Substitute Teacher Requirements

If you’re just beginning your journey to become a substitute teacher, congratulations! It’s a rewarding position where you can really make a difference. You’ve come to the right spot to get expert guidance in navigating substitute teacher requirements in your state. 

Depending on your state, or school district, there are steps for screening, background checks, credentials, licenses, and other substitute teacher requirements. Rest assured, Kelly Education has state-certified specialists to help you understand those requirements. 

Overview of substitute teacher requirements.

Possible state requirements at a glance*: 

• Certification: substitute license 
• Education: Bachelor’s degree OR some college credits OR a high school diploma or equivalent
• Age: 18 – 21 years old 
• Employment verification to work in the U.S. 
• Fingerprinting 
• Background check 
• Pre-hire training 
• New hire orientation 

Deeper dive into substitute teacher requirements.

Age requirement for substitute teachers.

Right out of the gate, you must be at least 18 years of age or older to become a substitute teacher. However, some states require 21 years or older, depending on the district or position.

Education verification.

There are minimum education requirements that you must meet to become a substitute teacher, and every state varies.

• About 40% of U.S. states require substitute teachers to have a college degree or some amount of college credits. However, this rarely needs to be a degree in Education, but rather in any discipline. Other states require a minimum of a high school diploma or GED, or they may have specific requirements for substitute teachers set by the school district, which can vary greatly.
• Many states and districts allow both degreed and non-degreed candidates to become substitute teachers. If you don’t have a degree, you may be required to have some amount of completed coursework from an accredited institution. Or you may need to show a high school diploma or GED and substitute teaching certificate. Letters of recommendation may also be required.
• You’ll need to contact your most recent school to request a transcript showing your highest level of education. This can take 3 – 5 days. So do it as soon as you know what you need to save yourself time in the application process.

Recruiters at Kelly Education will be familiar with all the substitute teacher requirements in your area. They’ll provide everything you need to know about the requirements to save you time in research. You can also check out more details in this article that provides specific guidance to become a substitute teacher in all 50 states.

Substitute teacher licensing or certification.

About half of all states require some form of certification or licensure to start working as a substitute teacher.

• To obtaining a license, you’ll typically provide your state Department of Education with the information discussed in this article. The Department of Education will process your information and authorize your validation to work in K-12 classrooms for a designated period. This may be a 1-year, 3-year, or 5-year authorization based on your educational experience or background. Some of the licenses can include a fee. This varies by location and the type of permit or length of time each one covers.
• In school districts experiencing a critical shortage of substitute teachers, certain states may allow emergency substitute teaching certification. This speeds the process and increases the number of viable candidates. However, a bachelor’s degree is sometimes needed to obtain an emergency certification.
• If you’re not already licensed or certified, a recruiter might encourage you to complete this step first. That’s because it typically takes the most time. While you work on licensing needed for substitute teaching, you can often start working right away in a job with fewer prerequisites like a substitute paraeducator.  

A Kelly Education recruiter can work with you on creative ways to allow you to start earning a paycheck while you’re moving along toward your ultimate position.

Background checks and screens.

Whether or not a formal substitute teacher license is required, every state has background checks to protect students and ensure their safety. In addition, most substitute teaching roles require fingerprinting federal and state criminal background checks and child abuse or sex offender checks. 

Fingerprinting includes a quick 15-minute appointment and another 3 – 10 days to process. All screens take time and can be further delayed by court backups, so just be aware. If your state requires you to have a substitute teaching license, as described in the section above, most of this will likely be completed in that process and is not an additional step.

Some districts or states also require medical screening, such as TB or drug testing. For accuracy, a TB test involves two appointments scheduled over the course of three days, with one day between. Typically, a small cost is due for each test.

Kelly Education helps you meet substitute teacher requirements.

Kelly Education is here to simplify the process and help you understand the substitute teacher requirements for your state and the school district. 

You don’t have to sort these details out for yourself. At Kelly Education, an onboarding specialist will help you speed the process by identifying which substitute teacher requirements will take the longest. They’ll create a checklist to help you manage priorities. Our priority is always making sure you feel informed, confident, and ready to move forward with every step.

Wondering how do I apply to be a substitute teacher? Fill out our brief interest form. One of our recruiters will contact you to answer your questions and share about opportunities to become a sub teacher with one of our school district partners.  

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

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