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should you put teacher references on your CV?

im 17, so i cant write about past job experiences or 'skills' in the workplace

i have a lot of references from secondary school and college teachers

i would ideally put the college teacher references on, but im not sure if employers will take these references seriously, as the teachers mainly write about my skills in the subjects i study

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Original post by Doob
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No, you don't mention references or Referees in a CV at all. You don't mention references until you are asked for them. If you are asked to submit them at the same time as a CV application, put them on a second page of the covering letter.
Original post by Doob
im 17, so i cant write about past job experiences or 'skills' in the workplace

i have a lot of references from secondary school and college teachers

i would ideally put the college teacher references on, but im not sure if employers will take these references seriously, as the teachers mainly write about my skills in the subjects i study


Yes, you can put college teachers as references (as long as they know you and have known you for a while of course). This is the standard thing if you have never had a job before or are a school leaver.
Reply 3
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Original post by Emma:-)
Yes, you can put college teachers as references (as long as they know you and have known you for a while of course). This is the standard thing if you have never had a job before or are a school leaver.


Where would i put it though?
I have one reference for each subject, they are good, but i dont see what an employer would get from it other than knowing im good in class and studying
Original post by Doob
Where would i put it though?
I have one reference for each subject, they are good, but i dont see what an employer would get from it other than knowing im good in class and studying


You dont need that many references. You would just need the one- maybe from just one of your subject teachers (maybe the one you have known longest/get on with best etc). Or you could put down your form tutor or head of year as a reference.
For another reference you could put down either someone from a club or society that you attend or alternetively a family friend.
In terms of where to put it- id put it at the bottom of your CV.
Original post by Doob
Where would i put it though?
I have one reference for each subject, they are good, but i dont see what an employer would get from it other than knowing im good in class and studying


You don't put references on your CV. That's not the purpose of a CV. The purpose of a CV is that it demonstrates your skills, knowledge and experience in relation those required for the job.

You can use teachers and lecturers as references though. You won't typically have to provide references until you have been offered a job, and then the employer will post you a reference sheet for you to fill in the contact details of your references.
Reply 6
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Original post by Smack
You don't put references on your CV. That's not the purpose of a CV. The purpose of a CV is that it demonstrates your skills, knowledge and experience in relation those required for the job.

You can use teachers and lecturers as references though. You won't typically have to provide references until you have been offered a job, and then the employer will post you a reference sheet for you to fill in the contact details of your references.


ive never had a job before, i have no previous work related skills to show for
im applying to be a customer assistant, nothing i have done so far relates to that directly
You can write on your CV "references available on request" and if they ask you for a reference, you can give them your teachers phone number/email address (as long as you ask the teacher before hand if this is ok!)
Original post by rayquaza17
You can write on your CV "references available on request" )


You could also write 'Will wear a suit to interview', but no-one does, because it's universally understood.

Do not waste valuable CV space writing the self evident like 'references available on request' - they always are, that's how references work, they are requested, you give contact details, references are given.

Similarly don't waste space telling the CV reader which is a phone number, a mobile number or an address. They all have a unique format, which is universally recognised, they don't need labelling.
Original post by threeportdrift
You could also write 'Will wear a suit to interview', but no-one does, because it's universally understood.

Do not waste valuable CV space writing the self evident like 'references available on request' - they always are, that's how references work, they are requested, you give contact details, references are given.

Similarly don't waste space telling the CV reader which is a phone number, a mobile number or an address. They all have a unique format, which is universally recognised, they don't need labelling.


I would never wear a suit to an interview. :tongue:

Good advice though - OP please trust threeportdrift because it says under his/her name "CV Helper" and he/she will have more experience than anyone else here. :smile:
Original post by J-SP
It's a good way of filling space though, especially if you are light on other information. And a recruiter might actually want to see this information if there isn't much else to go on.

It's pretty standard to have it on there for those who are literally first jobbers and with few qualifications where they are still in school/college.


Posted from TSR Mobile


It's a good way to signal to a CV reader that you have a weak CV. The same as using large font, wide margins or wider than single line spacing. Remember that your CV is going to be read in a pile of 100 others. Padding techniques like that are immediately obvious.

