Maybe you’ve decided it’s time to join the ranks of us humble nomadic teacher ninjas: A substitute teacher is to be born!
Substitute teachers have long been hallowed and celebrated in the media, through various pop culture allusions and comedy sketches depicting us as the day-saving professionals we are. Our title has even been referenced in the very cool term “substitute arms.”
Welcome, future sub. Join the club!
Alright, I cede that my introduction was overflowing with sarcasm. While the role of substitute teacher is really important (hint: schools cannot go on without us!), the reputation of a sub is less than dignified. I have a few theories as to why this is, but I’ll just state for simplicity: The job of a substitute may not be regarded by society as it should. This doesn’t stop me from conducting myself with professionalism, consistently honing my skills, and patting myself on the back for (often impossible) jobs well done.
If you’re ready to join this flexible, fun, and sometimes chaos-filled job with no benefits but pretty much guaranteed holidays off, settle in. I’ll point you to the road to becoming a sub:
How to become a substitute teacher
Decide if you really want to be a substitute
Do you really want to walk into strange classrooms and take over a roomful of children, trying against all odds to instruct them in a calm and orderly manner, day after day?
Realistic portrayals and jokes aside, you need to really soul search if this is the position for you.
Subbing can be great for certain situations. Schedule flexibility is substitute teaching’s peak offering, in my opinion. It can blend well into a complicated life mix of momming and earning a little extra money on the side. For my situation as a mostly stay-at-home-mom to a toddler with access to occasional babysitters, the substitute teaching gig works.
I also think subbing can be a powerful way to keep your income on life support while pursuing a different career, like taking additional classes, or building a business.
Outside of those situations, there are other part-time jobs that may be more advantageous for you. While I’m a cheerleader for subbing, I’m also a realist here. I encourage you to weigh the pros and cons. And then go back and check your work, as they say.
Choose your schools
First, you’ll have to come up with at least a vague idea of which schools you’d like to sub in. It doesn’t have to be an exact list, but it helps to have a general idea, because different schools may have varying requirements.
My school district, for instance, has its own set of requirements for becoming a substitute. Once those are met and the process is complete, I have the ability to accept jobs at any of the 50+ schools in my district.
This is enough to fill my needed workload. Think about it: Large schools in themselves can likely keep a sub busy for an entire school year, with their multiple grades and multiple classrooms and myriad of coverage needs each day. (Keep in mind that school district sizes vary, but in general I find that having 5-10 schools to substitute at can be plenty of work for me, in my preferred grade levels, too!
Sometimes subs might be looking for work in charter or private schools. These often have their own set of standards to complete before handing over the keys to the kingdom. If you’re interested in a charter or private school, it’s best to call the school directly to ask about their requirements.
Check your school or district requirements
You can start your information quest with an online search. I found success in typing “(my district) substitute teacher,” and a step-by-step guide appeared to my aid in one of the top search results.
If the information cannot be found online, I suggest calling the school or district. A human resources employee can be helpful, but if they are not available, sometimes office staff can point you to the road map for becoming a substitute.
(Psst! In this current teacher shortage climate, potential subs have a slight upper hand. Because many schools have a high need for subs, they should be willing and happy to supply you with information on the process!)
Complete school requirements
After finding the list of requirements to meet, go ahead and check them off one by one.
Schools and districts vary. States vary on their requirements, too. Some may ask you to obtain extra education or complete a training course before starting to sub.
Though I already have my state’s teacher certification and an education degree, I still had to take the short online substitute training course and attend my district’s new-hire informational meeting. I also had to fill out the application with references and pass a background check and drug screening.
Complete the requirements piece by piece. Rewarding yourself after each task with a fun treat is optional and understandable.
Pick an assignment and get started
If you’ve completed your checklist for becoming a substitute, congratulations! The last steps may include getting photographed and badged up at your district office, receiving various handbooks and informational paperwork, and gaining access to the absence management system.
A lot of school districts use systems for handling the job notifications and acceptances. Go in and familiarize yourself with the system you’ll be using. If there are preferences to set, go ahead and tailor these to your needs.
My district’s system allows me to pick what days or times I’d like notifications and the form of the notifications (phone call, email, etc.). I can also filter out extra schools I’m not interested in, whittling my list to only the schools I would take jobs at.
I figure there’s no point getting a notification at 2:38 p.m. that the PE teacher at a high school 55 minutes away from me needs coverage.
So, I whittle down pretty ruthlessly. Then I sign up for an app that delivers the notifications right to my phone, and these are also set to my preferences.
For schools without such a system, you’ll be notified of jobs however they want to notify you. I was in the sub pool at a small charter school one year, and the admin assistant would text me about upcoming jobs, the date and the grade level. I’d text back a yes or no. It worked back then when I was single and generally more responsive to things like that, but I no longer sub at that school. That arrangement wouldn’t work as well in my current situation. (I like to be able to deny tons of jobs through some faceless app and not feel bad about it!)
Once assignments start rolling in, you can choose to accept ones that fit your fancy. I make a habit of recording a job on my calendar as soon as I accept one. Like some people have nightmares about giving a speech without any pants on, my nightmare is signing up for a sub job and forgetting to show up.
Something I use to keep track of all this is a digital planner specifically for substitutes. This online calendar and chart is great for housing the myriad of job acceptances. It’s also a good place for record keeping– I take notes on classrooms to remind myself whether to accept more jobs there.
When you finally become a substitute teacher
Congrats! You’re part of the sub club. You are now an inside member of a very secretive yet very cool society of professionals making a difference in our education system daily.
(After all, some super heroes wear lanyards, school district badges featuring unappealing headshots, and mustard smudges from a rushed and frenzied lunch.)
Unfortunately, most school systems will have you wait a long two weeks before that satisfactory paycheck hits your account.
But you may have some more immediate rewards of your job well done– maybe an unexpected smile from a student, or a sweet moment with the class, or a wilting wildflower gift from an adoring Kindergartener fan.
I wish you the best as you embark on this journey. This blog is full of resources to help you along as well as bonafide stories from the hallways, classrooms and supply closets (I was a pumping mom/sub for a bit!).
Stay a while and enjoy! I’m rooting for you, sub.
