for each job just as you do your resume.
ATS software is ubiquitous throughout the human resources world, so the same applies to any job for which you apply online.
The aim of this section: Develop an easy-to-read, eye-catching display for your contact information.
Cover letter greeting
The greeting sets the tone for the remainder of your education cover letter, therefore we recommend beginning with the standard “Dear Mr/Mrs/Ms. Surname.” You will note that our cover letter examples use this greeting. Remember to triple check that you have the spelling correct. Many educators have doctorates, so be sure to check on all titles before you send your letter. There’s no quicker way to lose points (or the interview) than to misspell someone’s name or get their gender or title wrong.
Some schools, especially private or charter schools, may operate more casually. In that case, you can adjust your greeting to “Hi First Name,” but if you have any doubts, it is better to stick to a more formal greeting.
If you cannot get the name of a person, “to whom it may concern” is a fine alternative. We suggest staying away from more casual greetings such as “Dear Math Department,” because it may come off as disrespectful.
The aim of the cover letter greeting: Address the principal, hiring manager or your prospective boss personally and professionally to set the tone for your letter.
Cover letter introduction
You meet hundreds of people in your career so you know that first impressions matter. The introduction of your education cover letter is your first impression. It is here that you reveal the big idea and hint at the lesson plan to follow.
Here is a broad outline you can use:
- Take a sentence to introduce yourself and your career.
- Show off your proudest education achievement (make sure it illustrates a skill you will need in your new position.
- Tell why you are a great candidate for the job.
Make sure you answer the key question: “Why should I hire you?” in this paragraph. A job application is not the place to be modest. If you can’t explain why you’re a great candidate, the hiring manager definitely won’t think you are either.
The aim of the cover letter intro: Tell the hiring manager why you’re right for the job and wow them with your proudest moment.
I was elated to hear that a Classroom Teacher position is seeking candidates at the Hillside School. I have long admired the mission of your school, and personally know many families who have greatly benefited from the outstanding education and guidance your school provides. I am very much hoping for the opportunity to serve your students and families through the implementation of exceptional curriculum and instruction, and a willingness to guide and mentor students on their journey to success.
Cover letter middle part (body)
Time for your lesson. It is here that you offer the details that support your message and reveal more of your personality. As an educator, your communication style and the language you use are key components of your lesson delivery, so show them off here.
Describe your education pedagogy, how you incorporate the learning styles of your class or audience or your approach to developing training materials. Those soft skills that make you a great communicator and collaborator are necessary in the education field, but don’t neglect harder skills. Technology and data-driven analysis have become increasingly important in education, so illustrate the innovative ways in which you use high tech tools.
Use bullet points that begin with strong action words to break up the blocks of type and focus recruiters’ eyes on two or three achievements.
The aim of the middle part of your cover letter: Expand upon your message and broaden out the list of skills you highlight.
I bring forth extensive experience as a lead teacher for early childhood students, where I implemented differentiated instruction in multi-cultural and multi-racial classrooms. My Teaching Philosophy is centered around the idea that students learn best when they are fully engaged through their own curiosities and interests. I would be honored to collaborate with the educators and administration at the Hillside School to provide the most enriching learning experiences possible for students.
How to close an education cover letter (conclusion and sign-off)
Great lessons close with a recap of the learning, any questions that a student may have and some next steps to take. The same is true of your education cover letter.
First, remind the hiring manager why you are an outstanding candidate. Then, show off your passion for your career with a personal note about why you became an educator or what your targeted role will mean to you. This reveals more about whether you will be a good fit for the job and leaves the door open for follow-up questions during your interview.
No cover letter is complete without a call to action, so make sure you politely request an interview. Our cover letter sample offers one suggestion for the wording of this request.
The aim of the close of your cover letter: Create an opportunity for follow-up questions and reiterate why you are an excellent candidate .
Please let me know if we can further discuss this opportunity in person. Thank you for your consideration.
Most Sincerely,
Sebastian Wilder
Writing psychology: how to convey your work ethic in your cover letter
Telling recruiters that you are hard-working is a cliche, but you are, so how do you show that in your education cover letter?
- Use anecdotes that illustrate the point. Working on committees, taking on extra roles, creating new curriculum all show you work hard.
- Highlight your innovations. You’re not sitting back on your laurels, you’re learning, researching and incorporating all that into new and exciting ideas on the job.
- Show your passion. Education can be a difficult field. Make sure the hiring manager knows you’re energetic and enthusiastic about it.
How to avoid basic mistakes in an education application letter
- Spell check, grammar check, proofread! You assess others based partly on these skills, so make sure you get it right.
- Be careful with your word usage. Being in front of an audience, whether it is public school students or a customer service department you are training, requires care with your language. Make sure you apply that to your cover letter.
- Keep your stories brief. You have only 300 or so words, so save the long anecdotes for the interview.
Key takeaways for an education cover letter
- Show off your technology and data prowess as well as your outgoing personality.
- Describe your educational pedagogy and philosophy clearly.
- Use strong action words and descriptors to help you sound energetic and enthusiastic.
- Pick examples that demonstrate what you will add to the faculty or staff.
If you’re looking for additional inspiration for cover letter writing, you can check out our related education cover letter samples:
