Primary School Teacher CV Example (Ireland)

Boards of management in Ireland shortlist a Primary School Teacher CV on three things: Teaching Council registration under Route 1 (Primary), the Irish language requirement met, and evidence of what happened for the children in your class. Put your Teaching Council status, your Droichead status and your Garda vetting where the principal sees them first, then name the class levels, the class sizes and the posts (mainstream, Special Education Teacher, Gaeilge) you have held.

The Sample CV below is for a primary teacher with six years in two Cork schools, first on a fixed-term contract and now in a permanent mainstream post with a Special Education Teacher year in between. Its bullets pair classroom practice (station teaching, Aistear, the Primary Language Curriculum, literacy interventions) with results the school can see: standardised test gains, attendance, parent engagement, a school self-evaluation strand led.

Tailor it to the school. A DEIS school wants literacy and numeracy interventions and home-school links; a Gaelscoil wants Gaeilge throughout; a multi-grade rural school wants planning across classes; an Educate Together school wants its ethos. The US counterpart of this page is the teacher resume example, written for American school districts on Letter paper; the Civic template keeps the page plain for a standard application form.

Updated . The person and employers in this Sample CV are fictional. Written for applicants in Ireland; the page for applicants in the US is the teacher resume example.

Primary School Teacher sample CV

Drawn at A4 proportions, the paper an Irish CV is printed on.

Aisling Dunphy

Primary School Teacher, Teaching Council registered (Route 1), Droichead completed

Corkaisling.dunphy@example.com087 555 0162

Summary

Primary teacher with six years across mainstream and Special Education Teacher posts in two Cork schools, currently teaching Third Class of 29 pupils in a DEIS Band 2 school. Led the school's literacy strand of school self-evaluation, which lifted the number of pupils reading at or above the expected level on the Drumcondra test over two years, and coordinate the junior infant transition programme with four local preschools. Fluent Gaeilge, calm with a busy class and clear with parents.

Experience

Mainstream Class Teacher, Third Class (permanent), Ballinvarrig National School

– Present

Cork

  • Teach Third Class of 29 pupils in a DEIS Band 2 school, planning across the Primary Language Curriculum, maths, SESE and Gaeilge with a classroom SNA supporting two pupils with additional needs.
  • Led the literacy strand of school self-evaluation, introducing guided reading groups and a daily ten-minute writing routine from First to Fourth Class; Drumcondra reading scores rose in both years.
  • Coordinate the junior infant transition programme with four local preschools and run the parent information evening, which raised uptake of the school's parenting sessions.
  • Mentor a newly qualified teacher through Droichead as a member of the Professional Support Team, observing lessons and writing the shared reflection with the principal.
Special Education Teacher, Kilbrogan Hill National School

–

Bandon, Co. Cork

  • Provided in-class and withdrawal support in literacy and numeracy for 24 pupils from Junior Infants to Sixth Class under the Continuum of Support, reviewing each student support file termly.
  • Ran a twelve-week structured phonics intervention for six Second Class pupils, all of whom closed the gap to their class reading level by June.
  • Worked with the NEPS psychologist and parents on assessments and support plans, and team-taught maths with the Fourth Class teacher twice a week.
Mainstream Class Teacher, Senior Infants (fixed-term), Kilbrogan Hill National School

–

Bandon, Co. Cork

  • Taught Senior Infants of 26 pupils, using Aistear play-based learning and station teaching for phonics and early maths.
  • Kept lessons going through the school closures with daily Seesaw activities and a weekly phone call to every family.

Education

Bachelor of Education (Primary), Level 8

Shandon College of Education, Cork

Gaeltacht placements in Corca Dhuibhne; school placements in Junior Infants, Third Class and a multi-grade rural school.

Skills

  • Primary Language Curriculum
  • Aistear and play-based learning
  • Station teaching
  • Gaeilge (fluent)
  • Special education and the Continuum of Support
  • Literacy and numeracy intervention
  • Assessment (Drumcondra, Micra-T, Sigma-T)
  • Classroom management
  • Aladdin and Seesaw
  • Parent communication
  • School self-evaluation

Certifications

  • Teaching Council registration, Route 1 (Primary), number on request, Teaching Council of Ireland,
  • Droichead induction completed, Teaching Council of Ireland,
  • Garda vetting through the school patron, National Vetting Bureau,
  • Children First e-learning, Tusla,

Start yours from this example

Opens this sample in the editor, in one of the templates below. Swap in your details, then tailor it to each vacancy in about two minutes.

