An increasing number of people are choosing to go into teaching later on in life – many would say, they want a rewarding career change into teaching. Maybe now that your children are at school, you’re looking for a job that will allow you to work while they are at school, and be off when they are home. Maybe you’re looking for a new challenge, something different, a rewarding career, or a career you wanted when you were younger but never pursued. Whatever your reason, getting into teaching may be a challenge, if you don’t approach it correctly. With many more applicants than there are places available, it’s important to make your teacher application stands out. Here are some career changer tips to transition into teaching:

1. Mention relevant life experiences: One of the most important things about deciding to apply to teach is that you are able to capitalize on any life experiences that may be useful. There’s a lot of difference between raising children the way you see fit, and being responsible for a class of thirty children while adhering to state guidelines and following the curriculum. Use this list of skills to show you can bring value to the teaching profession. Depending on your background, there are many other skills, aside from these, you could include in your cover letter.

• Organizational Skills

• Pastoral Care

• Multi Tasking

• Diplomacy

• Creativity and Imagination

• Leadership Skills

• Problem solving skills

• Communication skills – verbal and written

Make a point of describing, in your teacher cover letter, the practical ways in which you have demonstrated and continue to develop these skills in your daily life. Give examples on how you have used these skills throughout your life, what you have learned from them.

2. Show your awareness of current issues and trends in education: Speak to friends who are teachers and ask them about the hot topics in education or think about subscribing to one of the educational monthly magazines. Spend some time researching school websites, especially in your area. It’s important to show in your cover letter that you have some understanding of what’s currently going on in education.

3. Mention relevant work experience: If you have any relevant work experience, it’s important to mention that in your cover letter as well, if not, it’s a very good idea to try to arrange some. If you have children of school age, speak to the staff and find out whether you can come in as a parent helper. Remember that if you make a good impression at the school, you may be able to ask for a reference. You can use any kind of training you have had, even if it was voluntary. Do you volunteer for boy scouts or girl guides, or at the library? Think of any activities you have done with children.

4. Check for errors: It’s vital for prospective teachers to have excellent standards of literacy and numeracy, so submitting a cover letter with spelling or grammatical errors is the worst thing you can do. Your cover letter should be typed professionally. Ask someone you can trust to read over your letter of intent before you submit it and ensure that it’s absolutely perfect; you don’t want to ruin your chances before you’ve even started!

5. Ask for advice: If you know someone who’s previously been accepted onto the training course, or one like it, speak to them and find out if they can offer you any advice. Someone who has recently been through the teacher application process can often offer valuable information about what is particularly important to include.

6. Show passion and personality: It is critical you demonstrate this in your cover letter. Why are you making a transition into teaching and why do you believe it is the right career for you? What impact do you think or what to have on the students?

Keep in mind, the cover letter is a marketing tool and it is representing you in your absence, so don’t underestimate the role it plays in your job search. It can either make or break your chance of success... so get professional help, if needed.