20 Do's and Don’ts for your TEFL Covering Letter

Unless otherwise clearly stated in the job advertisement, your resume or CV should always be accompanied by a covering letter whether it’s in the form of a letter or an email. Spending a little time customising your covering letter will help it stand out positively from the majority of generic applications the employer will receive. Below are a few simple ‘Dos’ and ‘Don’ts’ from employers that will allow you to complete a complementary covering letter.

Do:

1.  

Use the correct format:

Header - your name, address, phone number, and email address followed by the employer’s.  If you are writing the cover letter as an email, then include contact information after your signature;    
Date – located after or between the address blocks;
Salutation – begin your cover letter with ‘Dear Mr/Ms/Dr’ followed by the last name or ‘Dear Sir/Madam’ or ‘Dear Hiring Manager’;
Subject or Reference (optional) - the job description or job reference;
Introduction – this should state which job you are applying for and where you heard about the position;
Body –explain why you are interested in the position and why you would be an asset to the department/institution citing specific skills and experience;
Closing – briefly restate why you would be an ideal candidate;
thank the employer for his time and consideration;
Signature – if you have used the person’s name in the salutation end with ‘Sincerely’ or ‘Yours sincerely’, otherwise use ‘Yours faithfully’ followed by your hand-written signature;
Finally, type your name. 

2.  

Remember that a cover letter should complement your CV, not duplicate it.  Use the cover letter to highlight your soft skills such as teamwork, classroom management, student motivation, etc;

3.  

Highlight the skills you have which they are looking for in a teacher;

4.  

Use keywords – use the keywords the employer used in the job advertisement;

5.  

Make sure your cover letter is updated with the correct information e.g. date, current contact information, etc;

6.  

Be positive – who wants a negative influence in the staff room?

7.  

Keep it concise – your cover letter should not be more than one page;

8.  

Show evidence that you have researched the school or institution – this will show that you are a thorough and enthusiastic teacher;

9.  

Send it as a pdf document – this preserves the format (go to the ‘save as’ field on your computer, click on pdf, then click ‘publish’ – the pdf will be saved in the area you selected);

10.  

Think holistically – visualize the type of teacher they are looking for – does your cover letter match?

11. 

Proof read your letter or even better, get another teacher to proof read it. Check your details and check that you are sending the correct cover letter to the appropriate employer;

12.  

Save at least a couple of copies – next time you apply for a similar position it’ll take a fraction of the time to update it.

Don’t:

13.  

Write lists – lists of relevant information should be in your CV;

14.  

Address nobody – try to find out who is dealing with the applications;

15.  

Overuse ‘I’ – it reflects poor letter writing skills;

16.  

Have a weak opening – many employers consider ‘My name is…’ and ‘I am writing …’ to be poor openings.  It’s perfectly acceptable to write ‘Please find attached (for an email) enclosed (for a letter) my CV in response to your advertisement in the Daily…’ if you can think of another opening which follows the correct format and is more dynamic that would be great;

17.  

Use contractions – you shouldn’t use contractions in any formal letter so use I am not I’m, it is not it’s, etc;

18.  

Have a weak closing – keep it brief but state again why you would be an asset;

19.  

Be rude – thank them for taking the time to read your letter;

20.  

Forget to sign the letter – you should hand write your signature when sending a letter followed by your typed name below.  With an email just type your name and remember to add your contact information at the end. 

For more detailed advice on writing your cover letter see teflhub.com’s resources.