Teacher Assistant CV Example and Writing Guide for 2026

Use a clean, reverse-chronological layout and aim for two pages unless you are at the start of your career and can make a persuasive case in one. Place your contact details first, followed by a personal statement, core skills, employment history, education and relevant additional information. A photo and date of birth do not belong on a British CV.

Keep the personal statement to roughly three or four lines. It should tell the reader what kind of teacher assistant you are, rather than relying on broad claims such as "hard-working" or "passionate".

For employment history, show how you supported pupils individually, in groups or across the class. Include relevant work such as preparing learning materials, recording progress, supporting reading activities and helping teachers manage behaviour. Focus each bullet on what you did and what changed as a result.

Choose skills that you can prove through your experience. Useful evidence may cover adapting support to individual needs, applying relevant learning strategies, working with teachers and families, and communicating pupil progress accurately. IT skills or community languages can be included when they suit the vacancy.

List education briefly once you have substantial experience. New applicants can give more space to relevant study, placements, volunteering or transferable work with children. Extras should earn their place: for example, a language used with local families is more persuasive than a long list of unrelated hobbies.

Strong experience bullets show an action, its scope and a result. Start with what you changed or delivered, identify the pupils, group or classroom involved, then add a defensible measure. That measure might be the number of pupils supported, the frequency of sessions, completion against an agreed target, time saved during lesson preparation or the accuracy of records. It does not have to be dramatic. A modest figure you can explain is better than an impressive number with no evidence behind it.

Teacher assistant work often includes supporting pupils one-to-one or in groups, preparing resources, recording progress, helping with literacy activities and promoting positive behaviour. Those duties provide context, but the bullet should also say how well the work was done.

Figures in these examples are illustrative. Replace them with evidence from your own records, feedback or experience, and leave the number out if you cannot defend it.

Vary your verbs according to the work: supported, adapted, prepared, organised, monitored, recorded, communicated, supervised and delivered are direct and easy to understand. Senior applicants can also use coordinated, coached, planned or reviewed when those words accurately describe their responsibility.

Keep one main point in each bullet. "Supported a group of ten pupils with twice-weekly literacy activities and recorded progress for the class teacher" is clearer than a long sentence covering preparation, behaviour, administration and playground duty. It also gives the recruiter a useful picture of scale.

Where relevant, mention collaboration with teachers, families, carers or other professionals. Be precise about your contribution: say whether you recorded observations, passed on concerns, shared knowledge for planning or adjusted support after feedback. Do not imply that you made decisions outside your role. For higher-level posts, describe any tailored activities delivered under a teacher's direction and supervision, including whether they involved an individual pupil, a small group or short periods with a whole class.

Present education in reverse-chronological order, giving the qualification, institution and completion year. If you are entering the role with limited employment history, add one or two concise details about relevant placements, projects or practical learning. Once your classroom record is stronger, reduce older education entries to the essentials and let recent experience carry more weight.

Two named technical qualifications supported by the available role research are the Pearson BTEC Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry for Teaching Assistant (Diploma), issued by Pearson Education Ltd, and the City & Guilds Level 3 Technical Occupational Entry for Teaching Assistants (Certificate), issued by the City and Guilds of London Institute. Both are level 3 technical qualifications approved in 2024. They are described routes, not universal entry conditions, so include either only when you genuinely hold it and copy the official title accurately.

Do not add a familiar course, certificate or licence simply because it appears in other teacher assistant CV examples. Check the vacancy and present only qualifications you have completed or are currently studying. For study in progress, state the expected completion date plainly. Never shorten a credential in a way that could suggest a different award.

Relevant professional development can sit beneath education or in a separate training section. Use the exact course title, provider and date where those details are known, but avoid claiming that optional training is mandatory. Brief notes can explain how learning informed your classroom practice, such as adapting support or choosing an appropriate learning strategy, without repeating your employment bullets.