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Teaching assistant CV example

A teaching assistant CV should show that you support pupils one-to-one and in small groups, prepare materials, record progress for the teacher and keep children safe. Below is a full example for an experienced teaching assistant and a version for someone whose experience is tutoring and volunteering, with the bullet points and tailoring steps behind them.

By Paul and the c-v.ai team, drawing on years of hiring across industries and of writing CVs professionally. Published 10 November 2026.

What employers look for in a teaching assistant CV

Job profiles from the UK National Careers Service, the US O*NET database and Canada’s occupation classification describe the role in similar terms. Your CV (résumé) should give evidence of:

• Small-group and one-to-one support. Working with individual pupils and small groups to help them with their work, under the teacher’s direction.
• Preparing for lessons. Helping teachers prepare materials and setting up the classroom.
• Recording progress. Watching, recording and reporting the progress pupils make, and passing it to the class teacher.
• Supervision and safety. Supervising pupils in classrooms, halls, playgrounds and on trips, and looking after children who are upset or unwell.
• Support for additional needs. Canada’s classification lists helping students with special needs, for example through sign language, braille or remedial programmes.
• Working with families, and checks. Working closely with families and carers. In the UK you will need to pass enhanced background checks.

Teaching assistant CV example

Rachel’s summary names the age group, her two main kinds of support and her checks, which are what a head teacher scans for first. Each bullet matches a duty from the job profiles, and the details, such as group sizes and a weekly reading record, show how she actually works. Her checks and first aid sit where they are easy to find. The lunchtime job is short but shows how she started in the school.

How to write each section

Personal statement

Give the age range or year groups you know, the kind of support you give (groups, one-to-one, additional needs) and any checks or first aid you hold. Close with the role you want next.

Experience bullets

Skills

List the support you can give (phonics, reading, maths, behaviour, additional needs), any tools or approaches your school uses, first aid and languages. Never describe a pupil in a way that could identify them.

Education

Put a teaching assistant or childcare qualification first, then school results. English and maths grades matter here. The National Careers Service says direct applicants usually need GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 in both.

Teaching assistant CV with no experience

Aisha has not worked in a school, but tutoring and a homework club give her the core of the job. If you are starting out, lead with:

1. Work with children. Tutoring, homework clubs, sports coaching, holiday clubs and babysitting all count.
2. What you did to help them learn. Reading one-to-one or explaining maths in a new way is real teaching support.
3. How you keep adults informed. Updates to parents or coordinators match the reporting part of the role.
4. Your checks. A current background or Working with Children Check saves the school time.

Our guide to a CV with no experience has more ideas.

Tailoring this CV to a job ad

Rachel applies for a role supporting a pupil with speech and language needs. The ad asks for “experience of one-to-one support”, “working with speech and language therapists” and “Welsh language skills desirable”.

1. She moves the one-to-one bullet to the top of her current job.
2. She adds a bullet about following a therapist’s programme with a pupil, which she did last year, without naming the child.
3. She moves Welsh into her summary, since the ad mentions it.

The full method is in our guide to tailoring a CV to a job description. In c-v.ai, you paste the ad or add a screenshot and the app ranks the must-haves, repeated themes and nice-to-haves, then shows where your CV covers each. You choose which experience leads, and you approve each change before it goes in. The AI can make mistakes, so check every one.

What changes in other countries

• United States. Teacher assistants are also called teacher aides, instructional aides and paraprofessionals. The Bureau of Labor Statistics says those in schools with a Title I programme need a two-year degree, two years of college, or a pass in a state or local assessment, so put that near the top of your résumé (see CV vs résumé).
• Canada. The usual title is educational assistant. Completing secondary school is required, and a 10-month college programme is usual. Memorial University’s career service advises no photo, age or date of birth.
• Australia. The national classification uses teachers’ aide, within education aides, which also covers integration aides. In New South Wales, adults in child-related work need a Working with Children Check.
• India. The government’s National Career Service portal, run by the Ministry of Labour & Employment, lists jobs and lets you register free of charge.
• South Africa. The University of Cape Town careers service says CVs are typically two pages and advises no photo unless the employer asks.
• Germany. EURES says a photo is still part of a typical German application, and school certificates are often enclosed.
• Poland. EURES advises one, at most two, A4 pages, with a consent clause for processing your personal data underneath the CV.

Schools and local authorities often use online applications. Our ATS-friendly CV guide explains what those systems need, and c-v.ai checks every PDF on your iPhone for selectable text, standard headings and reading order. Systems differ, so no check can promise a result. For adult care roles, see the care assistant CV example.

Questions

How do I become a teaching assistant with no experience?

The UK National Careers Service lists college courses, an apprenticeship, volunteering and applying directly, and calls volunteering an excellent way to get experience with children. On your CV, lead with tutoring, clubs, coaching or childcare, and say which checks you hold.

Do teaching assistants need a background check?

Usually. In the UK you need to pass enhanced background checks, and in New South Wales adults in child-related work need a Working with Children Check. Put your check and its date on your CV.

Is a teaching assistant the same as a teacher aide or paraprofessional?

Broadly, yes. The US also uses teacher aide, instructional aide and paraprofessional, Canada uses educational assistant, and Australia uses teachers’ aide. Use the title from the ad.

Sources

• National Careers Service: Teaching assistant
• O*NET OnLine: Teaching Assistants, Preschool, Elementary, Middle, and Secondary School, Except Special Education (25-9042.00)
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Teacher Assistants
• Government of Canada, NOC 2021: 43100 Elementary and secondary school teacher assistants
• Australian Bureau of Statistics, ANZSCO 2022: 4221 Education Aides
• NSW Office of the Children’s Guardian: Working with Children Check
• Memorial University of Newfoundland Career Services: Career FAQs for International Students
• National Career Service (Ministry of Labour & Employment, India)
• University of Cape Town Careers Service: Creating a Great CV (2023)
• EURES: Living and working conditions in Germany
• EURES: Living and working conditions in Poland

Related guides

• Care assistant CV example
• Administrative assistant CV example
• How to tailor your CV to a job description
• How to write a CV with no work experience