12 Physical Education Teacher Resume Examples for 2025

Physical education teachers need a resume that shows their skills, experience, and certifications. This article provides proven resume examples. You will also get strategic advice on how to use bullet points, keywords, and clear structure. Learn what catches a hiring manager's eye and makes your resume stand out.

  Compiled and approved by Marie-Caroline Pereira
  Last updated on See history of changes

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At a Glance

Here's what we see in the best resumes for physical education teachers.

  • Show Impact With Numbers: The best resumes show impact using numbers like student participation rates, improvement in test scores, reduction in absenteeism, and increase in physical activity hours. Metrics show your effectiveness.

  • Include Relevant Skills: Include skills on your resume that you have and are mentioned on the job description. Some popular ones are fitness assessment, sports coaching, curriculum development, first aid, and PE software. But don't include all of them, choose the ones you have and are mentioned in the JD.

  • Emphasize Experience With Diverse Age Groups: Experience with different age groups is crucial. Use phrases like taught K-12 or coached high school teams to show your versatility.

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Where to place education

Place your education section at the start of your resume if you are recent graduate or still in school. This shows hiring managers your current focus and readiness to teach physical education. Include degrees, certifications, and relevant coursework or activities, especially those that relate to teaching or physical instruction.

If you have been working as a physical education instructor for a while, share your experience first. Your education can follow after as it is still important but not as immediate. For experienced teachers, highlight any ongoing education or certifications that maintain or enhance your teaching abilities. This shows you stay updated with best practices in physical education.

Highlight specific skills

When applying for physical education roles, emphasize your ability to create engaging lesson plans. Give examples of how you have kept students active and motivated.

Showcase any certifications, such as CPR or first aid. These can be critical for a job in this field and set you apart from other candidates.

Ideal resume length

Keep your resume to one page if you are starting out as a physical education instructor or have less than 10 years of experience. This is long enough to show your relevant skills and background. If you are very experienced, you may use up to two pages.

Make sure the first page has your most important information. Focus on recent roles and achievements. Talk about programs you have developed or your impact on students' health and engagement. If you need more space, don't shrink your font or margins - it is better to select a different template or remove less relevant information.

Experience in sports

Include any coaching or sports team experience. This can show your skills in team building and leadership, important traits for a physical education teacher.

Experience in organizing sports events or extracurricular activities can also make you a more appealing candidate. Employers value initiative and the ability to manage events.

Beat the resume scanner

When you apply for a job as a physical education teacher, your resume might first be read by a computer program called an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). This system looks for keywords and phrases to see if your resume matches the job. To get past this step, you need to know how to make your resume ATS-friendly.

  • Include words from the job description, such as 'physical education,' 'student fitness,' and 'curriculum development.'
  • Use simple, clean formatting. Complex designs can confuse the ATS, so stick to standard fonts like Arial or Times New Roman and avoid using tables or images.

Remember, the goal is to show the ATS that you have the skills and experience needed for a physical education teaching job. Do this by clearly listing your qualifications and using the same language that appears in the job description.

Customize your resume

You need a resume that shows you are ready to be a physical education teacher. Think about what skills and experiences you have that fit this job. Show how you've helped students or programs grow. Use clear, easy words to explain your work.

  • Highlight programs you've brought to life. Say you started a before-school fitness club.
  • Show your skill with different activities. Maybe you taught adaptive physical education or aquatic wellness.
  • Tell about your leadership roles. Say you were the head of your department or team coach.

Ignoring job relevance

Many people apply for jobs as physical education teachers but forget to tailor their resumes to show relevant experience. You should focus on your skills and past work that directly relate to teaching physical activities and health education.

Avoid listing every job you've had if it doesn't help your case. For example, it's important to mention experience in coaching sports, organizing team events, or implementing fitness programs. Don’t just say you are a good teacher; show how you have improved student engagement or fitness levels in your past roles.

Here are two important things to include:

  • Specific programs you have developed or contributed to that benefitted students’ physical health or sportsmanship.
  • Qualifications or training that directly apply to physical education, such as a first aid certification or attending a recent sports coaching seminar.

Use strong action verbs

When you write your resume for a physical education teacher position, choosing the right action verbs can make a big difference. These verbs show your ability to lead and energize students. They also reflect your hands-on experience in sports and education. Use verbs that are direct and easy to understand. They should quickly tell the reader about your skills and achievements.

Here is a list of good action verbs that you can use to describe what you did in your past roles. Include them to make your resume stand out and to show that you are a good fit for the job of teaching and coaching students in physical education.

  • To show leadership and guidance, use coordinated, mentored, directed, motivated, and supervised.
  • To highlight your teaching skills, use educated, instructed, developed, facilitated, and engaged.
  • To demonstrate your ability to create programs, use designed, implemented, planned, organized, and executed.
  • To reflect your active involvement, use participated, led, coached, refereed, and managed.
  • To express your contribution to team and student growth, use encouraged, empowered, assessed, inspired, and promoted.

Want inspiration for other action verbs you can use? Check out synonyms to commonly used action verbs like Researched, Contribute, In charge, Managed, Conduct.

Show achievements, not tasks

When you're creating a resume for a role in physical education, it's key to focus on your achievements rather than just listing your duties. You want to show a potential employer what you've accomplished and the positive impact you've made.

Think about how you can turn a regular task into an achievement. For example, instead of saying 'taught physical education classes,' you could say 'enhanced student participation by 30% through an innovative team-sports program.' Instead of 'managed equipment,' showcase an achievement such as 'cut equipment expenses by 20% without compromising on the quality of physical education tools.'

Remember, it's not about the day-to-day tasks you've completed; it's about the outcomes and differences you've made. This approach will help you stand out and show your value as a physical education instructor.

Highlight your teaching toolkit

As a physical education teacher, your resume should show you have the right mix of skills to educate and inspire. Here are specific skills to include:

  • Classroom management
  • Curriculum development
  • Fitness assessment
  • First Aid and CPR certified
  • Sport-specific techniques
  • Instructional technology
  • Motor skills development
  • Wellness promotion
  • Exercise physiology
  • Adaptive physical education

Include these skills in a dedicated section on your resume. This helps you pass the Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) that many schools use. These systems scan for keywords related to the job. By having a clear skills section, you increase your chances of your resume being seen by a hiring manager.

Remember, you don't need to list every skill you have. Think about the job you want. For example, if you specialize in adaptive physical education, make sure to highlight that. If technology in education is your strength, point out your experience with instructional technology. Choose skills that are most relevant to your career goals.

Showcase leadership roles

When you apply for jobs, it is important to show any leadership roles or times when you were promoted. This helps employers see you have experience leading and can take on more responsibility. Here are ways to include this on your resume:

  • Think about times you led a team or project. For example, if you managed a school sports event or led a fitness challenge, these count as leadership.
  • Include any roles where you were in charge of others. This could be when you were head of a department or when you coached a winning team.

Even if you are not sure, it is good to include times when you took the lead on something. This shows employers you can handle important tasks. Remember to keep it simple and clear so anyone reading can understand your experience.

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