Teaching Assistant Resume Example
Working as a teaching assistant can provide a rewarding career, involving assisting with lesson plans and supporting student learning. A professional resume for teaching assistant applications will showcase your relevant skills and career achievements, to help you stand out from the crowd. In this article, we'll outline how to write a winning resume to boost your chances of success in your teaching assistant applications.
The aim of this article is to equip you with all the knowledge required to create a resume that positions you to succeed in your teaching assistant applications. You'll find useful insights on constructing a resume that makes the most of your unique skills, experience and strengths. You'll also learn how to tailor your resume according to the job description, and depending on your experience levels. Read on to learn how to write a perfect teaching assistant resume, from the advice of careers experts at Jobseeker.
Core sections to include in a teacher assistant resume
It's essential to include a few core sections in your teaching assistant resume, while there are also a few optional sections. A resume for candidates with little or no work experience may focus less on the work experience section, and bring sections to the fore that emphasize their skills, such as hobbies and interests, volunteer work, education, projects and skills lists.
You will have some choice over your resume layout and structure, but be sure to include these sections as the core of your document:
Resume Header
Your teaching assistant resume header is the place to add your contact details. Start by adding your full name and underneath, include your email address, phone number and location. Adding your LinkedIn profile, if you have one, can help the employer get a better insight into your skills and industry expertise. You don't need to include any additional personal information or a photo. Make your resume header clear, concise and as brief and compact as possible. Consider different layouts that spread the information horizontally across the page rather than using a different line for each piece of information.
Make sure the email address you list in your header is professional-looking and doesn't contain any inappropriate content such as nicknames or unsuitable language. Opt for an email address based on your name or profession, or a combination of both. Finally, check your contact details before sending your resume, to ensure everything's up-to-date.
Lily Watson
lily.watson@example.com
(111) 222 33 444 55
5150 Maple Drive, Twin Peaks, WA
linkedin․com/in/lily–watson123
Resume Profile
Your resume personal profile is a short, concise paragraph to highlight two or three key skills and achievements in teaching assistant roles. You may also see this section named as 'resume summary' or 'resume objective'. Resume summaries tend to focus on your career experience, while resume objectives cover your ambitions and plans for the future. However, make sure you keep your resume summary short and snappy, and focused on the skills and experience listed in the job description.
Alternatively, focus on introducing your career ambitions, and why this role is a good fit, both for you and the organization.
A great resume summary should highlight why you're an ideal candidate for teaching assistant roles by showing key skills and qualities that reflect the job description and provide evidence to support them. It should also introduce your personality and unique qualities to the reader, to help them start to form an opinion about you as a candidate. See below for some great examples of how to approach your teaching assistant resume.
Good example:
Skilled Teaching Assistant with a strong background as an Instructional Support Specialist, proficient in curriculum development, classroom management, student assessment, and providing individualized support to enhance learning outcomes. Adept at collaborating with educators to develop and implement instructional strategies that meet diverse student needs
Bad example:
Teaching assistant with experience in helping with educational tasks and working with teachers. Have done work related to planning lessons, managing classrooms, and checking how students are doing. Able to work with students one-on-one to help them learn better. Have worked with teachers to come up with ways to teach that try to meet the needs of different students
Conversely, a bad resume summary might be too generic, lacking focus on the specifics of the job description. It will also fail to provide any useful insights on what makes you a unique candidate. See above for some examples of things to avoid when writing your teaching assistant resume summary.
Skills
Listing your key skills can help to prove your suitability for teaching assistant jobs. These could be IT proficiency, adaptability and flexibility or various other relevant skills. Again, include any skills that match those listed in the job description. Focus particularly on technical skills required for teaching assistant jobs and transferable skills that show your qualities as a teaching assistant.
Highlighting your hard skills
Under hard skills, add any specialist skills you possess that are specifically required for teaching assistant jobs. These tend to be technical skills and industry knowledge essential to the position. Furthermore, these skills are essential for a teaching assistant resume as they showcase your expertise in the field. If possible, add four or five hard skills that reflect the requirements of the job description. These will boost your chances of success in your applications.
