Special Educational Needs Teacher (SEN) CV Examples & UK Templates

As a bastion of support and knowledge for your community, you’re no stranger to helping your students to be the best they can be. So it’s only natural that every so often you need support, too. When it comes to your job search, your CV is your indispensable companion that will set you up for success.

While most special educational needs teachers fulfill an important function in the communities they serve, it’s your CV’s job to show why your unique profile is the best fit for this particular job application. However, your CV isn’t going to write itself. 

If your CV is not currently doing you the same service that you offer to your students, then there’s no need to feel overwhelmed. Highlighting your value as an SEN teacher can be as simple as following a few simple guidelines. 

CV guide for a special education teacher CV

At Resume.io we know a thing or two about preparing a job-winning CV. Our CV examples cover over 150 professions and our CV builder has helped to match many a job seeker with top roles thanks to a compelling and professionally presented CV. 

The trick to a good special education teacher CV isn’t a secret. This CV guide and corresponding special education teacher CV example will cover the following:

• How to write a special educational needs teacher CV
• Choosing the right CV format for special educational needs teaching
• How to add your contact information
• Using summaries
• Adding your special educational needs teacher experience
• Listing education and relevant experience
• Picking the right CV design/layout
• What the special educational needs teacher market looks like, and what salary you can expect

How to write a special education teacher CV

The first step in writing your special educational needs teacher CV is understanding what sections to include. Your CV should contain the following elements:

• The CV header
• The CV summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The CV skills section
• The education section

Think of your CV as the lesson plan. Your special education teacher CV’s objective is to show the hiring manager how you will hit their learning objectives if you are to fill the role. You can do that by crafting a compelling story about your professional history and skills. 

A great way to start building your case is by researching the organisation you are aiming to work at. By understanding their needs you can better create a CV that responds to them. 

To make those teaching points stick, take some tips from this time-tested approach:

• Show off your achievements. Rather than listing special education teacher responsibilities on your CV from previous roles, highlight your value with examples of results and accomplishments that you’ve achieved in previous roles.
• No two roles are exactly the same. That means your corresponding CVs should vary, too. Your CV is short - one to two pages maximum in most cases. So, prioritise the information you include in each section accordingly.
• Your CV needs to look the part. There’s no point in writing excellent content for your CV if it’s a mess. This is a chance to show off your organisational skills. Not to mention, a poorly formatted CV will be unlikely to make it past the ATS.

Choosing the right CV format for SEN teaching

While no two CVs are the same, the format you use to communicate the content of your CV should always be straightforward and professional. The best CV format for most special education teacher CVs is reverse chronological. This format highlights your employment history section and shows your previous placements and jobs in reverse chronological order. 

If you are new to SEN teaching or have a particularly specialised skillset, then you could consider writing your CV in the functional format. However, since your role likely has required training and work placements to qualify, it is best to stick with the reverse chronological format. 

Exploring some CV examples will let you see how different CV templates lend themselves well to highlighting particular information. That way you can make sure it draws the reader’s attention exactly where you want it in the final iteration of your special education teacher CV PDF. 

As an SEN teacher, you should opt for a clean and professional layout when it comes to the design of your CV. Not only will this be simple for the busy hiring manager to skim through, but it will also reflect the nature of the high-trust job you are applying for. 

Include your contact information

If the hiring manager is impressed with your CV - which they should be, if you follow our tips to make it as compelling as possible - then they will want to reach out to you for a job interview. That’s why it’s important that your CV has a section where your basic contact information is clearly legible. This section is called the CV header.

Here are some tips to make sure that your CV header and the corresponding vital information is presented neatly and professionally:

• Full name & title. List your first and last name. Match your job title to the name of the role you’re applying for.
• Professional email address. Use a professional email address like firstname.lastname@gmail.com.
• Phone number. List a number where you can be easily contacted. Remember to make sure your voicemail message is appropriate for the hiring manager, too.
• Location. Keep this to your city only. Don’t list your street address on your CV. This is now considered outdated and unsafe. Note 'Willing to Relocate' if applicable.
• LinkedIn. If your LinkedIn profile is active and relevant, it should be included on your CV.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: Don’t open yourself to potential age discrimination. Listing this is no longer considered necessary.
• Personal details: Your marital status, your national insurance number, your passport number, or other personal data should not be on a document like your CV which you hope will be circulated among professionals you don’t know.

Make use of a summary

Hiring managers are busy. When deciding whether or not to consider your application, they will likely read through your CV summary. This is a concisely communicated CV section that highlights your most relevant qualifications, achievements, and skills for the role. 

These three sentences are an abbreviation of the compelling story you will tell through the rest of your CV. So, you may find it useful to write it last. Always make sure it responds directly to the employer’s needs that are outlined in the job description. 

Use action verbs to build a strong image in the hiring manager’s head of the kind of professional you are. The trick is to offer the right information to hook them into reading the rest of your CV, and eventually invite you to interview. For instance “SEN teacher with 5+ years experience guiding students to optimise their exam results in STEM subjects” builds a stronger picture than “SEN teacher with experience helping children in a classroom setting for various subjects”. 

This is your opportunity to sell yourself as uniquely suited to this particular SEN teacher role. Don’t be afraid to big yourself up when summarising your professional strengths. So long as it corresponds to the facts of who you are and what you’ve achieved, this isn’t the time to be concerned about coming across as arrogant. 

