Principals and school governing bodies read a lot of teacher CVs, and most of them look alike. The ones that stand out make three things obvious: you are registered and qualified to teach, you know exactly which phase and subjects you teach, and you can show what happens in your classroom. This guide shows you how to do all three.
Put SACE registration at the top
Every educator in South Africa must be registered with the South African Council for Educators (SACE). Student teachers hold provisional registration while they study, and qualified educators must change this to full registration before they take up a teaching post. Place this directly under your name and contact details:
Senior Phase and FET Educator: Mathematics and Physical Sciences
SACE registration number: 1234567. Status: fully registered.
If you have taught in a public school before, some schools and districts will also want your PERSAL number when they process an appointment. You can add it to your contact block or keep it ready to provide on request.
Recommended teacher CV structure
- Name, contact details, phase, subjects and SACE registration
- Professional profile
- Teaching experience (most recent first)
- Qualifications
- Extramural and leadership roles
- Professional development and training
- Skills (including digital teaching tools and languages)
- References
Be precise about phases, grades and subjects
South African schooling is organised into phases, and principals shortlist by phase and subject first. Make yours obvious.
| Phase | Grades | What to highlight |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation Phase | Grade R to Grade 3 | Literacy and numeracy development, home language teaching, early reading programmes, classroom management with young learners |
| Intermediate Phase | Grades 4 to 6 | Subject teaching across several learning areas, transition to English or Afrikaans as language of learning where relevant |
| Senior Phase | Grades 7 to 9 | Subject specialism, assessment planning, preparation for subject choices |
| FET Phase | Grades 10 to 12 | Subject specialism, NSC examination preparation, moderation, School-Based Assessment (SBA) and Practical Assessment Tasks (PAT) |
For each post, list the grades and subjects you taught. "Grade 10 to 12 Accounting; Grade 8 and 9 EMS" is far more useful than "Commerce teacher".
Write a profile that sounds like you, not a template
Weak: Passionate educator who believes every child can learn.
Strong: FET Life Sciences teacher with seven years' experience in a quintile 3 public high school, including four years as subject head. Experienced in CAPS-aligned planning, SBA moderation and running after-school support classes for Grade 12 learners. Seeking a post at a school with a strong science programme in the Western Cape.
The strong version tells the reader your phase, subject, setting, responsibilities and goal in a few lines. A principal can judge your fit immediately.
Show what happens in your classroom
The biggest weakness in most teacher CVs is a list of duties that every teacher performs: "planned lessons, marked books, attended meetings". Instead, describe what you did that made a difference.
Before and after: teaching experience bullets
Before:
- Taught Mathematics to Grade 11 and 12.
- Responsible for extra classes.
After:
- Taught CAPS Mathematics to three Grade 11 and two Grade 12 classes of around 40 learners each, planning lessons and assessments with two colleagues in the department.
- Introduced weekly Saturday revision sessions for Grade 12 learners using past NSC papers; the class average in my Grade 12 group improved between the June and final examinations.
Only include results you can explain and support. Talk about your own classes, describe the change honestly, and never share anything that could identify a learner.
Things worth mentioning
- Class sizes and the number of classes or grades you teach
- Subject head, grade head or phase head responsibilities
- Moderation, SBA coordination or marking for external examinations
- Remedial, inclusive education or learner support work
- Curriculum or resource development, such as building a shared question bank
- Parent communication and report writing
Qualifications
List your teaching qualification in full, such as a Bachelor of Education (BEd) in Senior Phase and FET Teaching, or a degree followed by a Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Include the institution and year. Add your specialisation subjects, because these determine which subjects you are qualified to teach.
If you hold additional qualifications, such as an Advanced Diploma in Education, an Honours degree or a qualification in inclusive education or school leadership, list them too. If you studied outside South Africa, the school or department may ask for a SAQA evaluation of your qualification, so mention it if you already have one.
Student teachers and new graduates
If you are finishing a BEd or PGCE, your teaching practice placements are your experience. Treat each one like a job entry:
- School name, town and the period of the placement
- Grades and subjects taught
- Lessons and assessments you planned and delivered
- Extramural activities you supported
- Feedback from your mentor teacher, summarised honestly
If you studied with a Funza Lushaka bursary or similar funding, mention it briefly. It shows commitment to the profession. Our graduate CV guide has more advice for first-time job seekers.
Extramurals and leadership
Schools care a great deal about what you contribute outside the classroom. Coaching sport, running a debating or chess club, organising cultural events, leading a choir, serving on the SGB as an educator representative, or coordinating a feeding scheme are all worth listing. Describe your role and what it involved: "Coached the U15 netball team: two practices a week and fixtures in the district league" is better than "Netball".
Professional development and skills
Include workshops and training from the provincial department, subject advisers and recognised providers, especially those related to CAPS, assessment, inclusive education, reading or digital teaching. SACE encourages ongoing professional development, and listing it shows you take your growth seriously.
Under skills, include:
- Digital tools you use in teaching, such as Google Classroom, Microsoft Teams or interactive whiteboards
- School administration systems you know, such as SA-SAMS
- Languages you can teach in and languages you speak
- First aid certification, driver's licence (useful for sport and outings)
Applying to public schools, SGB posts and independent schools
Public school posts are usually advertised by provincial education departments in vacancy bulletins, and you will often need to complete the public service Z83 form as well as submitting your CV and certified documents. Read each bulletin carefully, as requirements differ.
School governing body posts and independent schools usually advertise directly, through education job sites, or on general portals such as PNet, CareerJunction and LinkedIn. These schools tend to read CVs closely and value extramural involvement and a clear teaching philosophy, which you can cover in your cover letter. See our cover letter guide for structure.
Moving schools, contract posts and gaps
Many teachers start on temporary or contract posts, often replacing a teacher on leave. List these like any other post, with the school, the dates and a note such as "Fixed-term post: maternity leave replacement". Short contracts back to back are common in teaching and will not count against you if they are clearly labelled.
If you have a gap, for example after relocating or caring for family, add a single honest line. If you have taught abroad, list the country, school, curriculum and grades, and explain how that experience transfers to the CAPS classroom.
Privacy and personal details
You do not need to include your ID number, marital status or religion on your CV. Schools will request identity documents during appointment. Keep your CV focused on your professional details, which is also in line with the data minimisation principles of POPIA.
Common teacher CV mistakes
- Not stating your phase and subjects clearly at the top
- SACE registration missing or buried
- Generic duties instead of specific contributions
- Listing every workshop since you qualified; keep the most recent and relevant
- Busy designs with clip art or decorative fonts; choose something clean from our CV templates guide
Quick checklist
- Phase, subjects and SACE registration under your name
- Profile states your experience, setting and goal
- Each post lists grades, subjects and specific contributions
- Qualifications show specialisation subjects
- Extramurals described with your role
- Clearance documents ready
- Two pages, saved as a PDF unless the advert says otherwise
For general structure and formatting advice, read our guide on how to write a CV in South Africa.