For an effective resume hard skills section, focus on the technical skills that are most essential in the job description, and that match your specific expertise. Some examples of the best hard skills for a teaching assistant resume are listed below.
- Lesson plan development
- Classroom management techniques
- Curriculum implementation skills
How to list soft skills on your teaching assistant resume
Soft skills are the personal skills and qualities that make you a good fit for the job. They include transferable skills and strengths that help you settle into the role, adapt to new challenges and build effective working relationships. Indeed, as the nature of work changes, soft skills are growing in importance, so make sure you include them in your resume. Think of your best soft skills and add up to five that match the requirements of the job description.
A good soft skills section would include skills that match the job description, and also reflect your key strengths and qualities. See the graphic below for an indication of what to include in a strong soft skills section for a teaching assistant resume.
- Communication and collaboration
- Problem-solving abilities
- Time management skills
Education
Your resume's education section provides space for you to list your highest and most relevant qualifications for teaching assistant roles.
To work as a teaching assistant, employers tend to require candidates to have a specialist degree, such as a Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.). If you have this degree, focus on it in your education section, while also mentioning any educational achievements that show your IT proficiency or special education support.
Enter the name and level of the qualification, the institution you studied at, its location and your dates of study or graduation. You could also add one or two bullet points to draw attention to your grades if they were particularly good, as well as any specialist subjects you studied. This will help the hiring manager understand your knowledge and special skills better.
Additionally, mentioning any leadership roles or any societies and clubs you participated in while studying shows proactivity and initiative.
Bachelor of Education (B.Ed.), 2017 - 2020
University of Florida, Gainesville
Relevant Certifications and Licenses
Your certifications section is the place to mention any relevant professional teaching assistant certifications, licenses or qualifications. These might be licenses that show you're qualified to operate certain equipment, or certifications that give you the edge over candidates with otherwise similar career history. Therefore, add any necessary licenses and certifications in this section, along with valid dates so employers can see you're still qualified for the job.
Read on to see some relevant example certifications for a teacher assistant resume:
- Child Development Associate, 2022
- Paraprofessional Certification, 2022
- First Aid Certification, 2022
Work Experience
In your work experience section, list any previous relevant roles you've worked in, as well as your key achievements as a teaching assistant. Add each previous employment in reverse-chronological order. This means starting from your current or most recent role and working back in time from there. Include your job title, the company name, the location of the job and your dates of employment.
Also include some bullet points for each job mentioned, showcasing your achievements so the employer can see the impact you made on the company. Pay attention to the job description and make sure each point is relevant to teaching assistant roles.
A successful resume work experience section will always showcase skills and experience relevant to the job description, and how you put each to good use in your previous roles. Offering quantifiable evidence in a teacher assistant resume proves you're a strong candidate for the job, such as client feedback, project outcomes, KPIs or financial results. There are some examples of strong resume work experience sections below.
Good example:
Instructional Support Specialist, January 2022 - Present
EduAssist Solutions, New York
- Developed and implemented a comprehensive teacher training program, resulting in a 25% increase in student engagement and academic performance
- Streamlined the integration of educational technology, reducing setup time by 40% and enhancing classroom interactivity
- Coordinated and led curriculum alignment initiatives, achieving a 95% compliance rate with state educational standards
Bad example:
Instructional Support Specialist, January 2022 - Present
EduAssist Solutions, New York
- Assisted in various classroom activities to support student learning and engagement
- Helped integrate technology into lessons to improve educational outcomes
- Supported curriculum development efforts to align with educational standards
The example above can give you some idea of what not to include in your resume work experience section. Less effective resume work experience sections might take a more vague, descriptive approach to previous jobs. They focus on responsibilities and everyday duties rather than referencing career achievements and the value you've added for previous employers.
