ESL Teacher Resume Examples & Writing Tips

ESL Teacher Resume Template

Use the example below to learn how to format your resume so it highlights your most marketable skills and experience.

Resume Genius team member’s ESL teacher resume

Before becoming Resume Genius’s senior marketing manager, Geoff Scott worked as an English as a Second Language teacher. Here’s a look at the resume that helped him secure multiple teaching positions:

Why this ESL teacher resume works

• Quantifies experience: Geoff uses numbers to highlight his achievements, making them more impactful to employers. For example, he mentions teaching over 30 students, demonstrating the class size he’s capable of managing. You should also quantify your accomplishments to show the potential impact you can have.
• Teaches Chinese-language native speakers: Geoff’s resume stands out because he highlights his experience teaching English to Taiwanese professionals whose native language is Chinese. Given the vast differences between Chinese and English, Geoff demonstrates his skill in adapting lessons effectively for non-native speakers. Consider mentioning the native language of the students you’ve taught to showcase your adaptability and experience with diverse groups.
• Experience across all levels: Geoff’s resume emphasizes his ability to teach various English levels, from pre-intermediate to advanced. Detailing the levels you’ve taught shows employers that you’re equipped to meet the needs of their students.

How to write an ESL teacher resume

Skilled at helping students develop their English but unsure how to effectively promote your English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher skills in your resume?

For aspiring and experienced teaching professionals, here’s a video walkthrough on what principals and school staff are looking for in their teacher candidate’s resumes:

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Our Expert:

Emily Crowley

To guide you further, we help you demonstrate to a school or learning center you’re the right teacher for the job with three tips specifically for ESL teachers:

Highlight your technical ESL teacher skills

Compared to most teachers throughout the United States, ESL teachers work closely with students whose primary language isn’t English. So your ESL teacher resume will not only highlight your teaching abilities, but also a combination of the hard and soft skills required to instruct students who don’t always understand what you’re saying.

To emphasize to employers that you have the right skill-set, list important technical skills in the resume skills section. These abilities help show the hiring manager you’re capable of managing a classroom. For example, classroom management and curriculum development are essential hard skills for assessing the needs of individual students and preparing ESL learning materials.

Also list the appropriate certifications in your skills section (if you have them). Any skill or qualification that emphasizes your ability to teach ESL students can help your chances of landing the job.

Here’s a list of key ESL teacher resume skills:

• English language proficiency
• Language skills
• Knowledge of the curriculum
• Preparing coursework
• Student evaluation
• Coaching and mentoring
• Classroom management
• Learning strategies
• Sensitivity to cultural differences
• Ability to give constructive feedback
• Computer-based educational software (Blackboard)
• Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, and Outlook)
• Microsoft PowerPoint
• Microsoft SharePoint

Emphasize your soft skills

When hiring for an ESL teacher, employers seek instructors who are committed to fostering a welcoming environment for students from various backgrounds. To assure them you’re the person they’re looking for, modify your resume bullet points to emphasize key ESL teacher soft skills. For example, patience and creativity are needed to create engaging lesson plans.

Here’s an example of how to showcase these skills in your resume bullet points:

“Planned and designed 100+ individualized education plans (IEPs), interactive class curriculum, lessons, and handouts to personalize learning objectives and expectations.”

Here’s a list of key ESL teacher soft skills employers seek:

• Positive attitude
• Active listening
• Creativity
• Organizational skills
• Time management skills
• Communication skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Leadership skills
• People skills
• Multitasking
• Adaptability
• Problem-solving skills
• Collaboration

Open with a strong ESL teacher resume summary

To ensure your job application sparks an employer’s interest, write a strong resume summary that immediately shows your value as an ESL teacher.

The key to writing a compelling ESL teacher resume summary is to keep it straightforward and focus on how your skills, experience, and qualifications will immediately benefit the school or learning center you’re applying to.

In two or three sentences, summarize your skills and experience as an ESL teacher and align them with the job requirements. Because ESL teachers provide English language support, your resume summary should highlight your ability to work with students from various cultural backgrounds.

If you don’t have much ESL teaching experience, state your commitment to cultivating a positive learning environment for ESL students in your resume summary. You can highlight this commitment by emphasizing how your cultural awareness complements your teaching abilities, and how important it is to you that individual students receive the support they need to succeed.

Here’s an example of an effective ESL teacher resume summary:

Dedicated ESL Teacher with 10+ years of ESL teaching experience delivering ESL instructions to a diverse student population with varied cultural backgrounds. Skilled at engaging students through effective lesson plans and targeting individual learning gaps in a student-centered classroom.

In this example, the applicant provides a clear overview of their skills and experience as an ESL teacher in two short sentences. In addition to showcasing their ability to instruct diverse student populations, they state their expertise in catering to the needs of individual students while highlighting job-specific skills, such as lesson planning and classroom management.

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Average ESL teacher salaries in the US

After you’ve written your resume, make sure you use it to apply for jobs within a fair salary range.

The following table includes information from the most recent US Bureau of Labor Statistics’ Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report (May 2024). Here are the ten states with the highest salaries for esl teachers, as well as the national average for your reference when applying for work.