There are thousands of articles offering generic CV tips, but how many provide practical, sector-specific advice? In the first of two articles, we spoke with our Head of Growth and Recruitment, Luke Rees, about how to improve your chances when applying for jobs in International Education.
This week, we cover the basics of CV formatting and applying effectively. Next week, we’ll dive into the key content you should include to maximize your chances of landing a teaching role abroad.
How Recruiters View CVs
Teach East (TE): How many CVs do you assess per week?
Luke Rees (LR): At least a couple of thousand. It varies depending on the time of year, how many vacancies I’m trying to fill, and the level of interest in the location or package. Sometimes, a post or mailshot (an email sent to multiple teachers in our database) takes off— Lubna Muhammad Zahid our recruitment consultant had 1,800 CVs in one day last week!
TE: Do you reply to every CV?
LR: I wish I could! Job hunting can be frustrating, and I’d love to give everyone feedback, but without generic templates, there just isn’t enough time.
Quick maths: It takes 30 seconds to assess a CV and another 30 seconds to write a reply. On an average ‘500 CV day’, that would take over 8 hours without a break. So, recruiters and HR teams prioritize well-formatted CVs from the most suitable applicants.
How to Format Your CV for Maximum Impact
LR: Here are six tips that will make your application more effective:
1. Make the Vacancy Clear in Your Email Subject Line
Recruiters and schools handle multiple vacancies at once, often with different team members reviewing applications. If you’re emailing a CV@ or HR@ inbox, your CV will likely be forwarded to a decision-maker or sorted into a vacancy folder, so make it easy for your application to be processed, not deleted!
Looking at my inbox right now, the last 10 CV subject lines are:
❌ Dear Sir ❌ No Subject ❌ Teaching Job ✅ Biology Teacher – Riyadh
❌ Teacher Application ✅ Homeroom Vacancy UAE ❌ Apply
❌ No Subject ✅ Available Music Teacher in Dubai ❌ CV
Only three of those stand out as specific, professional applicants.
2. Title Your CV Properly
Best Practice:
✅ First Name Last Name – Current Month/Year
✅ Luke Rees – IBDP Math Teacher – April 2025
Why?
Recruiters and HR Managers will initially store your CV in a general folder with 100’s of others. This is sorted alphabetically. If you name yours “MY CV” or “CV Luke Rees,” it won’t be easy to find when revisiting CV’s to create a shortlist.
The date confirms that recruiters are reading the most up-to-date summary of your career.
The job title helps refresh the memory for which opportunities you could be suitable for.
3. Keep Your Name and Contact Details Consistent
He contacts me from one email address: Lionel.AMCuccitini@goat.com, but lists his email on his CV as Messi@intermiami.us. Location is stated as USA but the contact number is a Spanish dial code. He signs off his email ‘Leo’ but the attached document is titled CV di Lionel 2023.
— As a recruiter, I’m unsure where in the world he is, how to get hold of him, how to correctly address him or store his details. Eso no es bueno Leo!
✔ Use your preferred professional first name + last name.
✔ No caps, no nicknames, no middle names—just clarity.
✔ Be consistent with contact details.
✔ Current location and timezone is important for contact.
4. Write to Me, Not at Me
For example:
❌ “I am honored to apply to your respected institution.” → No, you aren’t.
If I get an email saying:
✅ “Hi Luke, I saw your post on LinkedIn about a Science vacancy in China—could you let me know if I’m a good fit?”
I’ll do my best to reply. It shows you have a serious interest in the role, and aren’t just sending speculative applications to everyone.
Even if you’re not a fit for my vacancy, I might be able to refer you to a colleague with a matching role.
5. Follow the Golden Rule of CV Length
Key details must be clear near the top:
✔ Qualifications ✔ Teaching experience (with dates & locations)
✔ Curriculum expertise ✔ Subject specialism(s)
🔴 Common Mistakes:
- Listing every CPD course you’ve ever attended—only include relevant ones.
- Including where you studied below degree level—not needed.
- Adding non-education jobs from years ago—keep it focused.
- Writing a long personal statement about why every child is important or how visionary an educator you are—keep it concise and evidence-based. Save the passion for the interview!
6. A Geeky Tip: OCR-Optimized PDFs
How to check:
Try highlighting or copying the text—if you can, it’s OCR-optimized.
Why this matters:
1️⃣ Recruiters may need to reformat your CV to match client school templates. If your CV is a non-searchable image, they’ll have to manually type it out.
2️⃣ AI-powered keyword searches are increasingly used for talent screening. Non-searchable PDFs won’t be picked up, meaning you could miss out on opportunities.
Conclusion: Make Your CV Work for You
Applying for international teaching positions is so competitive.
Your initial email and attached CV is your first impression.
By following these formatting guidelines:
✔ Using clear subject lines
✔ Titling your CV properly
✔ Keeping contact details consistent
✔ Writing personalized emails
✔ Optimizing your document for recruiters
…you significantly increase your chances of standing out.
What’s Next?
Next week, we’ll dive deeper into the key content your CV should include to make it stand out to a decision maker in the sector. Stay tuned for more expert insights from Teach East!
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