So, you want to become an instructor at a community college. That’s a good career choice! According to the Provisional National Center for Education Statistics, over 8.2 million undergraduates were enrolled in public two-year colleges in 2018–19 nationwide, both full-time and part-time.
As an instructor, you’ll be helping those students prepare for careers or to transfer to 4-year schools. Even better, you’ll become part of the ecosystem providing access to affordable, higher education.
To help you get started on this noble pursuit, we’ve got some great, actionable tips. Use these to accelerate job search, perfect your resume and cover letter, and nail that job interview. Skip to the bottom to find the promised, sample cover letter for a teaching position in a community college.
What Should a Teaching Cover Letter Include?
Unlike other professions, educators often require special training and teaching certifications. That’s also often the case for teachers in community colleges. Respectively, be sure to highlight your licensing and certifications in the opening of your teaching cover letter.
Once this is out of the way, include the following information in your cover letter:
- Years of teaching experience
- Courses taught
- Latest employer
- Accomplishments
- Accolades and awards (if any)
- Most marketable skill(s)
- Your passion and motivation
The above pointers should help you craft a well-rounded cover letter, demonstrating both your personality and professional abilities.
How Do I Write a Cover Letter for a Community College Teacher?
Writing a memorable and unique cover letter for a community college teaching position is an exercise in hitting several important pointers:
- State your baseline qualifications, years of work experience, and main courses taught first
- Share what makes you interested in this educational institution you are applying to.
- Mention how having you onboard can benefit the employer.
- Explain why you are passionate about your work and what makes you pleasant to interact with for both students and other staff.
If you address all of these pointers, your cover letter will certainly make a good mark with the hiring committee. Below are some more tips on how to make your cover letter stand out from the pack!
Explain Why You Want to Teach These Students
As an instructor at a community college, you’ll encounter students pursuing a variety of goals, and are more likely to teach non-traditional students. Some may have struggled with academics in the past. Others may come from complicated backgrounds.
Thus, your cover letter should clearly communicate why you are eager to take such a challenging job in education and what makes you passionate about the role of community colleges. Here’s an example:
“Several members of my family were able to launch successful careers thanks to the education they received at their local community college. I’m passionate about helping students achieve their dreams of a college education thanks to those influences.”
Debi Douma-Herren
Senior Certified HR Professional & Career Coach
Know The Best Sources For Finding a Community College Job
Your quest to land a job as a community college instructor begins with your job search. While some community colleges do advertise on standard job boards, there are other places you can look as well:
- The jobs board at Chronicle
- HigherEdJobs.com
- The websites of community colleges in your area
Focus on Your Ability to Teach More Than Your Scholarly Background
A community college is more interested in hiring a teacher than a researcher, writer, or academic scholar. Your application package should focus on your ability to teach and mentor more than anything else. Your top skill is your ability to take information and make it accessible to your students.
You can start by using a resume instead of the usual CV. A resume is better suited for this purpose. Next, lead off your cover letter and resume both with information about your teaching abilities. Feel free to mention your research or when you’ve been published, but put that at the bottom of each document.
Give Examples of Your Teaching Experience
You have to show that you want to teach, but also that you can teach. Even if you are an entry-level applicant, you can probably find at least one example of your teaching something to others. Have you:
- Led classes or trained others as part of your job?
- Delivered lectures as a TA when you were getting your masters?
- Taught continuing ed or courses at your local library or community center?
- Led panels or given presentations at conventions or seminars?
Be creative. Get your reader to picture you as an educator! Also, check out other teaching cover letter examples from our database to get a better idea of how to infuse your letter with great storytelling.
Create an Instruction-Focused Personal Profile
By writing a thoughtfully composed personal profile for your resume, you will earn the attention of the hiring committee. Be sure that it focuses on your teaching abilities, and reflects your understanding of the work culture at this community college.
Cover Letter Sample For a Teaching Position in a Community College in .docx Format
Download example (Word version)
Cover Letter Example For a Teaching Position in a Community College – Text Format
Dear Dr. Miller,
I am writing this in response to the opening you have available for a part-time Graphic Arts instructor at Brennan Community College. Currently, I am completing my master’s degree in Digital Marketing at Silverlake University. As part of my studies, I am also completing an assistantship that involves delivering lectures to undergraduate marketing students, grading papers, and advising students. I’d love to use my skills and experience as a Graphic Arts teacher at Brennan.
As a student lecturer, I work very hard to ensure that the material I present is understood by all of my students. My goal is to help each student obtain the knowledge they need to meet their career and academic goals. If I am hired to work at Brennan Community College, I will apply that same philosophy in the classroom. As a non-traditional student myself, who has started college after I turned 30, I’m very passionate to mentor others in regards to their education and future career options.
I have attached my resume for your review. I’d love to meet with you to discuss this opening further. Please contact me at your convenience.
Sincerely,
Chloe Ninja
How Do You End a Teaching Cover Letter?
A good way to end a teaching cover letter is by adding a quick call-to-action — a statement, implying follow-up action from the reader. For example, you can ask them to contact you for more details, suggest connecting on LinkedIn, or visiting your website. Or you can even imply a good time for scheduling an interview or a less formal introductory call if you feel extra confident.
Here’s a sample ending you can use in your cover letter for a teaching position in a community college:
“I have attached my resume for your consideration and also included links to my personal website, where you can learn more about my teaching philosophy and review a “UX 101” e-course I developed. Don’t hesitate to contact me if you’d like some more details about my current work and past affiliations”.
How Do I Write a Cover Letter for a Teaching Job With no Experience?
Landing your first teaching job is the toughest! But don’t sweat over the fact that you are less experienced than other potential applicants. Instead, focus on what you do know and are good at.
Compensate for the lack of traditional work experience by bringing up other experiences you’ve had as an instructor. Did you mentor or tutor any other students? Have you delivered any presentations, workshops, or conference talks while in grad school? What about volunteering or teaching online? Focus on these “less formal” experiences instead, as well as your eagerness to put some of the teaching skills you’ve learned to a test!
Final Tip: Your Letter Should Have The Appropriate Length and Format
Most cover letters should be about one page long. This one is a bit of an exception. Feel free to expand your letter up to 1.5 pages to cover everything you need. Then, make sure it’s readable and professional by selecting the right cover letter template.