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Special education teachers need specific knowledge and skills to excel in individualized education programs. How do you create a resume that shows this?
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Special education teachers work hard to guide students with special needs, helping students progress at the same level as pupils in mainstream school. In a special education teacher resume, you’ll need to show the hiring manager or recruiter that you can prepare lesson plans for students with different disabilities.
The best resumes will show the employer that candidates have all the key skills to navigate a learning environment. To give yourself the best chance at securing a special education teacher job, you can produce a professional resume that stands out to the recruiter.
The structure of a resume depends mostly on the resume format you choose. There are three resume formats you can use: the chronological, which is best for those with extensive work history, the functional resume format, which is ideal for recent graduates or those who have just earned a teaching certificate, and the combination resume format, which emphasizes both experience and skills.
The resume header contains your contact information, including your name, address, phone number, and email address. You can also include a link to a professional networking site if you have one. This will provide the hiring manager access to more information about your background and experiences.
The next section is the resume summary or resume objective. This section consists of two to three brief sentences. The resume summary is designed to grab the hiring manager’s attention, and summarize your most significant experiences and key skills. If you don’t have a lot of experience, you can create a resume objective, which shifts the focus to your best skills and career intentions.
The skills section goes a long way towards convincing the hiring manager whether you have the right abilities to navigate a special learning environment. Your skills section should have a good mixture of hard skills and soft skills for the best resume. Hard skills are role-specific knowledge while soft skills are personal traits that are transferable across multiple industries and consist of general life skills.
Consider including some of these skills in your resume:
If you have lots of previous teaching experience, your work history section should be robust. Here, highlight past jobs and achievements associated with those jobs to show how your experience have given you the vital skills to excel as a special education teacher.
Present your experience in reverse-chronological order, starting from the most recent job. To ensure this section is structured correctly, you can use a resume template or resume builder to help you.
To become a special education teacher, you’ll usually need a bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in special education. This shows you know how to teach different types of learners and can tailor the teaching curriculum to fit the needs of students.
In this section, provide the title of your degree, your college name, and any associated studies or academic accomplishments such as making the Dean’s List or graduating cum laude.
Do:
Don't:
Have questions? We’re here to help.
If you don’t have a lot of experience outside of your mandated student teacher placement, you can still produce an impressive resume. Simply choose a functional format and use the resume objective to explain why you’re the ideal candidate. Match the skills that are outlined in the job description to help the hiring manager match you to the role.
To become a special education teacher, you must complete the following steps:
1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in special education for learning disabilities.
2. Complete a student teaching placement in a special education school.
3. Pass your state-required tests.
4. Apply for your teaching license.
Yes! Cover letters are a great way to explain why you’re the ideal candidate in greater detail. Most employers will tell you if you need to include a cover letter in a resume, but in general it’s a good move to submit one. This allows you to explain your special certifications and knowledge at length, grabbing the hiring manager or recruiter’s attention. Check out how you can write a teacher cover letter with this guide!
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