Substitute Teaching is a Flexible Good Paying Job for Those Contemplating a Career in Education

Substitute Teaching is a great way to get your feet wet in the teaching field. It's also a good job for students because the hours and days are flexible. You can accept or decline jobs as they fit into your school and homework schedule. Need time off to study for exams or to finish up a research paper; take the day off, or better yet, don't take any jobs that week. Substitute teaching is very flexible and is a great job if you don't need the security of working 40 hours a week 50 weeks per year. Remember, you will be off on weekends, holidays, and during school breaks, so plan ahead with another part-time job if money is an issue.

The pay isn't bad either, according to the National Substitute Teachers Alliance the national average for a substitute teacher is about $105 per full day. In Tucson, AZ, you start out at $75-$85 a day depending on the school, after 40 days the rate goes up to $121.00 per day. Keep in mind that if you are teaching elective subjects in middle or high school you may only have 3 or 4 class periods a day, this leaves a lot of free time between classes for doing homework. For example, recently I took a job for a middle school journalism class. School started at 8:45 am, but I only had three classes to teach that day. I was done by 2:00, but got paid for a full day.

Requirements for a substitute license are different in each state, check with the Board of Education in the state that you live for specific requirements. Most states require a bachelor's degree or at least an associate's degree to obtain a substitute license. Check out the National Substitute Teachers Alliance website for a link of requirements for each state http://www.nstasubs.org/FAQs/FAQs.html. Keep in mind that you will also have to pass a background investigation and be fingerprinted.