How to become a substitute teacher in Iowa.

Looking for work that has potential to impact the next generation? Becoming a substitute teacher may be the right job for you. It’s both flexible and rewarding work—you choose your own schedule and can decide which grade levels and subjects you want to teach. 

Teachers On Call, a Kelly Education company, is the expert in helping people become substitute teachers in Iowa—and across the country. We work with thousands of schools to recruit and hire the most qualified people to lead classrooms when teachers are absent.  

Let’s start by looking at the minimum substitute teacher requirements in Iowa. Remember school districts may have additional qualifications, which you can find in their posted job description. 

Minimum Iowa state requirements, at a glance*:

• Certification: Iowa substitute teacher authorization 
• Education: Associate degree or 60+ college credits 
• Age: 21 years old 
• Employment verification to work in the U.S. 
• Substitute Authorization Course 
• Mandatory Reporter trainings about child and dependent adult abuse 
• Background check 

In addition to Iowa state requirements, Teachers on Call, a Kelly Education company, require the following:

• Pre-hire training 

A deeper dive into substitute teacher requirements.

Substitute teachers in Iowa must have either a license or authorization issued by the Iowa Board of Education Examiners (BOEE). This takes effort on the part of the applicant to go through the hiring process, so be aware of timelines and have patience when gathering your materials.

Education requirements. 

Substitute authorization To obtain an authorization, you need to have an associate degree or 60+ college credits and complete a substitute authorization course. This can be taken through any Area Education Agency (AEA). This instructor-led, self-paced course can be completed online and takes 15 hours. You can teach any subject in grades preK-12, and you are limited to ten days in a row for a 30-day period in the same assignment. 

Substitute license For this license, you’ll need a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education. You must also complete a teacher prep program or be eligible for an Iowa teaching license. This is a great option for those who were previously licensed and are waiting to renew their Initial certificate. With a substitute license, you can teach any subject in grades preK-12, serving in any one position for up to 90 consecutive days. 

Education verification.

Applicants need to contact their college or university to obtain official academic transcripts. It can take 3 to 5 days to receive transcripts, so plan ahead. Schools typically charge a $10 to $15 processing fee. 

Background check and fingerprinting.

Iowa prioritizes student safety, so all substitute teacher applicants in the state are subject to a background check. 

Additionally, if you work for Teachers On Call, we run a National Sex Offender Registry and county criminal check on all applicants. This background check typically takes one to three days. 

Employment verification.

All employees complete a federal I-9 form to verify their eligibility to work in the U.S. This document is easy to complete and involves submitting valid forms of identification along with the I-9. Our team will help you with this if you work at one of our partner districts. 

Training.

The state of Iowa requires that all educators working in a school district complete Mandatory Reporter Training to understand child and dependent adult abuse. These are two separate courses that result in two separate certificates upon completion. The Iowa Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) provides this training online for free. The AEA also provides this training free of charge for all school district employees, public and private. Both the HHS and AEA training are acceptable. 

The training takes about four hours to complete, and all substitute teachers must provide training completion certificates as part of the pre-hire process. This training is valid for three years. You can also take an updated refresher training for one hour if original training has not expired. 

In addition, Teachers On Call requires all our applicants — even if they have prior teaching experience — to complete our pre-hire training called ClassSmarts. It’s free, self-led, online training that can be completed in about an hour. 

Finally, we also offer non-mandatory New Hire Orientation to help you better understand our policies and procedures, like how to get paid. 

Getting started with Teachers On Call. 

Do you think you meet the requirements to become a substitute teacher in Iowa? We’d love to help you get started in one of our partner school districts. 

Just fill out our application and our recruiter will share more about the next steps to get you in front of a classroom filled with students waiting to be inspired—by you ! 

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