Hear from experts:
If you have limited formal experience, highlight other achievements, like completing training programs, certifications, or successful personal projects. (1) Present this information in a clear and concise format with easy-to-read sections and plenty of white space. (2)
Additional Information
If you need to provide further evidence of your suitability for the job, optional sections can be useful for a teacher assistant resume. Pick from the optional sections below to help show the employer you have the skills and experience for the job.
Hobbies and Interests
Listing your hobbies and interests can reveal key qualities that some employers may value. These are particularly useful for your resume if you're short of work experience and need to showcase a particular skill or experience. Just make sure any hobbies and interests you include in your resume add genuine insight into your personality, in ways other sections of the resume can't.
Voluntary Work
If you're lacking relevant teaching assistant work experience, volunteer work can help to show you still have the relevant skills. List your volunteer job title, the organization you volunteered for, its location and the dates of your involvement, alongside a brief explanation of your responsibilities in the role.
References
It's not typical to include references in a teaching assistant resume, but some employers might ask for them. Don't add references unless requested by the employer. Add two or three professional references, and be sure to approach each referee before you include them.
Please contact me for a list of references.
Best words to use in a teacher assistant resume
Add strong verbs to your work experience section to show the hiring manager the impact you made in your previous roles. Choose from the list of words below to make the best possible impression.
- Facilitated
- Assisted
- Coordinated
- Implemented
- Supported
- Tutored
- Organized
- Managed
- Guided
- Evaluated
If you want to create a resume that stands out from the crowd, use Jobseeker's expert-designed resume templates. You can also find cover letter templates that work to get you noticed by employers.
Sample teaching assistant resume
Now that you know everything that needs to go into your teaching assistant resume, let's review an example resume that you can use as a guide when creating your own:
5150 Maple Drive, Twin Peaks, WA
•
lily.watson@example.com
•
(111) 222 33 444 55
•
linkedin․com/in/lily–watson123
Experienced Educational Support Specialist with a strong background in providing academic assistance, developing instructional materials, and supporting diverse student needs. Proven ability to enhance student learning through individualized support, effective communication, and collaboration with educators. Proficient in utilizing educational technology to facilitate interactive and engaging learning environments. Committed to fostering a positive and inclusive educational experience for all students.
Educational Support Specialist
2020
-2022
BrightPath Learning Solutions (Chicago)
- Successfully increased student retention rates by 25% through personalized academic support and mentoring programs
- Developed and implemented a comprehensive tutoring program that improved student grades by an average of 15%
- Coordinated a series of workshops, leading to a 30% increase in student engagement and participation in academic activities
Lesson plan development
Classroom management techniques
Curriculum implementation skills
Communication and collaboration
Problem-solving abilities
Time management skills
Child Development Associate
Paraprofessional Certification
English - Fluent
Spanish - B2
Tips for teaching assistant resumes
Advice to help you craft a winning resume
- Write a compelling resume summary or objective to introduce yourself and your key teaching assistant skills.
- Quantify your achievements and show evidence of how you've used your skills to bring positive outcomes in your career to date.
- Use strong verbs to help show the actions you've taken in different teaching assistant roles (e.g. guided, evaluated, facilitated).
- Use a clear, professional resume format to make your document as accessible as possible, including a readable font and appropriate headings, margins and line spacing. This will make your resume easier for recruiters and hiring managers to read.
- Proofread your resume before sending it, to avoid any unnecessary mistakes that may harm your chances.
Things to avoid on your resume
- Don't use overly decorative formatting and layouts that can detract from the content and make your teaching assistant resume harder for scanning by applicant tracking systems (ATS).
- Don't use passive language because it's less engaging for the reader. Change phrases like 'the target was exceeded' to 'I helped the team exceed the target'.
- Don't lie or exaggerate any information on your teaching assistant resume, as this can cause you problems further down the line.
- Don't use jargon or business-speak. It can make your resume appear clichéd and harder to read.
- Don't crowd your teaching assistant resume with too many unnecessary details. Focus on only the most critical skills and achievements.
