Having a solid teaching portfolio can be extremely useful when looking for your next teaching role. A ready-made portfolio will provide evidence of your teaching achievements so far and can set you apart from the competition when it comes to securing the most sought-after teaching roles. Here we will explore what teachers can do to create a well-crafted portfolio that showcases their skills and experience to give them an advantage when hoping to impress potential new employers.
Why You Need a Professional Teaching Portfolio
A professional teaching portfolio is not just a way to keep track of all your teaching progress so far. It’s a valuable document that can demonstrate your teaching skills, showcase standout achievements, and provide an example of your educational philosophy.
Your teaching portfolio will provide tangible proof of your professional qualifications and teaching experience and help potential employers understand your suitability for the role quickly and effectively.
By providing a teaching portfolio alongside your application, you are providing potential employers with lots of information about why you are a great fit for the school, and demonstrating that you are willing to go the extra mile to land the role!
What to Include in Your Teaching Portfolio
So now you are convinced that creating a teaching portfolio is a good idea - but what exactly should you put in it? A teaching portfolio can be as unique as you are, and what it contains will depend on where you are in your career path so far. However, some typical documents to include are:
A Thoughtful Personal Statement: Your personal statement will provide a concise overview of your teaching philosophy, key strengths, and career goals.
CV and Cover Letter: Make sure that you tailor both your CV and cover letter for each specific teaching role. Research the school and read the rob spec thoroughly to ensure that your CV showcases how your skills and experience align with what the school is looking for and their overarching philosophy and teaching styles.
Certificates and Qualifications: Any certificates and qualifications you can provide will demonstrate proof of educational background and additional training. Having all these together and to hand when you apply for jobs can not only show potential employers how proactive you are, but will also save you stress trying to locate them when your new employers ask.
Lesson Plans and Samples of Student Work: A professional teaching portfolio will showcase your teaching style, creativity, and effectiveness. By including lesson plans that you are proud of and student work, you can give interviewers some insight into what you can do and hopefully wow them with your approach to teaching and teaching success! Teaching Evaluations and Feedback: Gather together any positive testimonials from your previous teaching roles, as well as any performance reviews and student feedback that you have to support your application.
Professional Development: Showing that you are committed to and passionate about your career progress and your responsibility as a teacher will help give you an advantage over other applicants. Provide evidence of any workshops, courses, or seminars attended. Awards and Achievements: Any additional recognitions or certifications that are relevant to the role you are applying for should also be included.
How to Organise Your Teaching Portfolio
Your teaching portfolio can be organised in a number of ways. Scanning any relevant documents and keeping your portfolio digitally can ensure that it is safe, secure and ready to be sent out easily. However, having a physical copy can also have advantages and provide more of a human touch, especially when showcasing lesson plans or student work. Having both a physical and digital copy is a good idea - you can always ask your interviewers how they would like to receive it.
The structure of your portfolio should have a logical flow. Following the structure above is a good way to go about it - starting with your CV and personal statement and ending with examples of your work and any additional awards and achievements.
The presentation of your portfolio is also an opportunity to get creative and to show a little of your personality. While sticking to a clean, professional and visually appealing layout can be optimal, you can add some more creative design elements where appropriate to give your portfolio more of an eye-catching and memorable look.
Tailoring Your Portfolio for Specific Roles
Another top tip for building a professional teaching portfolio is to ensure that you adapt it for the different teaching roles you might apply for. What to include for an application to a primary school teaching role will differ greatly from what you might include if you are applying for a role in a secondary school. Aligning your portfolio content with specific job descriptions will show you have put time and effort into it and give you the best chance of successfully securing the role.
Mistakes to Avoid When Building Your Portfolio
Overloading with irrelevant content - keep everything in your portfolio related to teaching and the job you are applying for. Overwhelming with irrelevant content is a no-no. Poor design or formatting - you need to be able to demonstrate competency when it comes to showcasing your work. So, ensure any documents you include are error-free and that the design and formatting also present your portfolio in the best possible light. Outdated or poorly presented work samples - ensure that the examples you provide are relevant and up-to-date.
Final Review and Continuous Updates
If you decide to include your teaching portfolio when applying for teaching roles, seek feedback from colleagues or mentors before sending it off. Also, ensure that you update the portfolio regularly with any new achievements or samples of your work. A strong teaching portfolio really can make a difference when it comes to finding your dream teaching role. If you are hunting for the next step in your teaching career, browse our job board for the latest openings or get in touch with our team to see how we can help and for tailored advice and support.
