How to hire a building substitute teacher

How to hire a building substitute teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step building substitute teacher hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a building substitute teacher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new building substitute teacher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The building substitute teacher hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect building substitute teacher also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of building substitute teacher salaries for various roles:

   Type of Building Substitute Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Building Substitute Teacher		$11-18
   Teacher/Tutor	A teacher/tutor is primarily in charge of facilitating discussions and other learning activities for students. Their duties typically revolve around developing lesson plans and teaching materials, assessing the progress of students through quizzes and examinations, assisting students in areas they find difficult, and helping them develop their interpersonal and intrapersonal skills... Show more	$12-33
   Teacher	Being a teacher is one of the most passionate professions, among others. Teachers educate, motivate, and guide every generation of learners to prepare them for the real world... Show more	$15-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Classroom Management
   • Classroom Environment
   • Mathematics
   • K-8
   • K-12
   • Language Arts
   • Student Learning
   • Term Substitute
   • K-4
   • Remainder
   • K-6
   • Learning Environment
   • Elementary Schools
   • K-5

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Lead classroom management activities including attendance while coordinating lesson plan delivery for consumer science, physics and mathematics classes.
   • Revise student IEP's to meet their educational needs.
   • Aid in assessments, including Brigance, Gmade, Ggrade, FBA, and IEP development.
   • Assume full responsibility for general, special education, and ESL classrooms, providing support and facilitating any require student accommodations.
   • Book study group participant for workshop implementation
   • Develop, organize and carry out thematic and cross-curricular units base on anthology and novel study.

   More building substitute teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in the building substitute teacher job description is a good way to get more applicants. A building substitute teacher salary can be affected by several factors, such as the location of the job, the level of experience, education, certifications, and the employer's prestige.

   For example, the average salary for a building substitute teacher in Delaware may be lower than in Hawaii, and an entry-level engineer typically earns less than a senior-level building substitute teacher. Additionally, a building substitute teacher with lots of experience in the field may command a higher salary as a result.

   Average building substitute teacher salary

   $14.29hourly

   $29,733 yearly

   ---

   Entry-level building substitute teacher salary

   $23,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 17, 2025

   Average building substitute teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$33,019	$16
   2	Minnesota	$32,648	$16
   3	Arizona	$30,982	$15
   4	Pennsylvania	$30,943	$15
   5	New Hampshire	$28,185	$14
   6	Illinois	$28,130	$14
   7	Colorado	$27,819	$13
   8	District of Columbia	$27,816	$13
   9	Massachusetts	$27,722	$13
   10	Michigan	$27,566	$13
   11	Missouri	$26,652	$13
   12	Kansas	$26,075	$13
   13	Connecticut	$26,048	$13
   14	New York	$25,381	$12
   15	Texas	$25,069	$12
   16	Ohio	$25,012	$12
   17	New Jersey	$24,298	$12
   18	Indiana	$22,892	$11

   Average building substitute teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES	$41,575	$19.99	8
   2	Edina Public Schools	$37,164	$17.87	4
   3	KIPP: Endeavor Academy	$34,913	$16.79
   4	GEMS World Academy - Chicago	$34,897	$16.78
   5	Sheridan School District	$34,092	$16.39	3
   6	STEP Academy	$33,780	$16.24
   7	Andover Public Schools	$32,068	$15.42	15
   8	Accel	$31,449	$15.12	59
   9	Naperville School District 203	$30,942	$14.88	25
   10	UP Education Network	$30,653	$14.74	12
   11	Lighthouse Community Public Schools	$30,354	$14.59	7
   12	Charter Schools USA	$30,348	$14.59	1
   13	Jeffrey C Still Middle School	$30,293	$14.56	6
   14	Kelly Services	$30,287	$14.56	753
   15	Brighton Central School District	$29,947	$14.40
   16	Bristol Public School District	$29,929	$14.39	22
   17	Shelton School District	$29,856	$14.35	63
   18	Propel Schools	$29,804	$14.33	7
   19	Minneapolis Public Schools	$29,786	$14.32	13
   20	Chagrin Falls Exempted Village Schools	$29,533	$14.20	2

4. Writing a building substitute teacher job description

   A building substitute teacher job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a building substitute teacher job description:

   Building substitute teacher job description example

   The Neighborhood Charter Network (NCN) is a grassroots organization that launched in 2016 in order to manage a growing family of schools in Indianapolis, IN. The mission of The Neighborhood Charter Network is to expand educational equity to the communities we serve.
   
   The Network Building Substitute position provides a unique opportunity for passionate individuals dedicated to education to gain hands-on practice in a classroom setting.
   
   Network Building Substitutes are responsible for instructing students and facilitating their learning in the absence of the classroom teacher and for providing small-group instruction. These duties provide excellent training, preparation, and practice to gain the experience and support necessary to develop their teaching skills.
   Essential Job Responsibilities: Deliver classroom instruction to students in the absence of the classroom teacher as outlined in lesson plans Create a classroom that is conducive to learning and appropriate to the maturity and interests of students Maintain a safe and orderly environment for students Maintain established routines of the school and classroom procedures in which assigned Maintain a professional appearance as an example to students Remain at school the entire school day unless otherwise instructed by Supervisor Maintain reasonable rules of conduct which encourage self-discipline and responsibility Communicate effectively with parents and team members when needed Meet and instruct assigned classes in the locations and times designated Participate in regular and ongoing professional development efforts Other duties as assigned (e.g., testing, small group instruction, and school initiatives)
   Schedule A member of the leadership team will reach out by 6am on days where support is needed Must be available 1-2 days per week (Monday - Friday) from 7:30-3:30pm to support Minimum Required Qualifications:
   High School Diploma Positive Background Check At least 2+ years of experience in setting with children
   Preferred Qualifications: Bachelor’s Degree Teaching or Substitute Teaching Certification
   
   NCN Core Values:
   
   
   NCN Equity Statement: The Neighborhood Charter Network is an equal employment opportunity school corporation which strives to deliver educational excellence, equitable access, and quality service to our students and families. NCN recognizes the educational and social value of human differences and their various forms. NCN is committed to an inclusive approach which affirms and embraces all aspects of diversity. We are strengthened by our unique knowledge, experiences, interests, hopes, challenges, cultures, traditions and families. We engage families as partners in education through trusting relationships built on culturally responsive two-way communication and mutual respect.
   Recognizing our diversity, we are committed to equity in all of our work. We seek to allocate resources to eliminate discrimination and disparities. We strive to eliminate prejudice, bigotry, and intolerance and bridge gaps between and among our diverse students, families, staff and communities.
   Our approach to diversity and commitment to fairness ensure that the students we serve are empowered to succeed in high school, college and beyond.
   
   Key Details: This job description is not intended to be all inclusive. The employee will perform other reasonably related tasks as assigned by the supervisor or other management personnel.
   NCN reserves the right to change job responsibilities, duties and hours accordingly. This document is for management communication only and is not intended to imply a written or implied contract of employment.
   Neighborhood Charter Network provides equal opportunities of employment to all applicants and and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type against anyone without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find building substitute teachers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any building substitute teachers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level building substitute teachers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your building substitute teacher job on Zippia to find and recruit building substitute teacher candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with building substitute teacher candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new building substitute teacher

   Once you've decided on a perfect building substitute teacher candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also important to follow up with applicants who do not get the job with an email letting them know that the position is filled.

   To prepare for the new employee's start date, you can create an onboarding schedule and complete any necessary paperwork, such as employee action forms and onboarding documents like I-9 forms, benefits enrollment, and federal and state tax forms. Human Resources should also ensure that a new employee file is created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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