How to make an ATS-friendly resume
Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) are one of the key ways recruiters and employers manage the hiring process. The systems can screen candidates by scanning and ranking resumes based on each candidate's likely suitability for the vacancy. There are several things you can do when writing your teaching assistant resume, to give yourself the strongest chance of ranking highly in the ATS stage and progressing through the recruitment process.
Create an ATS-optimized resume by following these quick tips:
- Opt for an established, traditional resume format such as a reverse-chronological or functional structure. These will ensure your resume includes all the necessary details ATS systems scan for.
- Use of job description keywords throughout your resume will help it rank higher in the ATS scanning stage, as it will more closely match the requirements laid out in the job description.
- Use clear headings that break your resume up into readable, scannable sections that match the standard content employers expect from a resume.
- Adopt a resume design that uses clear, professional design principles and leaves white space for your content to breathe. Use the most readable fonts and incorporate subtle design elements to enhance the readability of your document.
- Keep your resume as concise as possible, to make it easier to read, and for ATS software to scan.
If you're looking for inspiration for your resume, discover our comprehensive resume examples and in-depth, expert career blog.
FAQs for a teaching assistant resume
Accompanying your resume for teaching assistant applications, you'll want to produce a cover letter that similarly leaves a positive impression on hiring managers.
Check the job description to see whether a full, formal cover letter is necessary. In some situations, it might be more suitable to simply send a brief email to introduce yourself and accompany your resume.
If you choose to write a full cover letter, follow traditional letter-writing conventions surrounding greetings, sign-offs and use of professional language. The body of the cover letter tends to be three paragraphs. The first introduces yourself and the role you're applying for, giving reasons for your application. The second briefly covers your key skills and achievements that are most relevant to teaching assistant roles. Finally, the third paragraph re-emphasizes your interest in the role and leaves a call to action, encouraging the employer to reach out to you.
If you want to impress employers with a professional cover letter, use Jobseeker's simple and beautiful cover letter templates.
As an experienced teaching assistant, you'll want your resume to showcase all of your relevant experience and achievements. As an experienced teaching assistant candidate, you'll want your resume to highlight your relevant work history. As such, consider going further back than the standard 10 to 15 years with your employment history. Your teaching assistant resume could also include optional sections that demonstrate your experience levels and reputation in your industry. These could include, for example, awards, achievements and successful projects.
You can use a resume headline to introduce your document and set the tone for your teaching assistant applications. A well-constructed resume headline can help your resume rank highly with ATS screening tools by referencing some of the key information from the job description. Write a short, concise resume headline incorporating the job title, one or two key skills that match the job description and a reference to your reputation or track record.
Below you can see a resume headline example:
- Aspiring Educator and Support Specialist
- Dedicated Teaching Assistant for Success
- Experienced Senior Teaching Assistant
The best format for your resume depends on two key factors. Firstly, the amount of relevant work experience you have. Secondly, the type of role and its level of seniority. For entry-level roles, or situations where you're changing to a new career, a functional resume is often the best option. This places your skills and education above your work experience. If, however, you have experience in your chosen profession, a traditional, reverse chronological resume format might be the way to go. This showcases your relevant skills and achievements in your work experience section.
Takeaways for a winning teaching assistant resume
The key to a strong resume is to showcase your relevant skills and achievements through your work experience and other activities. Pick a resume format that matches your experience levels, and tailor the content of your resume to reflect the details of the job description.
HR-approved resume templates and other tools by Jobseeker are the easiest way to create a winning job application. Sign up and follow the simple instructions to complete a resume that stands out from the crowd. A stylish, professional cover letter can make all the difference to your job prospects. See Jobseeker's cover letter examples, written by careers experts, to help you craft an eye-catching application.
Sources:
(1) Writing a Resume, California Department of Human Resources: https://www.calhr.ca.gov/employees/Pages/resume-tips.aspx
(2) Resume Tips, Duke University: https://careerhub.students.duke.edu/resources/resume-tips/