And the aim of having one side of A4 is to have one side of A4 of relevant material. Filling a side of A4 with irrelevant material doesn't enhance your application.
Original post by J-SP
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You are viewing a CV from the wrong perspective. A CV, like any type pf job application is an entry into a competition, the entire competitive element relying on what you write on that document.

By and large, 17 year olds are not competing with 30 year olds for jobs, and if they are, they aren't likely to be competitive except for very specific jobs.

So 17 year olds are competing with other people of a similar age and experience level - especially when we are talking about part-time jobs in retail, catering etc ie earning money through college or university. In those cases, where 80-90% of applicants could do the job, even one extra, relevant line on your CV could be the difference between getting an invite to interview and ending up in the bin.

I firmly believe that if you are going to give advice to people in a format such as TSR, you have a moral obligation to give the best possible advice, and not to palm them off with advice that will weaken their applications. Of course people will continue to chose to write opening profiles, use colour, use 3.5cm margins and take 5 lines to give details of their referees. That doesn't mean people who know how recruitment works should advise this as acceptable practice.

Mentioning references in a CV is unnecessary and wastes valuable space you should be using to make your CV more competitive.
Just put 'references available upon request' then explain you don't have any work experience to date. I don't know about other companies but I work for the NHS and we don't accept a reference from a family member or family friend, if you want to use a character reference it has to be a 'person of good standing' like a doctor. You can use academic references if that's all you have, if it's your first job they will be fine with it.
Original post by threeportdrift
It's a good way to signal to a CV reader that you have a weak CV. The same as using large font, wide margins or wider than single line spacing. Remember that your CV is going to be read in a pile of 100 others. Padding techniques like that are immediately obvious.

And the aim of having one side of A4 is to have one side of A4 of relevant material. Filling a side of A4 with irrelevant material doesn't enhance your application.


I have 2 sides of A4 for my CV. I cannot fit my experience and qualifications into one side of A4 and nor do I have any desire to undersell myself by doing so. I have been shortlisted, interviewed and been successful for every job I have ever gone for. That includes John Lewis, Waitrose, Superdry, Virgin Active, a job in the NHS that I got 2 months ago and have just been promoted 2 months later. This might be your opinion but it's certainly not the be all and end all.
Original post by J-SP
Most industries I have worked in or know expect a 2 page CV - I know most recruiters prefer them if the evidence is there. Exceptions tend to be US companies looking for interns/entry level roles.


Posted from TSR Mobile


I see you work in recruitment too (I do also, or at least I did until last week) seems to be the same advice I would give!
does anyone know whether you put your teachers actual home address or school address?
Original post by HItchslapped
does anyone know whether you put your teachers actual home address or school address?


Ahhhhhhh!! Noooooooo. Don't put their home address on whatever you do!

My advice would be to leave references out of CVs. A CV is a candidate advertisement used to win an interview. A reference is only ever needed by the employer after a job offer has been made. On a CV, it adds no value whatsoever when considering someone for an interview.

References on CVs are gold dust to agents and recruiters because it adds another contact to bombard with spam and cold calls. So do your referees a favour and leave them off your CV.

Also - always ask your referee for permission to use their details.

Good luck!
Original post by ByEeek
Ahhhhhhh!! Noooooooo. Don't put their home address on whatever you do!

My advice would be to leave references out of CVs. A CV is a candidate advertisement used to win an interview. A reference is only ever needed by the employer after a job offer has been made. On a CV, it adds no value whatsoever when considering someone for an interview.

References on CVs are gold dust to agents and recruiters because it adds another contact to bombard with spam and cold calls. So do your referees a favour and leave them off your CV.

Also - always ask your referee for permission to use their details.

Good luck!


HAHA, thanks for your concern. I received an email yesterday from Sainsbury's asking for me to arrange a interview. The email stated that I should have my referees address at the ready so they can confirm they are legitimate references.

....... I know it's only Sainsburys ..... next they will be asking for PHD candidates only.
Original post by HItchslapped
HAHA, thanks for your concern. I received an email yesterday from Sainsbury's asking for me to arrange a interview. The email stated that I should have my referees address at the ready so they can confirm they are legitimate references.

....... I know it's only Sainsburys ..... next they will be asking for PHD candidates only.


Well there you go. Good luck with Sainsburys. Make sure you are suited and booted. My bother was a section manager with Sainsburys once upon a time and a smart suit was key to getting a job.

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