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If you're a teacher and new to Spain or looking to change schools, you'll be sending your CV to lots of places. I'd like to give teachers some tips and hints on how to make sure your application for a teaching post stands out.

Nowadays most teachers send an email with their CV attached and I have to say I do prefer to receive CVs this way instead of a phone call. I think it's more professional.

So here are my tips for getting noticed and getting that interview:

• Include a solid email heading that SAYS something. For example, "TEFL qualified teacher looking for full time work" or "Teacher with 6 years experience seeking work". In both these examples the words "TEFL qualified" and "6 years experience" grab my attention and I would open this mail before any others.


• Make sure you include a brief covering mail to introduce your CV which includes the most important and relevant points. A sentence here about your personality is fine but please, just keep it to one or I will lose interest. I'll find out about your personality at the interview anyway.


• If you're not already in Spain, include in the mail the date you will be arriving and available for interview, this helps us to prioritise our responses to all the applications.


• Mentioning your teaching strengths is ideal so we immediately get an idea of your profile, whether you're suitable for Young Learners or companies for example.


• It's very helpful to tell us in your mail where you found the school so employers have an idea of how their publicity is working.


• Try and keep your CV to two pages maximum.


• There is no need to include educational qualifications below A level


• Be specific about your TEFL qualification, what type it is and it's duration, especially if it's the full 4 week course, these are the ones we prefer. There are many short courses now on the market and if you've invested all that money in a 4 week one, make sure it's clear.


• Make sure you include dates so we can clearly see from your CV how much teaching and work experience you've actually had.


• Be clear about your nationality and if you aren't from the E.U. please let us know if you have working papers for Spain or not. This saves me time getting back to you to ask you.


• Keep details about hobbies very brief.


• Any information which demonstrates assertiveness and initiative is very welcome.


• Tell us if you have a car. Many schools, in Madrid especially, are desperate for teachers with cars as many companies now operate from out of town business parks.

Remember, we are most interested in your TEFL qualification, teaching experience, your legality to work and your availabilty. If you express this information clearly and politely, and you tell us exactly what type of classes and timetable you're looking for, you'll get lots of interviews arranged very quickly.

Good luck!

Janice Haywood

Janice Haywood is director of Windsor Idiomas in Madrid