High School Teacher Resume Examples (Template & Guide)

You might be as cool as Michelle Pfeiffer's character in Dangerous Minds, but wearing a leather jacket to work might not be enough to gain the respect of a high school principal. You need to prove you have the credentials, knowledge, skills, and experience necessary to control and train those fantastic beasts, a.k.a. students.

I get it, you're not excited about writing a resume when you have stacks of tests to mark, reports to write, and lessons to prepare. Paper, paper, paper, that's all you can see. But your high school teacher resume is the key to landing that dream teaching job.

This guide will show you: 

• A high school teacher resume example better than 9 out of 10 other resumes.
• How to write a high school teacher resume that will land you more interviews.
• Tips and examples of how to put skills and achievements on a high school teacher resume.
• How to describe your experience on a resume for a high school teacher to get any job you want

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here.

Use this resume template

Sample resume made with our builder—See more resume samples here.

See other helpful guides for the teaching positions:

• Teacher Resume
• Substitute Teacher Resume
• English Teacher Resume
• Student Teacher Resume
• ESL Teacher Resume
• Art Teacher Resume
• Math Teacher Resume
• First Year Teacher Resume
• RBT Resume
• Special Education Teacher Resume
• Teaching Assistant Resume
• Tutor Resume
• New Teacher Resume
• Camp Counselor Resume
• Librarian Resume
• Assistant Principal Resume
• School Counselor Resume
• Kindergarten Teacher Resume
• Templates for Resumes in Education
• More Sample Resumes for 500+ Jobs

High School Teacher Resume Template

Here’s how to write a high school teacher resume that proves you’re the perfect candidate for this position.

1. Choose the Best Format for Your High School Teacher Resume

Busy curriculum, tests, homework assignments, and most of all 30 teens in the classroom—

To manage all these you need to keep things in order.

Same applies to your high school teacher resume—the proper resume format keeps all sections organized and easy to follow.

Here’s how to format your high school teacher resume in a thoughtful way:

• Start your resume with your name and contact information (there’s no need to put your address on the resume).
• Divide your resume into easily navigable resume sections.
• Use professional resume format. The reverse chronological resume layout usually works best as it puts your recent achievements at the top.
• Pick the best resume fonts. Don’t go too flashy, stick to the classics.
• Remember about white space. It makes your resume readable.
• If you wonder which one is better—PDF or Word resume, stick to the PDF. Most schools prefer this file format.

2. Write a High School Teacher Resume Objective or Summary

Imagine the principal’s office:

She’s snowed under with papers. Her inbox is full. And there’s a line of students waiting for her in the corridor.

There’s no time to waste. You need to get her attention quickly.

How to do this?

By writing a great professional profile for your high school teacher resume.

It can be either a resume summary, or resume objective.

Here’s the difference between the two:

If you teach for more than 2 years, write a resume summary. It focuses on your professional experience and highlights your accomplishments.

If you’re a beginner teacher or you don't have any teaching experience, go for a resume objective. It will help you present your skills and show your motivation to work in this place and no other.

Pro Tip: No matter if you’re a math or English teacher—putting numbers on a resume is always a good idea. If possible, make your teaching achievements quantifiable.

3. Create the Perfect High School Teacher Job Description for a Resume

Following the predictions of The Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of high school teaching jobs is going to grow by 8% until 2026.

Higher demand? It also means high competition.

That’s why—it does matter how you describe your work experience on a resume.

Do your homework first and tailor your resume to the job description.

Plus follow these tips on how to write a great resume experience section:

• Start with your latest or current job. Then add your previous positions.
• For each entry, mention your job title, school or company name, location, and dates worked.
• Show your responsibilities on a bullet point list—use around 6 bullets for each position.
• Use resume action verbs, such as managed, mentored, monitored, organized, guided, motivated etc.

Pro Tip: Describe your responsibilities in a way that also promotes your skills. E.g. “Organized weekly field trips to cultural institutions for up to 30 students.” It’s a great way to show that you’re a class management pro.

4. Make Your High School Teacher Resume Education Section Great

Education requirements for high school teachers vary from state to state, but they’re huge.

To convince the principal that you’re capable of explaining some abstract concepts to young adults—

You also need a convincing resume education section.

Here’s how to write one:

• If you have more than 5 years of teaching experience: list your degree, school name and location, and graduation year. That’s enough as your teaching history speaks for itself.
• If you’re less experienced, consider listing your GPA (if upwards of 3.5), academic achievements, relevant coursework, conference gigs, articles published in a university magazine, etc.

Pro Tip: In the education sector—certifications and licenses matter. If you haven’t completed a traditional teacher preparation program yet, you can always choose alternative licensure.

Kaywanda Lamb, a non-traditional education major and high school teacher of Spanish, with 14 years of experience, says:

I was a Business (1999) and Spanish (2004) major who worked in business for 6 years. Then, I went back for my Spanish degree and I did the alternative certification. Alternative certification helps you learn what you haven’t so far about the education. You can do it while working as a teacher on a probationary contract. When I moved to Texas, I finished my alternative certification and passed all the state tests required—which made me eligible to be a certified teacher. A year of classes on Saturdays, 3 major state tests, and my undergrad in Spanish made me official.

5. Highlight Your High School Teaching Skills

You know how to explain the intricacies of geometry and how to make magnesium burn.

Hard skills and solid subject knowledge are a must when applying for teaching positions.

But—

Take it Stars Hollow or Chilton, all high schools are full of drama. Love stories, heart breaks, big dilemmas, and big life choices.

To handle all these—you need to be a coach and a friend. And have plenty of soft skills in place.

Use the list below to choose your key high school teacher skills:

High School Teacher—Examples of Skills

• Lesson planning
• Instructional skills
• Organizational skills
• Classroom management
• Effective discipline
• SMART board interactive displays
• Standardized testing
• Software (e.g., Haiku Learning, Edmodo)
• Subject knowledge (depending on the field of expertise)
• Knowledge of curriculum and state standards
• Sense of humor
• Rapport with students
• Creativity
• Teamwork skills
• Critical thinking
• Decision making
• Leadership
• Problem solving
• Time management

Pro Tip: The list of skills is a great occasion to include some keywords to your resume. Read the job description closely and select the skills they’re looking for. Resume keywords will be recognized by ATS software.

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check. Start building a professional resume template here for free.

Create my resume now

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

6. Add Other Sections to Your High School Teacher Resume

If you want to get some extra points on the test—

Consider adding one of the following sections to your high school teacher resume:

• Language skills
• Achievements and awards
• Volunteer experience
• Hobbies and interests
• Certifications

Pro Tip: To teach in a public high school you need a licensure. But state certificate is not the only relevant certificate. Did you attend any psychology courses or maybe you’re a licensed social worker? Add such details to your high school teacher resume.

7. Attach a High School Teacher Resume Cover Letter

If you ask yourself a question: do I need to send a cover letter?

The answer is yes!

For most of school principals, a resume is not enough. Show them that you care and write a high school teacher letter that makes a difference.

Here’s how:

• Follow the right format for a cover letter.
• Grab the principal’s attention with a catchy cover letter intro.
• Make an offer: say how exactly you can help them.
• Include a call to action in your cover letter conclusion.

Pro Tip: You’ve sent your cover letter and don’t know how to proceed? Follow up on your job application. This will show the school principal that you really care.

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

Create my cover letter now

See more cover letter templates and start writing.

And here’s how you write a job winning resume for a high school teacher!

Are you writing your high school teacher resume for the first time? Or perhaps you’re a teaching veteran ready for a career change? We’d love to hear from you in the comments.