Most US public school districts accept any bachelor's degree, for being a substitute teacher. These jobs are not advertised, and there are frequent openings.
Many people find substitute teaching difficult. For this reason, turnover is high in the substitute-teacher pool. If there are no openings in your school district right now, there probably will be soon. Check back in about a month.
The trick to keeping this job is to do it so well that you find it fun and rewarding. That has been the case for me, and I hope that by reading this book and going in prepared, it will be the case for you as well.
There are many books about substitute teaching at the elementary school level. I prefer high school. I also prefer substitute teaching over being a regular classroom teacher. Yes, I have done both. This book contains all the advice I've gathered doing this job since 1989.
Even if you don't meet all the qualifications listed on the school district's website, you still have a chance of getting hired as a substitute teacher.
In most states, school districts can get emergency teaching credentials for potential substitute teachers, if their need for substitutes is dire enough. It usually is dire enough. Most school districts require substitute teachers to have a bachelor's degree (in any subject), and this is the one criterion they are strict about. Not all school districts require substitutes to have a bachelor's degree, though, so look at each district's website closely.
On your application to be a high school substitute teacher, list any and all experience you have working with teens: your own teenage children and their friends, your friends' teenage children, church youth groups, retail jobs where you worked alongside teens, coaching, tutoring, teens who babysit for you, and so on.
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High School Substitute Teacher's Guide: YOU CAN DO THIS! by Cherise Kelley
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About a week after you apply online, call the school district after 9:30 but before noon.
I have substituted for nine different school districts now, and I had to follow up with every last one. I never would have been hired as a substitute teacher if I had just waited for them to call me after applying online. If you apply in summer, wait until school starts before you call.
When you call, ask to speak with the substitute coordinator. Her typical work day is 4 till noon. However, from 4 until 9:30 she is busy making sure all the day's absences are covered, so don't bother her before 9:30 except as she has directed.
Ask the substitute coordinator if she needs any teacher substitutes right now, and if your application arrived in her in-box. If the substitute coordinator tells you she has enough substitute teachers right now, then wait about a month and try again, especially as it gets closer to Christmas or May. Those are the times of year when the most regular teachers are absent.
In a public school district, the substitute coordinator is the one who makes the hiring decision. The elected school board formalizes her decision at their next monthly meeting. When you go in to see the substitute coordinator, it might seem like she is just a clerk in the office. She starts work at 4, remember, so by the time you see her at 10, she might look a little haggard. She is on the computer and on the phone all morning. She might wear her hair in a ponytail and dress in jeans. Make no mistake: the substitute coordinator has the power to accept you or reject you. Impress her.
It may take several meetings with the substitute coordinator before you are hired on as a substitute teacher.
Get whatever documentation the
substitute coordinator requests. Take CPR if necessary, and get TB
clearance if she says you need to. Go pay a doctor cash for a routine
physical exam, if needed. Go to the police department and get
fingerprinted. All of this has been required at various school
districts I have subbed for. She is not pulling your leg on these
requirements.You might be scheduled for a formal job interview. If you are, this is a good sign they are going to hire you. Remember, there are many substitute teachers in the school district, not just one, so they hire a lot of people to put on the list. Handle this as you would any job interview: dress well, get a lot of sleep the night before, and prepare answers to interview questions they are likely to ask. If you carefully and thoughtfully read this book, then you will be prepared for their questions.
Paperback: Amazon | Barnes and Noble Online | Powell's | Walmart Online
eBook: iTunes | Kindle | Nook | Kobo
Audio: Amazon | iTunes
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