ESL Teacher Cover Letter Sample (also for No Experience)

In an ever more globalized world, unlocking the knowledge to speak more than one language is a crucial step for anyone’s personal development. English, being the current lingua franca, is no different. Teachers without a doubt form the foundation of our society.

That should mean you can get a teaching job just by asking nicely enough, right?

Wrong.

As the world ever so slowly realizes the impact of the teaching profession, more and more schools are offering more lucrative positions, but only for the best teachers.

In other words—

Without a good ESL teacher cover letter, you’ll flunk out of the recruitment process.

It’s back to school time for you, at least for the next 10 minutes or so!

This guide will show you an ESL teacher cover letter sample, plus the best tips to write an ESL teacher cover letter step-by-step.

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Sample cover letter for a resume—See more cover letter templates and create your cover letter here.

Looking for other education-oriented positions? See some of the following guides:

• Education Cover Letter Examples
• Teacher Cover Letter Examples
• Elementary Teacher Cover Letter Examples
• Substitute Teacher Cover Letter Examples
• School Counselor Cover Letter Examples
• Teaching Assistant Cover Letter Examples
• Paraprofessional Cover Letter Examples
• Librarian Cover Letter Examples
• Academic Cover Letter Examples
• Volunteer Cover Letter Examples
• Tutor Cover Letter Examples
• Nanny Cover Letter Examples
• Translator Cover Letter Examples
• Best Cover Letter Examples for Any Job

ESL Teacher Cover Letter Sample

What do we think, A or A+? Regardless, in a few minutes, you’ll turn your cover letter into one of similar caliber.

Also, just as receptive and productive skills go together, so do the cover letter and resume. See our resume guide here if you haven’t already: ESL Teacher Resume Sample and Writing Guide.

ESL Teacher Cover Letter Template

Here’s our breakdown of the best ESL teacher cover letter writing practices:

1. Format Your ESL Teacher Cover Letter Perfectly

Ever wanted to travel and make it lucrative at the same time?

You’re in luck!

The demand for ESL teachers abroad is very high: and it’s steadily rising!

But—

If you think you can leisurely cruise your way to a cushy teaching job somewhere out there just because of your native English, think again. A poorly constructed cover letter won’t get you far.

So, just like a teaching program, your cover letter needs to have structure. Otherwise, you end up building a shaky foundation, and that just leads nowhere but down.

Follow these cover letter formatting tips to pass with flying colors:

• Set margins to 1” on each side.
• The right cover letter spacing is 1 or 1.15 between lines. Use double spacing between different paragraphs.
• The cover letter font size should be set to 12 or 11pt.
• Bear in mind the total word count before you begin writing your assignment. The recommended cover letter length is one page, split into 3 to 4 paragraphs.

Read more: Professional Cover Letter Outline

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2. Set Yourself up for Success with a Great Cover Letter Header

You’re almost ready to get to writing: 

You just need to address your cover letter properly, first. 

If you’re familiar with the business letter format, you’ll have no trouble filling in the header of your cover letter. Otherwise, here’s a cheat sheet for you: 

• To start with, you want to include your name, job title, contact information (phone and email) at the top. Add your mailing address only if you’re applying by traditional post. 
• Including links to your social media profiles like LinkedIn or Twitter is optional, but if you decide to go for it, check your online presence first.
• Leave a line blank, write down the date, and then skip another line.
• Add the contact details of the hiring manager (or principal, if you’re applying to work at a school). 

If you can’t easily get the information on the person responsible for hiring ESL teachers at your company/organization of choice, try calling in personally. It’s worth it! 

3. Start with the Right Salutation and a Strong First Paragraph

How would it make you feel if your students called out Dear Sir or Madam! when they needed to get your attention? 

Yeah. 

Chances are, you’d much prefer to be addressed by your first or last name. 

Guess what: 

It’s the same with hiring managers and school principals. So, for your cover letter greeting, skip the Dear Sirs/Madams and To Whom it May Concerns and use the person’s name. 

That kind of directness may appear too informal, but it’s actually the opposite—it breaks the ice and draws the reader’s attention.

Then, in the opening paragraph: 

• Mention the title of the position you’re applying for, so they know you’re not teaching Spanish.
• Start off strong and list a strength or accomplishment of yours. Use numbers and active verbs for maximum impact! 

Read more: How to Start a Cover Letter with a Bang

4. Elaborate on What Makes You the ESL Teacher They Need

Being challenging, with reasonably high expectations and a sense of humor—that is just a handful of character traits that studies enumerate as the most important qualities of an effective ESL teacher.

Now, it’s up to you to convey that on a cover letter. Try this:

• Consider the following: what kind of school or institution is this? What are their needs? Did the job ad reference any particular difficulties or requirements that need to be met?
• Highlight how your professional experience and skillset are designed to meet all challenges head on.
• Talk yourself up further by listing more of your achievements, using numbers wherever possible.

If you’re writing an ESL cover letter with no experience, don’t worry: you can still make it work. 

Use what you do have—your transferable skills, education, and experience in other jobs—to show that you’d make a great ESL teacher. 

Read more: How to Write a Cover Letter with No Experience

5. Show Why You Want This ESL Teaching Job in Particular

You’re in luck: 

There’s plenty of work for ESL teachers out there. 

But you’re applying for one specific job: and in the next paragraph of your cover letter, you need to explain why you want this position more than any other. 

• Demonstrate what it is about this school, their mission, or values they hold near and dear that makes you want to work for them.
• Education in particular is a field where short-term employment has a negative effect. Convince the principal you’re not just jumping in for a semester or two.

Pro Tip: Even after giving a presentation on your assets and strong suits, it’s generally inadvisable to bring up salary requirements in a cover letter.

6. Seal the Deal with an Offer They Cannot Refuse

Here’s the harsh truth: 

Thanks for your time is just not going to cut it as an effective cover letter ending. 

That’s why your final exam comes in the form of making a call to action. Intrigue your reader by making a promise of what hiring you would entail in terms of value.

Suggest setting up a time and date for an in-person meeting or phone interview. You know, like a PTA meeting, but not really. 

Read more: What Should a Cover Letter Say? Full Guide & Examples

7. Sign off the ESL Teacher Cover Letter the Right Way

Ready to sign and submit? 

Here’s a set of tips on how to do it properly: 

• End the cover letter with a professional sign-off, like “Sincerely,”. Don’t be tacky, simplicity all the way.
• Repeat your basic information, like ways to contact you and your name, once again, at the bottom.
• If you have an extra offer or achievement to share, do it in a P.S. below your signature. They won’t see it coming! 
• If the school or institution requires any cover letter enclosures, be sure to send those as well.
• Lastly, name the file of your cover letter with your name and position.

Read more: Effective and Professional Cover Letter Templates

Plus, a great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here. Here's what it may look like:

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See more cover letter templates and start writing.

And that’s that!

With a cover letter like that, nobody would dare to think you didn’t do your cover letter writing homework.

Thanks for reading. Still need catch-up classes for closing out a cover letter or properly mentioning your strengths? Hit us up in the comments below!

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Sources

• https://www.alliant.edu/blog/there-world-wide-demand-tesol-teachers
• https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED574883.pdf