Elementary Teacher Cover Letter: Showcasing Your Passion and Skills [+ Examples]

One of the most respected jobs of all is as an elementary teacher. The position requires one to educate, give and grade assignments, and oversee students’ overall academic and in-school performance.

To apply for a teaching position at an elementary school, the school always looks into a pool of candidates who are outstanding in their qualifications and skills, including a related degree as well as teaching certificates.

One way to make you stand out among the others is to write a great elementary teacher cover letter and express your enthusiasm to the hiring managers for the position.

Sample of Elementary Teacher Cover Letter

Sample of Cover Letter for Elementary Teachers with No Experience

Employers like applicants who know how to write a proper elementary teacher cover letter. Hence, if you don’t where how to begin, simply follow our guide:

Letterhead

First thing first, begin your application letter for elementary teachers with a letterhead. This provides the necessary information to the hiring manager, allowing him or her to know who you are and how to contact you.

3 pieces of required information for a letterhead:

• Sender information
• Date
• Receiver information

Salutation

Before getting into the contents, you should greet the reader just like you would do in a friendly letter to your friends. However, remember to keep it formal with the use of words like “Dear”.

Opening paragraph (Introduction)

To create a short and simple opening paragraph, all you need to do is briefly introduce yourself with your work experience, qualifications, how you found the job opening, and why you are writing this letter. 2 to 3 sentences should suffice to wrap it up.

Example paragraph for primary teacher application letter:

Body paragraphs (Skills & Experience)

In this part, illustrating your skills and experience with details and elaborations is very important because this helps the hiring manager to get to know more about your capabilities. You can try turning your achievements into the bullet form instead of writing into paragraphs. It helps get attention towards the body paragraph(s).

Example paragraph for elementary music teacher cover letter:

Closing paragraph (Invitation)

After completing your body paragraph(s), you should wrap things up with an invitation to contact you for an interview and to review your attachments. Don’t forget to thank the hiring manager to show appreciation.

Example paragraph for elementary art teacher cover letter:

Sign-off

Finally, sign off your elementary teacher’s cover letter with your full name. Use a complimentary closing “Sincerely” or “Cordially” right before your signature to close the letter formally.

Attachments

If you are sending the cover letter for a primary teacher via email, you should also attach your resume and certifications. This allows the employers to quickly go through your information and better evaluate you.

Here’s a cover letter template that you may use for a primary teacher job. You may use this as a reference for your cover letter, then make changes to tailor it to your needs.

Include relevant elementary teacher skills

Including relevant elementary teacher skills in your body paragraph helps you elaborate and showcase your capabilities to the employer. Some employers seek these keywords when they are going through your elementary teacher cover letter to see if you qualify for their needs.

Here are 20 examples of elementary teacher’s soft & hard skills:

• Adaptability
• Active listening
• Communication
• Attention to details
• Problem-solving and critical thinking
• Flexibility
• Interpersonal skills
• Patience
• Planning and work-prioritizing
• Time management
• Organizational skills
• Basic knowledge of all subjects
• Classroom management
• Instructing & teaching
• Familiarity with children’s behavior
• Knowledge of Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)
• Knowledge of presentation software (Microsoft PowerPoint)
• Knowledge of online meeting applications (Microsoft Teams, Zoom, Google meet)
• Being able to work with diverse backgrounds students
• Being able to collaborate with other teachers

Address the recruiter/hiring manager directly

Most companies have their website online to reach out to more customers. You should use this to your advantage and find out the recruiter/hiring manager’s name when addressing him/her in the salutations. It helps show that you’ve researched the company and proves your enthusiasm and professionalism for the job.

Who should you address in the elementary teacher cover letter salutation?

Normally, it is best to address the principal directly. You can find the information on the school’s website or on LinkedIn.

Here are some examples you can follow:

• Dear Principal Mayson,
• Dear Ms. Carla,

Use proper formatting and avoid mistakes

A primary teacher application letter should look formal and clean. You can make adjustments to the settings at the beginning of your writing and avoid mistakes by double-checking at the end.

Here are the formats that you should follow:

• One-inch margins on all sides of the cover letter
• Single or 1.15 line spacing
• Use fonts like Times New Roman or Arial and keep them within 11pt. to 12pt.

Mention trustworthy referrals

Referrals help you to overcome obstacles preventing you from succeeding in the application. Their words can come in handy when you are having a career change or when you are trying to get into the institute. 

Therefore, you should find only trustworthy referrals that can authentify your information. It is best if you can find the school’s principal or head of the department to be your referral as their words speak volumes.

When incorporating the referrals, incorporate them at the beginning of your opening paragraph. In addition, you should state your connection with the referral.

Here is an example:

Show your passion for the position if you have no experience

Having little or no experience after graduating from college may make it hard when writing an elementary teacher cover letter. However, you can cover for the lack of experience with your passion for teaching. 

This is because principals like to recruit teachers who have a passion for their job, which helps create a better learning experience and environment for the students. You may show your passion by mentioning some examples of you doing related works and learning a lot from those experiences.

In short, being an elementary teacher requires high attention to detail. Therefore, using the right format for your cover letter is important.

Some simple steps to help you get started are:

• Elaborate on your work experience by mentioning what you have learned from them.
• Mention relevant skills in the elementary teacher cover letter to demonstrate your capabilities.
• Search for the principal/recruiter’s name on the school’s website to address him/her directly.
• Show passion in your writing can add more points to the letter.

--- Originally written by Ryan Goh ---