Looking at all the qualifications and experience asked for in some job advertisements for Business English teachers (MA; relevant business experience; clean driving licence; business level in the L1 of the students etc.) plus the fact that many people want to break into this kind of teaching due to factors like higher hourly pay, nicer working environments and acceptance of older teachers can make the chances of landing a good Business English job without all the things they ask for seem impossible. In many parts of the world, though, schools find that there is a shortage of Business English teachers at the same time as there is pressure from their clients to improve the quality of their teachers by getting more demanding- whilst of course keeping their costs down by not offering more pay. All of which makes for the perfect situation for a bit of creative CV writing to make the experience and qualifications you do have seem to magically cover the parts of the job ad that don't strictly apply to you.
Here is some advice both for those who have difficulty in keeping their relevant details down to two pages and those who have difficulty in finding relevant stuff to fill one. Please note that some of these points could be less important or even best to avoid depending on the circumstances of the company and the country involved, so research on specific cultural customs, company information etc. is very important. This is particularly important when including a CV in the local language (generally a good idea for Business English jobs even when the person interviewing you is a native speaker, as they can use it to impress their clients once they employ you).
Education and Qualifications
The perfect qualifications for a Business English teacher would include:
Needless to say, most Business English teachers do not have all of the things on that list (and people who do might be tempted to apply for CEO rather than English teacher)! Other things that could help make up for not being the perfect person described above and so might be worth a mention include:
Experience
For those teachers who have taught Business English before, relevant details for the job you are applying for and ways to impress the school or employment agency include (in no particular order):
For teachers who haven't taught Business English (or even taught English at all) before but have business experience (often mentioned in job advertisements for Business English teachers), parts of your job experience you might want to mention or give emphasis to include:
1. Famous companies you have worked for or with, especially ones that are in the same field of business or from the same country as the classes you are applying for
2. Dealing with non-native speakers, e.g. having a foreign boss or foreign business travel
3. Writing, proofreading and editing business documents
4. Business or cultural training you gave or attended
5. Work that involved dealing with people, e.g. customer service or recruitment
6. Work that involved explaining things in simple language (relevant for grammar explanations etc.), e.g. help desk work
7. Work that involved standing up in front of people and speaking, e.g. giving presentations and conference speeches
8. Use of relevant technology, e.g. PowerPoint and video conferencing
9. The general range of your experience, to show you can teach every kind of class
10. What you have most experience in, if it is relevant for the kind of classes you will be teaching
For teachers who have training and/ or experience in General English classes but none in specifically Business English classes, things that could be relevant include:
Hobbies
Even more than many of the things written above, the importance of putting hobbies on your CV varies a lot from culture to culture and you will need to research this- even if you are a British person who knows the interviewer will be American or visa versa! Stuff that is directly relevant to Business English teaching includes:
Cover letter
Other things you could mention in your cover letter include:
