How to become a substitute teacher in Washington.

There are a couple of paths to becoming a substitute teacher in Washington. Of course, previously certified educators with bachelor’s degrees can work in classrooms, but high school graduates can also qualify to become substitute teachers.      

Each year, we hire hundreds of qualified substitute teachers in Washington through Teachers On Call—a Kelly Education company. With all that expertise, our recruiting team has put together this guidance to help aspiring educators understand the state requirements.

Let’s look at the minimum requirements for substitute teachers in Washington. 

Minimum Washington state requirements at a glance*:

• Certification: Washington teaching license or emergency substitute certification 
• Age: 18 years  
• Education: High school diploma for Emergency Substitute Certification 
• Employment verification to work in the U.S. 
• Background check 
• Fingerprinting 

In addition to Washington state requirements, Teachers On Call and Kelly Education requires the following:

• Pre-hire training 

A deeper dive into substitute teacher requirements.

Anyone with a teaching certificate can be a substitute teacher. Don’t have a teaching certificate? You can get the Emergency Substitute Certification with just a high school diploma.  

The emergency certification is valid for two years and only in the district/district co-op that requested it. The application is initiated by the employing school district and completed by the educator. If you work for a Teachers On Call partner district, our team will help you through the process. 

The entire application to hiring process can take anywhere from three days to three weeks. Some of this depends on the state and the time it takes to process the paperwork, but you also play a key role. The quicker you submit the required information, the sooner you’ll be approved and qualified to start. 

Remember—if you hold or have held a regular State of Washington Teaching Certificate, you already qualify for the Substitute Certificate as the requirements are the same. 

Education verification.

For the Emergency Substitute Certificate, all applicants must have a minimum of a high school diploma. Some districts may have additional requirements, so be sure to read the job description carefully.

You’ll need to ask your high school for a copy of your transcripts. Note that some institutions charge a small fee for transcript and verification requests. If you have college credits, requesting your college transcripts  can be beneficial because some school districts offer a higher pay rate to those who’ve completed college credits. Be sure to ask the district or your Teachers On Call recruiter.

Background check and fingerprinting.

Washington places a high priority on student safety. That’s why all substitute teacher applicants are subject to a background check, including fingerprinting which takes about two weeks for results. There may be a small fee associated with this.  

Additionally, if you work for Teachers On Call or Kelly Education, we run a National Sex Offender Registry and county criminal check on all applicants which can take 1-3 days. 

Employment verification. 

Like most jobs, substitute teachers must provide proof that they can legally work in the U.S. To complete this step, you’ll submit an I-9 form with valid identification credentials. This form can be completed in just a few minutes. Our team will help you if you are a candidate in our partner district.

Training.

While the state of Washington doesn’t require any additional training to become a substitute teacher, Teachers On Call and Kelly Education requires all applicants to complete our pre-hire training. This is true even if they have prior teaching experience. Our free ClassSmarts online training can be completed in about an hour. 

We also offer a non-mandatory online New Hire Orientation to help you better understand policies and procedures. 

Getting started with Teachers On Call and Kelly Education. 

With more than 25 years of experience qualifying substitute teachers, we’ve worked with thousands of schools throughout the United States. We’d be delighted to help get you started on this satisfying and fulfilling career with one of our partner school districts.  

Just fill out our application and our recruiter will get in touch with you. The fulfilling and enjoyable career of teaching is within your reach! 

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