Primary School Teacher CV Examples & UK Templates

As a primary school teacher, you do more than simply share vital knowledge with the next generation. These professionals are also responsible for their students' social and emotional development. It’s a tall order, but getting it right is extremely fulfilling. 

While many employers will ask you to submit an application form, there may be times when you need to submit a primary school teacher CV. Making sure that this one or two-page document sells your skills and expertise is a must. Luckily, you have come to the right place. 

CV guide for a primary school teacher CV

Allow Resume.io to school you for success. We have CV examples and guides that cover over 150 professions. Use our CV builder to create the perfect primary school application now. 

This CV guide and corresponding primary school teacher CV example will cover the following:

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

How to write a primary school teacher CV

Before you get started on your primary school teacher CV, you need to do some planning. Let’s take a look at the main elements that this document needs to cover:

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

From academies and free schools to faith schools, there’s a wide selection of institutes in the United Kingdom. When you are applying for a specific job, make sure that you do your homework first. Take the time to research the school and the trust. Gather as much knowledge as you can and use it to your advantage. You should also use the following approaches: 

• Highlight your accomplishments. Don’t simply list your duties as a primary school teacher. This approach won’t get you far. Instead, highlight how your work had an impact on your students and their results. Be specific about your role in the process.
• Use a clear template. Above all else, you need to make sure that your CV is clear and easy to read. With that in mind, you should always choose a plain template to use.
• Tailor your CV to the school. When you have done your research, you will have the power to tailor your CV accordingly. Look at the values of the institute and its future plans. You can use this information to craft a compelling primary school teacher CV.
• Include keywords. Most employers now use CV scanning software to streamline the hiring process. If you want to get past the software, include keywords. You can often find these words in the body of the job advert.

Choosing the right CV format for a primary school teacher

The format of your primary school teacher CV needs to be straightforward. For that reason, we recommend using a reverse chronological order. This approach emphasises your most recent work experience and qualifications. It is also the format that most employers expect. 

Of course, there are always exceptions to the rule. If you have recently started your teaching journey and have prior experience in other fields, you may want to use a skills-based CV format instead. This option highlights the transferable skills that you have over the work you’ve done. 

Whatever format you choose, be sure to look at the range of CV templates in our CV builder. We have plenty of CV examples for various professions that demonstrate each format, too.

When it comes to the style of template you use, play it safe. Teaching is a traditional role, after all. Opt for a simple layout that conveys your CV details in a succinct way. 

Include your contact information

Next up, you need to make sure that you share your contact details. You can do this as part of your CV header that sits at the top or side of your document. Here’s what you should include: 

• Full name & title. Write both your first and surname. Also, include the role title here.
• Professional email address. Use a straightforward, work-friendly email address.
• Phone number. You should list a number where you can be reached during working hours. If there are certain hours you are unavailable, note them here.
• Location. Unless the advert states otherwise, you don’t need to include your full address. Simply add the city or town plus the county in which you live.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth: Outlining your exact age could lead to age discrimination.
• Personal details: You don’t need to include your marital status, passport number, or NI number, for example.

Make use of a summary

Next up, it’s time to tackle your CV summary. This is the most freeform part of your application. So, it should come as no surprise that it will take you the most time, energy, and effort. You have between two and four lines to play with. Make sure that you make them count. 

To give your summary extra impact, include a selection of action verbs in either the past or present tense. These may include ‘delivered,’ ‘orchestrated,’ or ‘transformed’, among others. It doesn’t end there. You should also quantify your achievements whenever you can do so.

One of the biggest mistakes candidates make is simply detailing their tasks or duties. For instance, you might write a summary as follows: “Qualified primary school teacher with experience planning lessons, managing a busy classroom, and teaching KS2 syllabus”. Sure, all of the above is likely true, but it’s not that impressive. Instead, showcase your value. 

You can find adaptable primary school teacher example summaries below:

Outline your teaching experience

Within your work experience section, you can outline previous primary school teaching roles. You only have to go back 10-15 years on your CV. If you have been teaching for decades, keep that in mind. You don’t want to overwhelm the reader with too much information. Start by detailing the school or academy, the location, your title, and your dates of employment. 

As standard, you should use the reverse chronological approach. That means that you start with your most recent post at the top of the CV and work your way back in time. Beneath the basic details, you should include bullet points that show how you had an impact in the workplace. 

