How to write a school administrator CV (with sample)

Updated 13 April 2023

School administrators organise, manage and establish achievable goals for a school to accomplish. They lead the rest of the staff, including teachers and faculty members, while making academic and managerial decisions that aim to improve the lives of everyone affiliated with the establishment. You may increase your chances of getting a job as a school administrator by writing a professional CV that clearly states your work experience, achievements, educational background and skills. In this article, we discuss how to write a school administrator CV and provide a sample CV for guidance.

What is a school administrator?

Before writing a school administrator CV, it's important to understand the role. School administrators are non-teaching professionals that assist students and support faculty members in maintaining or improving the school's academic records. They work all year round, monitoring student activities, hiring new staff, developing curricula and extracurricular activities and coordinating infrastructure maintenance. You can also refer to them as the departmental chair, dean of admissions, dean of students, assistant principal, chancellor, student affairs leader, admissions counsellor or academic officer.

A school administrator handles certain aspects of school leadership at each level of the educational system. Depending on your role, you could be in charge of school budgets, academic records and compliance at local, state and federal levels. Many job adverts for school administrators seek applicants with teaching experience. It's beneficial if you're currently a tutor or faculty member.

How to write a school administrator CV

A strong CV shows the value you can add to the institution. The following are some steps you can follow to write a school administrator CV:

1. Draft a template or outline

It's helpful to begin this process by selecting a template for your CV. Ensure the template you select has the essential headings. This ensures that your CV has all vital information in the proper order. Relevant information can come under five conventional titles, which include contact information, skills, professional profile, work history and education. Find a template that best matches the style of the school by confirming if the school you're applying to has one. If they do, consider using a CV template that matches their style.

2. Research relevant keywords

Use relevant keywords to ensure that your CV passes through applicant tracking system (ATS) software. For example, use keywords such as staff development, educational research, curriculum development, teacher training, education, staff engagement, leadership, event planning, higher education and programme development. These keywords can increase your chances of securing an interview. You can add other relevant terms specific to the job title.

3. Include your contact information

Include your name and current contact information at the top of your CV. Write your name in large, emboldened fonts. Your contact information is important because it's the only way for hiring managers to reach you for further discussions. This information includes your phone number, email address, location and a link to your social media profile, professional website or portfolio. It's useful to add your location because some schools use ATS software to scan for locations.

If you don't have an optimised social media profile, create one. If possible, also create a website portraying your professional achievements and impacts in your previous workplace. For your location, write your city or township to help employers understand your proximity to the position.

4. Give a summary of your professional profile

A school administrator's professional profile or statement describes their work goals, experiences and achievements. In this section, describe the skills and accomplishments that make you the best fit. The employer reads this section to get an idea of who you are and what you can offer them. Write essential information about your teaching experiences and achievements in similar past roles.

You're more likely to get a potential employer's attention when they see details about your career progression as an educator or junior faculty member. You could briefly mention how you've been an innovative academic leader and educator or state how committed you are to providing support to students and staff members. Emphasise your areas of expertise and skills you developed in previous roles.

5. Write your past work experiences and achievements

Include a list of relevant work experiences relating to administration. These can be job positions both within and outside of the educational system, though it's important to prioritise the former. Employers prefer applicants who've served as school teachers, tutors, teaching or research assistants or faculty members to fill school administration positions. They believe that these experiences demonstrate how committed an applicant is to the educational system. For every past position listed, include your job title, start and end dates and the name and location of the school.

Beneath each job position, list three to five accomplishments or duties in brief bullet points. Include a range of relevant responsibilities. For instance, mention that you resolved conflicts between students or teachers, counselled students during challenging periods or correctly recorded and scheduled important school events. Also, state if you were responsible for managing logistics, planning events or meetings, developing budgets or hiring, training or advising staff.

6. Add relevant skills

In this section, list the skills that describe how valuable you would be in this role. For example, list your administrative, technical, leadership and interpersonal skills. As a school administrator applicant, it's important to have the following:

written communication skills
IT knowledge
efficient interpersonal skills
adaptability skills
confidentiality, organisation, prioritisation and management skills

7. Include relevant degrees

Include your education section. Here, name the course you studied, the qualification earned and the name and location of the institution you studied at. Note your year of graduation if it was recent. Include all relevant educational information, particularly if you studied education administration. You can also mention degrees in related fields such as educational leadership and policy, business or public administration.

8. Add relevant certificates

The certification section includes your state teaching licence, teacher preparation programme certification and School Administration Foundation Certificate. You can also include free online certification courses you completed in anticipation of this role. Certificates demonstrate your commitment to gaining knowledge on how to be a good school administrator.

9. Proofread all you've written

After writing your CV, set it aside for a few hours or days before proofreading it. This lets you clearly see what may require changing. To proofread optimally, consider using a grammar-checking app. You could also print it out and read it as a hard copy. This is an efficient way to proofread your CV if you find it challenging to read soft copies. You can also ask a friend or pay an editor to do this.

CV template

Here's a template you can use to create your CV:

[First name] [Last name], [Degree or certification if applicable]
[Phone number] | [Email address] | [City]

Professional Summary

[Two to three sentences that highlight years of experience, relevant skills, education or certifications and achievements as a professional].

Experience

(For the most recent role, list 5 experience items. For previous roles, list 3.)

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results.
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

[Job Title] | [Employment dates]
[Company Name] | [City]

(Strong verb) + what you did (more detail) + reason, outcome or quantified results.
[Job duty]
[Job duty]

Skills

Education

[Degree and major], [Name of school or university]

[Certification name], [Host organisation] - [Year completed or expiration date]

Sample of a school administrator CV

The following is an example of a professional CV to guide you:

Becky Blythe
78754 583241 | Beckyblythe@emailadress.com | Herefordshire

Professional Summary

Self-motivated and dedicated junior school administrator with over three years of administrative experience. Looking forward to utilising efficient marketing and communication skills to improve school ratings. Expert team player, firm disciplinarian and supervisor with an in-depth knowledge of curriculum development and staff management.

Experience

Junior School Administrator | September 2021–Current
Theology Institution | Herefordshire England

introduce a mentorship programme that paired sophomores and finalists with alums as mentors, leading to increased graduation rates for students who took part
develop a literacy programme to increase student reading and staff retention rates
introduce a partnership between the school and local businesses to provide internship opportunities for top students, resulting in temporary job placements for 78% of participants
improve attendance rates by introducing the marks for attendance scheme
contribute ideas to fundraising campaigns to raise £50,000 for classroom technology materials

Teacher | January 2019–August 2021
Knowledge University | London

supervised five undergraduate students during the final thesis
implemented a new teaching method using instructional strategies to engage students, resulting in a 90% pass rate
assessed student progress and sent reports to administrators, parents and students

Skills

Education

Master's in Educational Leadership and Policy, University of Aguls

School Administration Foundation Certificate, Brandon Administrators - 2021

Teacher Preparation Programme Certificate, Rhodas Teaching Institute - 2021

Please note that none of the companies, institutions or organisations mentioned in this article are affiliated with Indeed.