Top Tips for Writing a Letter of Resignation

Congratulations on securing a new Teaching position in Kent!

There comes a time in your career where you may have the opportunity to progress in either the same school you currently work in or in another school. If it's the latter, a resignation letter is necessary. Here is advice on how to write one which enables you to leave your role on positive terms, no matter what the situation. 

You can find lots of template letters online which will help you structure your letter with the basics. Make sure you include as a minimum:

• Your name

• The date

• The position you wish to resign from 

• Your notice period and when you will be leaving

• It is addressed to the right person i.e. Headteacher 

• Your signature

If you are struggling to write your resignation letter, you can just provide factual information but it is best to provide more information about why you are leaving, especially if it is for personal reasons or if you have worked at the school for a long time.

Here are the top 5 tips for getting your letter right:

1) Always say something positive about your experience with the school you’re leaving. For example, you could say “I have enjoyed the challenges posed to me in this position but I wish to pursue a different career path which is more suited to my skills”.

2) Keep it brief. You don’t need to provide an essay with in-depth reasons about why you want to leave your role; half a side of A4 paper will be sufficient. Your school may hold exit interviews when staff members leave so this would be a better time to discuss anything in detail. If your school does not offer this you could ask for a 1:1 with your manager before you leave to go over any issues you may want to speak about. 

3) Make sure you provide your contractual notice period in your letter and confirm your last day of working. If you are not sure what notice period you have, check your contract as this will be recorded here. 

4) If you are a teacher or Headteacher make sure you resign within the correct time frames as teachers have certain windows of when they can hand in their resignation to leave at the end of term. You can find the dates here and further information on page 5 of the Burgundy Book. 

5) Avoid writing anything you may regret as you will need to use your most recent employer for a reference in future. At the time, it may be tempting to air all your grievances in your resignation letter but you should never burn your bridges. You may also end up working with some individuals again especially if you are working in a small community, so be careful what you say. In some cases, less is more and if in doubt don’t include it.

Moving to a new role? Have you read our blog on the 5 things to avoid doing in your new job?