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Substitute Teaching: An Insider's View

Getting Started

By: Deborah Bouley

So you think you want to try this. What should you do? The application process for becoming a substitute teacher is painless. You need to visit your local school district office, transcripts and degrees in hand, and complete an application for employment. Most districts require that you have a Bachelor's Degree. That degree can be in any content area. Mine is in finance and management. Yours does not have to be in the education genre.

Assuming you haven't been convicted of a felony involving minors, you will likely be hired and placed on a list. It is important for you to ask for a copy of the union contract. Substitute teachers, as well as permanent teachers, are unionized. My advice to you is to become familiar with the contract and know who your union representative is. The burden is on you, as a per diem employee, to know what your rights and benefits are. No one is going to explain them to you.

For example, I made the critical mistake of not asking for a contract when I was hired. It wasn't until just recently that I discovered that I had been underpaid all of last year. There is a differential paid to graduate students and those people seeking teaching certification, in the district I work for. I would have known that if I had the contract and had read it.

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