Why are teacher letters of recommendation important?

The teaching field is consistently expanding—by 2030, the job outlook for high school teachers is expected to grow by 8%. This growth will come primarily from the need to replace retiring teachers.

If a teacher is looking for a new position and has asked you to write them a recommendation letter, it may be tempting to find a generic template online, change a few details and submit it. While this is an easy shortcut, it won’t do much to aid their job application.

Recommendation letters are more important than many people realize. Several teaching candidates share similar work and educational backgrounds — thus, employers often search for other elements that make an applicant stand out. During the hiring process, many employers look for references (such as recommendation letters). A letter that is dull, is poorly written or lacks detail can be detrimental to an application.

If you don’t think you can write a decent letter, it’s best to decline and avoid hurting someone’s application. Conversely, if you want to support your colleague with a quality letter, read on to discover some top tips.

Tips on writing a letter of recommendation for teachers

Teachers are most often associated with schools. In reality, the skills associated with teachers (such as communication, organizational and mentorship abilities) are coveted by a variety of organizations and businesses.

Make an outline and read a sample letter of recommendation for teachers

Before you begin your letter, it’s a good idea to create your outline. This should cover the following:

• Brief introduction
• Details you want to share about yourself
• Anecdotes or descriptions about the subject
• Brief conclusion

Ideally, the letter should stay under one page—if it’s too long, the reader may lose interest. After you make your outline, try to determine how lengthy the final product will be. If you think you’ve included too much, trim it down now (this will save time in the future).

Even with an outline, it’s common to struggle as you attempt the actual writing process. To help get started, try reading a few examples of letters of recommendation for teachers. This will assist with formatting and may inspire a few ideas; however, avoid directly copying any examples.

Introduce yourself and your relationship with the candidate

After reading sample letters, you may have noticed that many start off with a variation of the phrase, “I’m writing to recommend (teacher’s name) for a possible position at (employer).” This is a good way to begin your letter—it’s straightforward and immediately lets the reader know your intentions.

Once you’ve established the purpose of the letter, explain your relationship with the candidate. This can cover the following:

• Who you are
• How you know them
• How long you’ve known them for

Although this letter isn’t about you, it’s always a good idea to introduce yourself (especially if your occupation is connected to teaching). Try to fit this information in near the beginning so the rest of the letter can focus on the candidate.

Next, state how you two know each other. Are you work colleagues? Do they work for you? Try to emphasize your professional relationship. If you don’t have a professional connection (for example, if they’re your friend or relative), consider declining to write the letter—most employers prefer letters written by colleagues or supervisors.

Another detail you can include is how long you’ve known the candidate. If you’ve known them for a substantial period of time, sharing this detail shows you have deep, knowledgeable insight into who they are. On the flip side, if you haven’t known them for too long, you can skip this step.

Explain why you’re a trustworthy reference

When writing a letter of recommendation for teachers, it’s essential to establish your authority and prove you’re a trustworthy reference. Aim to answer the following question: why have you been chosen to write this letter? Here are a few ways you can do this:

• Share your job experience: If you have extensive experience in education, employers are more likely to trust you as a reference. Share your experience and explain how you’re able to recognize qualities that make a great teacher.
• Emphasize your connection with the candidate: Employers are looking for references from people who have worked closely with the candidate. Emphasizing your connection shows you understand them and their skills.
• Use official resources: When composing a letter, try to use as many workplace-affiliated resources as possible. These include school letterheads and company email addresses.

If you fail to prove your authority early on, employers may lose faith in the application—they may even neglect to read the rest of the letter. However, if you successfully accomplish this, they’re more likely to trust the candidate.

Think of relevant, detailed examples that show the candidate’s skills

When hiring a teacher, employers will search for details that demonstrate why they’re the best person for the job. The easiest—and most effective—way to do this is by providing specific, relevant examples that clearly showcase their skill set. If you need inspiration, use these tips:

• Pick key qualities: Start by thinking of a few key qualities that differentiate the candidate. Once you have your qualities, try thinking of examples that prove them. Examples should be directly related to the desired job. For instance, say they’re applying for a teaching position at an elementary school—try to include examples that demonstrate how they’re good with children. Job descriptions are great resources for this step.
• Include details: The most important parts of your examples are the details. The more specific you are, the more the candidate will stand out. If your examples feel too generic, try finding different ones.
• Mention your relationship: If you can, try to personalize the examples by mentioning your relationship. You can reinforce how you know each other or list an accomplishment that you witnessed.
• Rely on resources: See if the subject of the letter can provide any informative sources to help you with writing. This includes a resume, a cover letter, former academic transcripts and any certifications.

Once you have an idea of the examples you’d like to include, it’s time to write them out.

Write out your examples

It’s one thing to think of good examples—it’s another to compose them in a compelling, effective manner. In this section, consider this imaginary candidate and the examples that meet the mark (and a couple that miss it entirely). Read on to better understand the difference between good and poor examples.

Candidate: The candidate (Mr. Jones) is a history teacher and leader of the school debate team. He’s worked at the same school for 10 years and is now applying for a job at George Washington High School.

After reading the job description, you learn that the employer is looking for someone who is passionate and a hard worker.

Needs improvement:

• Mr. Jones is a kind-hearted person. He’s worked at the school for many years, and lots of students like him. He also hosts the debate team.

Although it begins with positive words, kindheartedness was not one of the traits in the job description. Furthermore, the following example doesn’t do enough to differentiate Mr. Jones from other potential candidates.

Effective example:

• Mr. Jones is a kind, passionate teacher who has been at the school for 10 years. While working with him, I’ve noticed he goes out of his way to help students. For instance, he volunteered to manage the debate team.

This example includes traits specifically mentioned in the job description, and it connects the writer to the candidate. More importantly, it directly links the positive traits (his kindness and passion) with a relevant example (his volunteer position).

Needs improvement:

• Mr. Jones is a hard worker. He once stayed after school for a long time to help students write essays. Thus, he’d be a good teacher for George Washington High School.

This starts out well by mentioning a positive quality. However, the actual example lacks detail and could be applied to almost anyone.

Effective example:

• Mr. Jones is one of the hardest workers I know. He once stayed after school for four hours to help students prepare their World War II essays. His determination and passion for helping students would make him an asset for George Washington High School.

The beginning starts out strong by mentioning a positive quality and emphasizing the writer’s relationship with Mr. Jones. It’s followed by a highly detailed example that’s relevant to the job description. Finally, it explicitly states why Mr. Jones is a good option for the position.

Writing your recommendation:

Explaining the candidate’s experience and skills should make up the majority of a letter of recommendation for teachers, so put some serious consideration into this section. If you’re uncertain whether an example is satisfactory, try comparing it to the ones listed here.

Overall, strive to include around two to three strong, specific examples that are directly connected to the desired job. Avoid making examples too long (otherwise, the reader may lose interest).

Wrap up your letter

Once you’ve introduced yourself, explained your connection to the candidate and shared a few examples that demonstrate why they’re suitable for the position, you can begin wrapping up your letter. The conclusion section should briefly summarize your letter and open the door for questions. Here are the main points you should hit:

• Reiterate why they’re a good candidate for this job
• Explain why you believe in them
• Share contact information

Before concluding the letter, remind the reader of the candidate’s stand-out qualities and reaffirm your faith in them. This doesn’t need to be detailed, but it should connect back to your letter. For instance, you could say, “Due to (candidate’s) passion and devotion, I believe they’d be a great option for (company).” Then, finish the letter by inviting the reader to contact you by phone and/or email.

Ultimately, the purpose of any recommendation letter is to help the subject obtain a job position. These steps are geared to do exactly that.