Substitute Teaching

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Home : 2004 : August : 6

Substitute Teaching
By Substitute Teaching

I was a substitute teacher for about a year before I was hired to my present teaching position. I found that if I left the teacher I subbed for a note stating the usual information put in a subs notes. However, I also told
the teacher that I had enjoyed my time in their class and hoped that I could return to teach their class if they need a substitute in the future, I would often receive a call from the sub-caller (sub-service) asking me to sub for the same teacher as before. Also, if you strike up a conversation with or make aquaintances with other teachers in the building while you are subbing, and you

feel comfortable enough, you might want to let them know that you would like to subbing at their school more and give them your name (and number if needed) in case they ever need a substitute. I have found that many teachers in a school have a substitute file, in which they keep the names of substitute teachers they have had in the past whom they have liked or they have been told about quality substitutes from their fellow teachers. I have been thinking about you handing out your resume to schools that you would like to sub for, and I am wondering if you might be able to network at a school by being friendly and talking to the staff members and doing a quality job following lesson plans, leaving notes, etc. (This type of networking worked for me at least.) Then, you wouldn't have to hand out your resumes to people that don't already know you are a good substitute. However, handing out your resume also gives you the chance of having your name and number put up in the staff work room as a possible sub to call. I guess it comes down to what you are most comfortable with. All I know is that when teachers find a good substitute they will request them and pass their name on to their other teacher friends. If a sub-caller (sub-service) is calling you versus teachers calling you directly, if the sub-caller sees that you are being requested to sub a lot and he or she likes you, you may just make it to the top of their call list and be subbing 4 to 5 times a week. I hope this is the case for you, because I was lucky enough to have this happen to me. Good luck and I wish you all the best.