How to craft an effective teacher assistant cover letter
Teacher assistants provide school teachers with essential classroom support including assisting with record keeping, helping to reinforce learned material, grading assignments, and more. To earn a position as a teacher assistant, you need a cover letter that captures your professional dedication, skills, and qualifications.
In this guide, we will teach you the 5 key steps to writing a cover letter as a teacher assistant. Keep reading to learn how to:
- Create a teacher assistant cover letter header & headline
- Tailor the greeting & content of your teacher assistant cover letter
- Craft a compelling teacher assistant cover letter introduction
- Showcase your skills & accomplishments as a teacher assistant
- End your teacher assistant cover letter with a strong closing statement
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1. Create a proper teacher assistant cover letter header & headline
The first key step to writing a cover letter as a teacher assistant is to create your header and headline.
A cover letter header is a necessary element that includes all the identifying information about the applicant and employer. Comparatively, the cover letter headline is an optional yet highly useful element that helps to grab an employer’s attention and convince them to continue reading.
Below are more in-depth explanations and examples of each of these cover letter elements:
Formatting the header
Your cover letter header is the first piece of information an employer will see, located at the top of the document. This header should include:
- Your name and professional title
- Your professional contact information
- The name of the school & department you are applying to
- The address of the school
Here is an example of a well-formatted header on a teacher assistant cover letter
Jane Smith, Teacher Assistant
(123) 456-7890 | janesmith@email.com | linkedin.com/in/jane-smith
To: Northwest School of the Arts, English Department
1234 Street Address
Charlotte, NC 28216
Writing the headline
As mentioned, a cover letter headline is an optional element that – when written effectively – can make a huge impact on an employer. To write this headline, you should always include a keyword related to the position, an eye-catching number or trigger word, a powerful adjective or verb, and a promise.
Here is an example of an effective headline on a teacher assistant cover letter
My 3 Key Skills as a Teacher Assistant & How I Will Apply Them to Support Your Teachers
Trigger Word/Number: 3 Key Skills
Keyword: Teacher Assistant
Adjective/Verb: Apply, Support
Promise: Your Teachers – this detail indicates to the employer that you have tailored your cover letter to address the specific needs of their school and teachers.
2. Tailor the greeting & content of your teacher assistant cover letter
Tailoring a cover letter requires you to thoroughly research a school beforehand including who will review your cover letter, what the school demographics are, and the values and goals of the school.
As you write your cover letter, you should aim to relate any information you include back to the specific needs of the school and its teachers.
The first step in this tailoring process is to create a personalized greeting. A personalized greeting will address a specific person by name – ideally either the school principal or the head of the department you will be working in.
Here are 3 examples of personalized greetings
- Dear Principal John Doe,
- To Principal John Doe & the Science Department Team,
- To Mr. Joe Miller, Head of the Science Department,
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3. Craft a compelling teacher assistant cover letter introduction
Following the greeting of your cover letter is the introductory paragraph. This introduction should be concise, containing between 1 to 3 sentences that include:
- A brief overview of your professional history and goals
- A statement on why you are enthusiastic about applying to this company
- A mutual acquaintance (when possible) – including a mutual acquaintance can help to immediately establish rapport and credibility, while also offering a trusted professional reference.
Here is an example of a strong introduction from a teacher assistant’s cover letter
To Principal John Doe & the Science Department Team,
I am a seasoned Teacher Assistant with more than 8 years of experience providing essential classroom support to teachers in a wide range of subjects. My mentor, Mary Eller, is an English teacher at your institution and recommended I apply for this opening. I am impressed by your school’s flexible curriculum and would love the opportunity to support your faculty with my skills.
4. Showcase your skills & accomplishments as a teacher assistant
Next up on your cover letter are the body paragraphs, where you will provide greater insights into who you are, what skills you possess, and any relevant accomplishments that make you stand out as an applicant.
While it can be difficult to fully describe skills in a resume, a cover letter gives the perfect opportunity to fully explain your skill set and how you can apply it in a classroom setting.
Here are 6 examples of key teacher assistant skills to include on a cover letter
- Record keeping & attendance
- Excellent organization
- Lesson planning & review
- Classroom management
- Empathetic communication
- Active listening
Additionally, the body paragraphs are a great place to describe your relevant accomplishments. In doing so, you can show an employer the real-life value you can offer to their school and faculty.
Here is an example of how to describe an accomplishment in a teacher assistant cover letter
In my previous role as a Teacher Assistant for an English Department, I assisted in a variety of tasks including assignment grading, student performance assessments, and lesson remediation. As a result of my support, the teachers in this department spent 45% more time developing new lesson plans and teaching new topics within the classroom.
5. End your teacher assistant cover letter with a strong closing statement
Finish off your teacher assistant cover letter strong with a well-written closing statement. To create an effective closing statement, you should include:
- An enthusiastic sentence saying you are looking forward to hearing from them
- An additional sentence stating you will follow up, including how you will contact them or how they can contact you
- A formal sign-off
Here is an example of a well-written closing statement from a teacher assistant’s cover letter
I am excited to get to know your teachers and provide them with the support they need to excel in their classrooms. I would love the opportunity to interview for this position and am available all weekdays from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The best way to reach me is at (123) 456-7890.
If I do not hear back by next Monday, I will reach back out via phone call to check on the status of my application. I look forward to hearing from you.
Best Wishes,
[Applicant Name]
If you have ever wondered how a cover letter differs from a resume, this article will tell you everything about the key differences between the two.
