If you are just starting out substitute teaching, you are probably going from school to school, working at the same daily pay. How can you get those long-term assignments that come with higher pay when you do not have several years of subbing under your belt?
It’s possible.
I have been a substitute teacher for barely over a year now, and I am already considered as a “permanent substitute” by a particular school. That means the office calls me for any vacancy or long-term assignments that teachers throw their way. One of these assignments lasted for an entire semester and a $3.39 an hour pay raise. That’s a significant amount when you’re used to getting paid at daily rates. I have never lacked for a job at that school since.
So, how do you become a permanent substitute teacher?
1. When you’re first starting out, substitute at several different schools in your neighborhood. Get a feel for it, the staff, and the policies.
2. Once you have decided on a certain school, leave your business card for any teacher you particularly liked subbing for. This will lead to more jobs at that school.
3. Snag any job you can there so the office staff begin to remember your face. Very important – be super friendly to the office staff. If you walk in and out of that school with hardly a hello or good-bye, your chances of being put on the preferred list are nil.
5. Don’t be the dragon lady all the kids hate, or the lady they can walk all over. Find a middle ground and the students will start singing your praises, asking for your return.
6. Be prepared for the unexpected and think on your feet. My school started to notice me when I had picked up a job for a one-day assignment when a teacher had to leave for an health emergency. That job turned into a week… a week where I had been left with no lesson plans. So, I created my own based on the learning objectives she had on the board. The school was so impressed by my resourcefulness that they gave me a vacancy assignment that lasted the rest of the school year.
If you follow some of these steps, schools will certainly begin to notice you. Hopefully they will grant you some long-term assignments and more spending money like they did for me.