Use this example

How an Irish CV differs

A primary teaching CV in Ireland is read first by a principal and then by a Board of Management, and both are checking eligibility before quality. Registration is with the Teaching Council under Route 1 (Primary), not a state licence; the Irish language requirement must be met; Droichead, the induction process, must be completed or in progress; and Garda vetting is done through the school patron. The post is Primary School Teacher or Mainstream Class Teacher, with Special Education Teacher as the common second post, never elementary teacher. The page is two sides of A4, no photo, and most schools ask for it with a standard application form and the names of two referees, usually your current and a previous principal.

For a primary school teacher in Ireland

  1. Teaching Council registration, Route 1

    Give your registration route and the year, and write registration number on request. A teacher qualified outside Ireland gives the Teaching Council's conditions as well, since a board cannot appoint until they are met.

  2. The Irish language requirement

    Say plainly that you meet it: through a B.Ed or Professional Master of Education in Ireland, or through the Scrúdú le hAghaidh Cáilíochta sa Ghaeilge. Add Gaeltacht placements and any Irish-medium teaching, because a Gaelscoil post turns on them.

  3. Droichead and the NQT year

    Newly qualified teachers say whether Droichead is complete, in progress or not yet started, and name the school. Experienced teachers who sit on a Professional Support Team list it as a leadership point.

  4. Garda vetting, Children First and the patron

    Vetting is done through the patron before you start, and Children First training is expected. List both with the year so the principal knows nothing is outstanding.

  5. Permanent, fixed-term, substitute and the panel

    Give the contract type of each post as the school did: permanent, fixed-term, CID or substitute. Supplementary panel rights, where you have them, go in one line near the top because they change which posts you can be offered.

  6. Standard application form and referees

    Most patron bodies use a standard application form, and the interview is competency-based. Keep your CV bullets in full sentences so they paste into the form, and name two referees, usually your current and a previous principal.

Every CV in Ireland

A4 paper
The page is A4. Irish employers print and file on A4, and a Letter-sized PDF is the first sign a CV was written for the US.
Two pages is normal
Two pages is the norm for an Irish CV. Graduates fit one; nobody needs three unless the role is senior.
No photo
No photo, date of birth or marital status. Irish employers do not ask for them, and leaving them off keeps the page about the work.
Dates as DD/MM/YYYY
Day, month, year where a full date appears; month and year for each role. The US month-first order confuses the reader.
Irish English
Irish English follows British spelling: organise, programme, centre, licence, specialise.
Town or Dublin postal district, not a street address
"Dublin 8" or "Cork" is enough on the contact line. A full address is not expected, and the US-style "City, ST 12345" line never is.

More on applying in Ireland, with every CV example for it, on the Ireland page.

Templates for the primary school teacher CV

All templates

Every template exports on A4. The previews are drawn on Letter; the editor sets the page size when you export.

How the CV changes with experience

The same primary school teacher CV, written at three levels: a profile and three bullets for each.

Entry level

Zero to two years, or a first post in the title

Newly qualified primary teacher with a B.Ed (Level 8), Teaching Council registration conditional on Droichead, and placements in infants, middle and senior classes. Fluent Gaeilge, experience of a DEIS school and ready for a first fixed-term or substitute post.

  • Planned and taught a full timetable for ten weeks in Fifth Class during final placement, including a term-long SESE project on the local river.
  • Substituted across six Cork schools in the spring term, taking classes from Junior Infants to Sixth at a morning's notice.
  • Coached the school's hurling team for a term and ran a lunchtime library club.

Mid level

Three to seven years, owns a process or a workload

Primary teacher with five years in mainstream and SET posts in Dublin schools, confident with the Primary Language Curriculum, team teaching and parents.

  • Teach Fifth Class of 31 pupils in a Dublin 15 school where most of the class speak a language other than English at home.
  • Lead the school's digital learning plan and ran the Aladdin parent app rollout.
  • Team-teach maths with the SET for four hours a week.

