How to become a substitute teacher in Arkansas.

To become a substitute teacher in Arkansas, at minimum, you'll need a high school diploma or GED, be at least 18, and pass a background check. You will not need substitute teacher credentialing, like a permit, license, or certification.

Note that some school districts may have additional requirements beyond what the state requires.

Minimum requirements for substitute teachers in Arkansas, at a glance*:

• Certification: None required
• Education: High school diploma or equivalent, for short term positions
• Age: 18 years old
• Employment verification to work in the U.S.
• Child Maltreatment Background Screening
• Fingerprinting

Additional requirements for Kelly Education employees:

• Pre-hire training
• New hire orientation
  

   

A deeper dive into substitute teacher requirements.

With a bit of dedication and focus, you’ll be well on your way to substitute teaching in a relatively short time. Timing is dependent upon how long it takes for you to complete each step, coupled with how long it takes for the Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) to process fingerprinting and background checks.

How do I submit education verification?

Substitute teaching in Arkansas requires a high school diploma or equivalent. Long-term substitute teachers require a bachelor’s degree.

• To verify your education, you must provide transcripts. It’s advised you request transcripts for your highest level of schooling completed since some districts may pay more to those who have completed college hours or hold a degree, even if it’s not required.

• There is often a charge for transcript requests, generally ranging from $10 to $15.

• It typically takes three to five days for you to receive education verification documents. 

Background check and fingerprinting.

To ensure students are protected, background checks are required as part of the onboarding process for anyone who works in Arkansas schools.

• The state mandate includes two parts to the background check process – a Child Maltreatment Check and fingerprinting that covers a state and national/FBI criminal history check.

• You will be provided with several approved fingerprinting locations to complete the process. For the Child Maltreatment Check, you will complete and submit an online form to initiate the registry scan. There is a $11 fee for this.

• The cost of fingerprinting is $40-60 which includes the prints and a location processing fee.

• You should allow up to two weeks for your background check, fingerprinting, and Arkansas Child Maltreatment Central Registry Check to clear. If screenings on file with ADE are over a year old, applicants will need to complete new screenings.

• Kelly Education also runs a National Sex Offender registry check and county criminal check on all applicants.

Do I need training?

Though the state of Arkansas does not have a state-required training program for substitute teachers, some districts may require substitute teacher training and for candidates to pass a substitute training test.

Since training is a valuable aspect to support teachers in navigating the classroom and working with students, Kelly Education requires all our candidates to complete substitute teacher pre-hire training called ClassSmarts, regardless of their experience level.

Kelly Education training typically meets the requirements for any district-specific required training. The free training takes about 1.5 hours to complete online.

New Hire Orientation training is also required by Kelly Education before substitute teachers can enter a classroom. The paid one hour online orientation covers policies and procedures for Kelly Education and the school district.

What do I need for employment verification?

Like most jobs, substitute teachers must provide proof that they can legally work in the U.S.

• To verify your eligibility, you'll submit a federal I-9 form with acceptable forms of identification.
• If working with a Kelly Education district partner, one of our recruiters will help you with this step.

Getting started with Kelly Education and our school district partners.

Congratulations on taking the first step to becoming a substitute teacher in Arkansas. You can trust the Kelly Education team to support you throughout the application, pre-hire, and onboarding process to become a substitute teacher with our partner districts.

Fill out our brief interest form and one of our recruiters will contact you to answer your questions about our substitute teacher jobs near you!

* Information subject to change. This is a general guideline. School districts may have more requirements, in addition to state requirements.

About the Author

Kelly Education powers more than 10,000 schools across the country with a workforce that keeps students learning every day. From recruiting and hiring to workforce management and professional development, we provide qualified people for mission-critical roles in our schools.