Summarise your achievements in a way that generates interest. There will always be the opportunity to tell your story in full if you are invited to interview. Need inspiration for your summary? Check out our related CVs: 

You can find our adaptable special education teacher CV examples summaries below:

Outline your special educational needs teacher experience: the knowledge you impart

Your most recent job role should sit at the top of this section. From there, you can work your way backwards. Each role should have its own subheading including the job title, the name of the employer, the location, and your dates of employment. For each role, aim for three to four bullet points that highlight your relevant experience. 

Just like in your CV summary, you can omit the use of “I” and write in the past tense. If you are still working in your most recent position, simply use the present tense and list your dates of employment in the following format: “2019 - Present”. 

The best way to make your value explicit in any of the roles you choose to include is to focus on the results you helped to achieve rather than tasks and duties. Take a look at the following examples:

• “Empowered a class of five students with varying learning disabilities to exceed predicted GCSE grades.”
• “Strategised and led the learning objectives for all KS2 students with SEMH needs and contributed to achieving “outstanding” Ofsted grade.”
• “Managed project improving student accessibility to national STEM curriculum resulting in 20% improvement in parent satisfaction.”

Take a look at the sample CV for a special education teacher below: 

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great special educational needs teacher

So, how do you list your special education teacher skills on your CV? Your toolbox of technical skills is vital when it comes to leading the educational development of your students with varying needs. However, the way that you guide their learning - also known as your soft skills - also contributes to your employability.

Whether you lean further into your hard skills or your soft skills will depend on the job that you are applying for. You can get a good idea of how the hiring manager hopes this balance will look in the successful candidate by paying close attention to the job description. 

This is an excellent opportunity to match the language of the keywords you spot in the job description. That way you can make sure you’re speaking the same language as the ATS and the hiring manager.

Here’s how special educational needs teacher skills could look on a CV template. 

Here are some examples of key skills you may choose to add to your special education teacher CV:

• Leadership skills. Even if you are not applying for a management position, you will be leading your students in some capacity. The ability to get them all on the same page and working towards the same goal - regardless of their particular needs - is vital.
• Compassion, empathy, and a nurturing nature. The emotional development of the young people under your care is just as important as their academic development. Most educational settings recognise this and look for matching interpersonal skills in the teachers they employ.
• Education schools of thought. Depending on the type of organisation you work at, they may look for evidence that you understand and/or have experience teaching using a particular educational framework. This may be particularly important for certain student needs if you are applying to work at a specialist school.

Detail your education & relevant special educational needs teacher certifications

Filling out the education section of your CV is simple. You can create a subheading for each qualification. Remember to include the name of the qualification earned, the institution, the dates of attendance, and the location. 

In most cases - if your formal education surpasses an undergraduate degree - there is no need to include your secondary education. 

However, beyond your formal education, you can list other certifications and training that are relevant to the job you’re applying for. Consider some of the following examples:

• Training and certifications. If you have taken part in further training that has expanded your knowledge as an SEN, don’t be afraid to include it. This could include short courses on SEND practice and more.
• Apprenticeships. If your journey to become an SEN teacher involved a training-based pathway, such as an apprenticeship, you can also list this in the education section of your CV. For instance, a TDA or other work experience leading to your QTS.
• Professional development. Memberships to associations that further your knowledge of the field with up-to-date information can be mentioned. For instance, membership to NASEN.

Remember that if you are applying within a specific niche of special educational needs, you may find it beneficial to consider using a functional CV so that you can highlight your specialist qualifications and skills. 

Pick the right CV layout and design for a special educational needs teacher

Just like you teach your students the best format to present their work, the same attention to detail is important for your CV. If you want the hiring manager to take you seriously, you want to show you are a trustworthy employee.

The design of your CV can help you to achieve a perfect score for the presentation of your hard work. While it’s true that you want to catch the hiring manager’s eye, a neat and simple CV layout will make sure that you tick that box for the right reasons. 

Make sure that your final CV sticks to one or two fonts maximum that are clearly legible. We recommend not going any smaller than 11pt font size. The content of each section should have a clear visual hierarchy, with the text for each heading, subheading, and body text being clearly distinguishable. Finally. remember to export your final CV as a PDF document.

There may be a lot to remember when it comes to crafting the perfect CV. However, if you want a helping hand with some of the design elements, you can make your life easier by using a CV template. Ours have been professionally designed and tested to make sure they won’t confuse the pesky ATS. 

Special educational needs teacher text-only CV example

SEN teacher job market and outlook

SEN teachers are in demand across the UK. However, certain roles are more prevalent in cities as opposed to towns or rural areas. 

What type of salary you can expect in special education 

The National Careers Service reports that SEN teachers can currently expect to earn between £30,000 and £46,000 in annual salary, depending on their grade and level of experience. 

Key takeaways for building a special education teacher CV

A career in SEN teaching can be both challenging and rewarding. However, to gain a role in the sector, it’s important to build a job application that responds to the needs of the job description. As well as carefully considered examples from previous employment, a mix of hard and soft skills and relevant training are essential to highlight in the CV of a special education teacher. 

If you’re building your SEN teacher career, you might find our online CV builder helps take some of the pressure off when presenting your CV.