Senior

Eight years or more, leads people, budgets or programmes

Deputy principal with fourteen years in primary teaching, responsible for the timetable, the special education allocation and Droichead in a 420-pupil school.

  • Lead the special education team of six teachers and allocate SET hours under the school's profile.
  • Chair the school self-evaluation group and wrote the current School Improvement Plan on wellbeing.
  • Lead Droichead for newly qualified teachers and liaise with the Board of Management and the patron.

Skills to put on the primary school teacher CV

Hard skills

Teaching Council registration and the Irish language requirement
A board of management cannot appoint a teacher the Teaching Council has not registered for primary, and the Irish requirement is checked before the interview.
The Primary Language Curriculum and Aistear
Principals want teachers who plan from the current curriculum, and naming it shows you are not working from an older scheme.
Special education and the Continuum of Support
Most schools rotate teachers through SET posts, and student support files are what an inspector reads first.
Assessment and standardised tests
Drumcondra and Micra-T results drive school self-evaluation, and teachers who use them to plan are valued.
Gaeilge
Teaching Irish every day is part of the post, and a Gaelscoil or a Gaeltacht school wants the whole day in it.
Classroom management
A settled class is where the learning happens, and every principal asks how you set one up in September.

Soft skills

Patience
Children learn at their own pace, and a principal listens for how you kept a struggling pupil going.
Communication with parents
Home-school links lift attendance and behaviour, and DEIS schools in particular hire on them.
Collaboration with colleagues and SNAs
Team teaching, SET planning and SNA liaison run on it, and a board asks your referees about it.

Mistakes that cost primary school teacher interviews

  1. Registration hidden

    A principal checks the Teaching Council before reading anything else. Put Route 1 (Primary), the year and Droichead in the headline and in a registration section near the top.

  2. No class levels, class sizes or school type

    Primary teacher says little by itself. Name the class level, the number of pupils, the school's DEIS status or ethos, and whether the post was mainstream or SET.

  3. Only listing what every teacher does

    Planned lessons and corrected copies describes the profession. Show what was yours: a self-evaluation strand, an intervention group, a transition programme, a Droichead mentoring role.

  4. Leaving out the Irish

    A CV that never mentions Gaeilge raises a question a board cannot leave unanswered. Say how you meet the requirement and how you use Irish in the classroom.

  5. American terms and American spelling

    Grades, elementary school, state certification and US spelling tell a principal the CV was written for somewhere else. Use class levels, the Teaching Council and British spelling, and the words the school uses in its own advertisement.

Questions about the primary school teacher CV

Where do I put my Teaching Council number on a CV?

Write Teaching Council registered, Route 1 (Primary) in the headline and the registration year in a registration section near the top. Give the number on request or on the application form rather than on a CV you upload to a jobs site.

How long should a primary teacher's CV be in Ireland?

Two sides of A4 for most teachers. A newly qualified teacher often fits one side; a deputy principal or principal applicant may run to a third with leadership posts and whole-school initiatives.

Do I need a CV if the school uses a standard application form?

Yes. The form asks for your employment history and competency examples, which are your CV restructured against the post, and many schools ask for both. Writing the CV first makes the form faster and keeps the examples consistent across applications.

What should a newly qualified primary teacher put on a CV?

Your degree and college, your Teaching Council registration and Droichead status, each school placement with the class level and weeks, your Gaeltacht placements, substitute work with the schools and class levels, and any coaching or clubs. Say clearly that you meet the Irish language requirement.

Should I list referees on a teaching CV?

Yes, or write referees available on request if you have not yet asked them. Boards expect two, usually your current principal and a previous one, and will contact them before an offer.

How do I tailor this CV to a DEIS school or a Gaelscoil?

Lead with what the school's advert asks for: literacy and numeracy interventions and home-school links for a DEIS school, Gaeilge throughout and immersion planning for a Gaelscoil. Paste the advert into Resume Master and it rewrites the CV against it in about two minutes.

Related CV examples

All CV examples

Every application goes out fitting the vacancy.

Paste a vacancy, get a CV rewritten for it in about two minutes.

Tailor your CV — free

Free to start. No card. Same price on web, iOS and Android.