Avoid being vague here. The idea is to show results-based points. So, you want to detail what you did and how that added value to the school. Let’s start by looking at some examples of brief bullet points that fail to tell the full story: 

• “Planned lessons” 
• “Personalised teaching approach for students”
• “Marked students’ work and liaised with parents”

While the above statements cover the basis, they don’t give enough detail. All you are telling the reader is that you fulfilled the demands of your job. Instead, add more colour to each of them: 

• “Planned and taught 25+ lessons per week”
• “Personalised teaching approach for SEN students based on SENCo’s advice”
• “Marked 30+ students’ work according to syllabus and liaised with parents”

Take a look at the primary school teacher employment history CV sample below:

How to write a primary school teacher CV with no experience 

When you first complete your teacher training, you will be required to complete two years of induction as an early career teacher (ECT). This process has replaced the newly qualified teacher (NQT), which was a one-year training induction program. 

If you are applying for your first official role, you need to make sure that you focus on the education you received during your training. You may also want to highlight any transferable skills you may have acquired from previous roles or your education. 

Should there be a specific area of teaching that interests you—such as SEN initiatives—now is the time to talk about it. Create a compelling narrative about why you have chosen to become a teacher, the impact that you plan to make, and where the future will take you.

Include the relevant key skills that make you a great primary school teacher

Next up, you need to include the right skills for the job. It’s important to have a mix of both hard skills and soft skills on your primary school teacher CV. However, you don’t want to list more than 10 skills on your CV or you could run the risk of looking too general. Instead, you need to select the competencies that best align with the vacancy and will impress the reader. 

You can return to the job advert to see the skills for which the employer is looking. Highlight any competencies that you already have under your belt. The more you can align yourself with the needs of the school and trust, the more likely you will be to land that interview. 

Our CV builder offers pre-selected skills to choose from. You can also input your own. 

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our CV template for a primary school teacher: 

Wherever possible, try to give specific examples of your teaching prowess. It’s one thing to list your skills as we have above. It’s quite another to put them into context, as follows: 

• Detail how you effectively use your KS2 syllabus knowledge in planning a diverse range of lessons across subject matters
• Highlight your creativity and presentation skills by discussing the innovative approach you use in the classroom
• Explore your leadership skills by explaining how you helped to train new starters

Detail your education & relevant teaching certifications

To access most teacher training courses in the UK, you will need to have five GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English, maths and science. You may also need to have two to three A Levels as the entry requirement for your degree. However, when you have already completed your teacher training, you may not need to include these on your application. 

Check the job description to see which qualifications you need to highlight when applying. Here are some of the elements that you may include on your primary school teacher CV. 

• Undergraduate degree. To work as a teacher, you may have one of the following undergraduate degrees: Bachelor of Education (BEd), Bachelor of Arts (BA) with QTS, Bachelor of Science (BSc) with QTS.
• Postgraduate certificate. If you have an undergraduate degree in another field, you can complete a postgraduate certificate in education (PGCE). Alternatively, you can do a teacher training course that only offers qualified teacher status (QTS).
• Qualified teacher status (QTS). In the majority of schools across the country, you will need to have qualified teacher status in order to become a primary school teacher.
• Additional training. If you have any additional training, such as the national professional qualification (NPQ) for SENCO, you should include this in your application.

Ensure that you have read the job criteria for which you are applying thoroughly. Different primary school teacher roles will have a different set of requirements. You don’t want to miss out. Ensure you tick all the boxes before you take the time to go through the application process.  

Pick the right CV layout and design for a primary school teacher CV

When it comes to the look of your primary school teacher CV, you need to keep things plain and simple. Using an overly flashy design will likely detract from the content of your document. Moreover, this approach doesn’t actually add anything to your application. 

We recommend opting for a legible CV template that allows you to quickly and easily share your expertise. Take the time to try out a few different templates and see which suits your needs. 

Primary school teacher job market and outlook

Schools across the country are facing both recruitment and retention challenges when it comes to teachers. There are two indicators of this problem. 

First up, fewer people are training to be teachers. In the academic year 2022/23, registration to initial teacher training (ITT) courses fell to 20% lower than pre-pandemic numbers according to the National Foundation for Education Research. 

Secondly, the number of job postings for teacher vacancies was up by 93% in the academic year up to February 2023. If you are looking to land a role, now is the perfect time to strike.

What type of salary you can expect as a primary school teacher

Currently, when you become a primary school teacher, your annual salary will be between £30,000 and £46,525. However, should you take on extra responsibilities, you may be entitled to more money in the form of additional instalments. Let’s break this down in a statistical insight.

Key takeaways for building a primary school teacher CV

Building a CV that supports your career doesn’t have to be hard. As you can see in our writing guide and the above primary school teacher CV example, it is about simply sharing your expertise with the employer. Make sure that you tailor your application to align with the school and trust. You should also incorporate keywords for the ATS, action verbs, and results-based points into the document. Follow the advice we have outlined here to boost your chances.

Don’t leave anything to chance. If you want to get ahead of the competition, get started by using our online CV builder and crafting a well-written document in no time.