How do I Write an Education Cover Letter?

To write an education cover letter, you should typically begin with the proper cover letter format and ensure that the pertinent information is included in your cover letter in an effective way. You should try to determine who the letter should be addressed to and make sure your résumé is up-to-date. Your education cover letter should also include information about your education and professional experience, as well as an indication of your teaching style and pedagogical approach to education.

An education cover letter is a letter that typically accompanies a résumé or curriculum vitae (CV) as an introduction and letter of address. While this type of cover letter is often utilized for just about any type of professional job search, there are certain aspects of professional education that should be included in an education cover letter. You should begin your cover letter with your contact information, preferably matching the format you use on your accompanying résumé or CV. This should then be followed by the contact information for the school or district to which you are sending your information.

It is often best to begin an education cover letter with a salutation to a specific individual, such as “Dear Ms. X.” This should be fairly simple, since the names of principals and members of a school board are usually publicly available. Using the name of the person you are trying to contact is important in establishing a connection with your contact, and to ensure your cover letter and information reaches the correct person.

After the salutation, you should begin the body paragraphs of your education cover letter. You can use this section to indicate professional experience you have, as well as your own educational background and teaching pedagogy. This should not be used to simply reiterate what is already on your résumé or CV, but to provide more information or a brief overview that will make the reader want to look at the rest of your information. If you know anyone currently teaching or working at the school or district you are applying to, then you should also mention this in your education cover letter.

You should then end your education cover letter by thanking the reader and indicating how you plan on following up your initial contact. This should be an assertive action, perhaps indicating that you will be contacting him or her in the next two weeks, rather than passively awaiting a call. You can then sign with a polite close, such as “Sincerely,” and leave space for a signature if you are mailing a physical copy of your letter.