Looking to land a job in the further education sector? Crafting a standout CV is the first step towards making a great impression. Whether you’re applying for a role as a teacher, administrator, or support staff, having a well-organised and professional CV can set you apart from the competition. To help you get started, this article provides a Free FE CV Template.
A few months back, we established some of the benefits of working in Further Education (FE). More recently, we talked you through the process of applying for your first leadership role in FE. Now, it’s time for some practical help in terms of catering your CV to FE job roles.
Admittedly, in the latter article referenced above, I made the (accurate) observation that in FE, you’re unlikely to be able to simply upload or send a CV over as an email attachment. There’s no harm in doing that, by the way (if you have a suitable contact email address), but inevitably they’ll direct you back to that fiddly HR portal of theirs!
So why bother with a CV at all? For me, my CV is far more than a dusty old Word Document that I churn through ChatGPT and ping off whenever I see a role I like the look of. In fact, I’m happy to admit that I’m a little bit obsessive over my CV. I use my CV as:
- A record of and self-reflection on my experience
- A self-assessment and audit of my skills and abilities
- A way of articulating and refining my knowledge and expertise in relation to the ever-evolving sector landscape
- And all-in-all, an exhaustive bank of information about me and my career, that makes job applications or profile writing quicker, less daunting, and less improvised!
I preen my CV monthly to ensure it reflects my professional development and the evolution of the sector, then map this across to my LinkedIn profile for consistency – so sue me!
I’m no graphic designer (Canva does that bit for me), but I won’t waste your time by going into detail about the fact that you should probably avoid colourless, Times New Roman Word Documents, keep it to 2-pages maximum, and save it as a PDF before you send it. I’m focusing on content.
You can be pretty sure that each of those fiddly HR portals are going to request some uniform pieces of information about you and your career that you would expect to include in any job application. Here’s a template for a concise, authentic CV which should cover those bases and more, allowing you to maintain a simple, clear, and helpful record of your career progression.
Your Full Name
Further Education Curriculum Manager with over a decade of experience in curriculum development, quality improvement, Ofsted Inspection, and delivering outstanding outcomes for learners.
Phone Email LinkedIn
| Education and Training | ||||
| Qualification | Level | Institution | Grade | Date |
| Management and Leadership | 5 | Chartered Management Institute | Pass | Oct 2015 |
| Name of Qual. | e.g. 3 | Name of Awarding Institution | e.g. A* | Date achieved |
| Professional Experience | |||
| Job Title | Place of Work | Dates | Key Duties |
| Curriculum Manager | Newham College | Sept 2018 – Ongoing | -Line managing 10 Performing Arts staff.
-Managing £20,000 budget.
-Developing curriculum in response to learner feedback and industry needs.
-Continuously improving quality of provision and outcomes for learners
-Preparing for Ofsted and regulatory inspections |
| Job title | xxxxx | From – To | Brief summary of the key duties of your role including actual, quantifiable examples of impact. |
| Additional Experience | ||
| Type | Date(s) | Description |
| Membership | Sept 2018 – Ongoing | -Member of the Education and Training Foundation (ETF) Curriculum Network for Music. Meet on a termly basis to discuss curriculum development and industry insight. |
| Membership, Course, Voluntary, Club, Hobby, Project… | From – To | -Brief summary of the additional experience, highlighting the relevance to your profession. |
References available upon request.
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