Overview
Applying for your first teaching post after qualifying can feel strange. You have spent three years training, completed over 120 days of school placements, and taught hundreds of lessons. But you have never held a paid teaching job. The trick is recognising that your placements are your experience, and presenting them with the same detail you would give any job.
Beth Cartwright is a newly qualified teacher with a BA in Primary Education from Edge Hill University. She completed placements across Key Stage 1 and Key Stage 2, worked part-time as a teaching assistant, and volunteered as a reading mentor before starting her degree. Her resume works because it treats every one of these experiences as evidence that she is ready for her own classroom.
What Makes This Resume Work
Placements are described as jobs. Beth does not write "completed a placement at St. Andrew's Primary" and leave it there. She explains that she planned and delivered over 80 lessons, supported 3 pupils with EHCPs, and led a whole-school assembly. These are the same things an experienced teacher would list. The only difference is the word "placement" in the job title.
Pupil outcomes are front and centre. When Beth says 92% of pupils met or exceeded end-of-unit targets on her Romans topic, a headteacher can see the impact of her teaching. Numbers like this are what separate a strong NQT application from a generic one.
The supporting roles add context. Her part-time TA role shows she understands the day-to-day running of a classroom beyond lesson delivery. Her pre-degree reading mentor work shows a long-standing commitment to education, not just a career choice made at 18.
Key Takeaways
Treat your placements like job descriptions. Include how many lessons you taught, how many pupils you supported, and what the outcomes were. If you adapted materials for children with additional needs, say so. If you led an assembly or ran a phonics group, quantify it. Headteachers reading your application want to know you can manage a classroom, plan effectively, and help children make progress. Your placements are the proof.
