ESL Teacher Cover Letter—Samples [+ No Experience]

Teaching is known to be one of the happiest professions on earth, and you get a kick out of it every single day. Although you’ve hit a wall a while ago, you’re still not giving up on your journey to find the perfect ESL job.

Are you ready to meet your new kids? Write the perfect ESL teacher cover letter first!

In this guide:

• Two sample ESL teacher cover letters—one for an experienced candidate and one for an applicant with no experience.
• How to format a cover letter for an ESL teaching position.
• A full guide with instructions on how to write an ESL teacher cover letter that will land you more interviews.
• Ready-made cover letter templates that you can have ready in 15 minutes. 

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Considering different position in academics? See these cover letter guides:

• Academic Advisor Cover Letter
• Academic Cover Letter
• Cover Letter for Faculty Position
• Elementary Teacher Cover Letter
• Postdoc Cover Letter
• Research Assistant Cover Letter
• School Counselor Cover Letter
• Substitute Teacher Cover Letter
• Teacher Cover Letter
• Tutor Cover Letter

Don't have a resume yet? Check out our dedicated ESL Teacher Resume Guide.

Before we dive in to how to write a cover letter for ESL teachers, let’s look at a couple examples first:

1. ESL Teacher Cover Letter Samples

First, let’s meet Diana. Diana is a bilingual ESL teacher with a strong background in teaching English to classes by planning and presenting lessons.

She has a big passion for conducting activities that target confidence, perception, vocabulary building, pronunciation practice, and grammar, and she uses her cover letter to prove that. Let’s take a look at how she does:

ESL Teacher Cover Letter (Experienced)

Take notes from Diana’s cover letter if you want to land an ESL teaching opportunity of your own, because she nailed it. Her cover letter clearly provides the details of her accomplishments and a little more personality than her resume.And that’s the perfect combination. 

Don’t have professional achievements yet? No worries, there is a way to write a great ESL teacher cover letter if you have no experience. 

Let’s take a look at Daniel’s cover letter first:

ESL Teacher Cover Letter No Experience

Even though Daniel doesn’t have much work experience, he sold himself as someone who’s highly knowledgeable and experienced in teaching kids English as a second language.

Notice what really pops in this cover letter? Numbers. Any metrics that you can use to prove that you’ve been successful at something will immediately put you several levels above and present you as a highly qualified professional.

Ready to write your own ESL teacher cover letter?

2. How to Write an ESL Teacher Cover Letter?

Let’s start with the basics…

1. Format Your ESL Teacher Cover Letter in an Organized Way

Writing student reports is a tedious job. It’s time-consuming, stressful and generally a pain in the rear.  Every report has to be concise, well-organized and neatly presented. Prove that you’ll nail them every quarter by showing off your attention to detail. Start with your cover letter format.

Check out the rules on how to properly format your cover letter:

Cover Letter For ESL Teacher: Formatting

• Use the same print type as your resume font.
• Left-align all of your cover letter parts. Don’t use justification.
• Use 1.15 spacing and 1-inch margins on all four sides of the document.
• How long should a cover letter be? Try to fit into one page. 

Keep these rules in mind, and your cover letter will look professional and businesslike.

2. Include Personal Details and Contact Information in Your Cover Letter Header

Starting in the top left corner of your cover letter is your cover letter heading. Since it’s a formal letter, make sure it looks like a business document, with your personal information and contact details, the date (and city) of writing below, and the school’s information below that.

Here’s what it should look like:

ESL Teacher Cover Letter: Header

Now all you have to do is fill out the above template with your own information and make sure it matches your resume header:

• Make sure the typography is the same—use the same font, same size and lettering.
• If you choose to align your resume address to the left, make sure your cover letter header is placed the same, if you decide to put it in the center, do the same on your cover letter, and so on... 
• Use the same spacing on both documents—including 1-inch resume margins on all sides.
• Choose the same or similar designs for both your resume and cover letter to make them matching. 

 

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3. Begin With a Proper Salutation and an Introduction

Grabbing the attention of a class is a talent. And you’ve got a handful of tricks to spark students’ interest, so why not use one of them to catch the eye of the principal?

The beginning of your letter should grab the attention of the hiring manager and make them want to learn more about you. When writing the opening paragraph of your cover letter:

1. Address your cover letter by using the name of the principal or hiring manager.
2. Briefly introduce yourself by stating who you are and what position you are interested in.
3. Mention one of your most important career accomplishments to excite them.

Check out this template: 

Cover Letter for ESL Teacher: First Paragraph

The first paragraph of your cover letter brings to mind a resume profile. Although, while the first section of your resume roughly summarizes your career, the opening paragraph of your resume should have much more personality and flow.

Expert Hint: If you don’t know or can’t find the hiring manager’s name, use “Dear Hiring Manager” or “Dear School Principal”. Don’t go for “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam”, as these greetings are old school and make your cover letter generic and impersonal.

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4. Sell Your Qualifications in the Second Paragraph of Your Cover Letter

Be the protagonist of your own cover letter. Talk up your skills, education and experience and make them want to hire you right away. Your second paragraph is the inciting incident, the narrative event that will launch your new career opportunity.

ESL Teacher Cover Letter: Middle Paragraph

Remember to tailor your cover letter to the job you are applying to by using the same rules as you did when targeting your resume:

1. Read the job advertisement carefully.
2. Highlight the skills they’re especially looking for and the requirements.
3. Use these keywords from the job ad when talking about your experiences and credentials. 

Expert Hint: Most large companies and organizations (schools included) use an ATS tracking system that helps them sort the resumes and prioritize ones that best fit the role. Using specific keywords from the job ad is a key tactic for writing an ATS resume and cover letter, thus increasing your chances of getting an interview.

5. Explain Your Motivation for Applying for This Particular Job

Most students are motivated by praise and encouragement. Employers are usually no different.

They want to know they’re hiring someone who’s enthusiastic about working for them and who knows what they’re all about. So do some research on the school, check out what projects and community events they support, and be excited about joining them.

ESL Teacher Cover Letter: Third Paragraph

Prove how much you care. That’ll make a huge difference. 

Expert Hint: ESL teaching jobs in the US are expected to grow in the near future. The amount of students who are entering school as bilingual or are just learning English is at an all-time high. This means that ESL teachers will be needed at all grade levels. 

6. End Your Cover Letter With a Call to Action 

You’re almost done. The only thing your cover letter is missing now is a strong ending.

1. First, make sure to ask for a meeting. Don’t just thank them for their time. Give them something they can’t say “no” to.

2. Second, properly and politely sign off, using a professional closing.

Here are some alternatives to “sincerely” to use in a cover letter:

• Best regards,
• Warm regards,
• With thanks,
• Thank you,
• With best regards,
• Kind regards,
• Respectfully,
• With respect,

Feel free to use this cover letter closing template:

ESL Teacher Cover Letter: Closing

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Key Points

As you write a cover letter for ESL teaching positions, remember to:

• Match the header of your ESL teacher cover letter to your resume header.
• Address your cover letter to a specific person.
• State what position you’re applying to, and introduce yourself with a relevant achievement in the first paragraph.
• In the second paragraph, list your ESL teaching skills and accomplishments.
• Show some genuine interest in the school, do some research, and write about something that struck a chord with you in your last paragraph. 
• Request an interview and sign formally. 

Got questions on how to write a great resume for ESL teaching jobs? Leave a comment. We’ll be more than happy to help.

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