To apply to be a substitute teacher, you can find links on a school district website, attend a job fair, search job boards on the internet, or connect with an education workforce or staffing agency that partners with the school district where you'd like to work.
Once you've reached out and reviewed the job description, you'll formally apply. The application process will look slightly different depending on the district, but there are some common next steps.
Each year, Kelly Education fills millions of classrooms across the country with substitute teachers for our partner districts. That means, we're the experts in helping candidates through every step of the application process.
Before applying, you’ll need to know the guidelines for becoming a substitute in your state and school district.
Each state has its own substitute teacher requirements to become a substitute teacher. For example, some states require you to have a bachelor's degree, while others require only a high school diploma.
The state requirements can be found on each state department of education's website or you can check this article to find minimum requirements in your state.
You may want to contact your local school district to discover any district-specific requirements which can be higher than the state minimum.
Local school districts usually post substitute teacher jobs on their website. Often times, the post includes a job description with specific job duties spelled out.
School districts now not only post open substitute teaching opportunities on their website, but also on social media pages and online job boards or aggregators.
Examples of online job boards include Indeed, LinkedIn, and our favorite (our own) myKelly. Some districts also hire outside companies, like Kelly Education, to hire and train substitute teachers. More on that application process below.
You can search for "substitute teaching jobs near me" or "substitute teaching jobs in Florida" or the state where you want to work. A few other good search terms include; education jobs, special education jobs, and Kelly substitute.
Here are few more tips to get the best results when searching the internet:
Community job fairs are an excellent resource for anyone looking to substitute teach. They present an opportunity to meet the school's hiring team and make a great first impression.
To ensure you make the best impression and complete most of them before the teacher job fair begins:
Note that you don't necessarily need a formal resume to apply to become a substitute teacher. However, it is still a good idea to create one. It gives the recruiter an easy way to conduct a brief review of your experience and skills.
When attending a teacher job fair, have a positive attitude and be confident. You have likely already accomplished many outstanding professional achievements worthy of confidence. Be proud of yourself for taking this next step!
Your local school district may work with a company to help them find the best substitute teachers. Recruiters are experts in uncovering the qualities of the people with the most potential for success.
At Kelly Education, you can fill out an online form and then, a recruiter will contact you to walk through the entire application and hiring process.
Our onboarding specialists will help you complete the application correctly and efficiently, so you can work soon after you apply. Remember, there are steps to the process that involve third parties that provide documentation. It can take a few days to a few weeks to have background checks completed and receive your transcripts.
If you meet the basic state-level requirements, you'll need to provide some additional documentation. This often includes:
At Kelly Education, we believe in helping our substitute teachers become the best educators for students. We support our substitute teachers every step of the way.
To get started, check out these articles from our fully stocked resource library:
Interested in substitute teaching? Fill out our brief interest form and one of our recruiters will contact you to answer your questions and share more about opportunities to become a substitute teacher with one of our school district partners.
If you choose to work with us, you’ll get the core training, policies, and procedures to prepare you for day one.