When searching for a non dual teacher job it goes without saying that a powerful, well-written, teacher cover letter is a critical piece in the process.
I have written several articles on the topic of teacher cover letters and how to make your teacher cover letter stand out.
However, this article is NOT about “how” to write a teacher cover letter, but rather what to do once your teacher cover letter is written.
I know what you’re thinking… “What to do with it? Just send it in with your resume.”
Well, if that’s all you’re going to do, you are certainly not going to stand out above the competition…which can be very tough when it comes to getting a teaching job.
So, what should you do with your teacher cover letter?
Well, first of all, you are not just going to “send” in your teacher cover letter and teacher resume. Instead, you should “walk” in your teacher cover letter/teacher resume.
That’s right…you are going to hand-deliver your cover letter and resume. Doing so will put a face to the name and will most definitely make you stand out from all of those other applicants who only sent theirs in.
However, more important than “standing out” is the fact that an administrator may actually give you an interview on the spot!
The second thing you’re going to do is write three versions of your teacher cover letter.
That’s right…3 versions. You need to stop thinking of your teacher cover letter as just one individual letter and more as a series of three letters.
The first letter is the traditional teacher cover letter. The one we just discussed that you both send in AND hand-deliver that are both accompanied by your resume.
It’s the second and third cover letter, however, that are going to really separate yourself from the crowd.
Remember, the old Head & Shoulders commercial slogan? “You only get one chance to make a first impression.”
Well…maybe that’s not entirely true. Maybe you get two chances…
Your second cover letter is known as a “follow-up teacher cover letter”. This cover letter comes AFTER you have landed the interview, but BEFORE the actual interview takes place. In those few days in between is when you send out your “follow-up teacher cover letter”.
This cover letter is similar to your original cover letter with some minor changes. Your follow-up teacher cover letter is “slightly” less formal. It is somewhat of a cross between a cover letter and a thank you note.
Start the letter off with a thank you for the upcoming interview at [insert date and time]. Make sure you include the date and time. This will make you stand out even more…*they* will be looking forward to *your* interview! Once you have thanked the appropriate person, highlight the key points you made in your original teacher cover letter.
The third in the series of teacher cover letters is the “post-interview teacher cover letter”.
This third “cover letter” is much less formal and is leaning more towards a thank you note than a cover letter. In fact, this third letter should actually be presented as a “hand-written” note on nice, professionally monogrammed stationary.