How to hire a long term substitute teacher

How to hire a long term substitute teacher, step by step

Here's a step-by-step long term 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 long term substitute teacher job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new long term substitute teacher
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a long term substitute teacher do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The long term 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

   A long term substitute teacher's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, long term substitute teachers from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   The following list breaks down different types of long term substitute teachers and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Long Term Substitute Teacher	Description	Hourly rate
   Long Term Substitute Teacher	Kindergarten and elementary school teachers prepare younger students for future schooling by teaching them basic subjects such as math and reading.	$14-28
   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
   Math Teacher	A math teacher is responsible for instilling analytical and statistical knowledge to the learners. The duties of a math teacher include the development of a student's problem-solving skills, practical application of formulas and logical reasoning, utilization of visual materials and other learning equipment for better comprehension, and evaluation of the students' learning progress by conducting series of tests and activities... Show more	$17-33

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Classroom Management
   • Long-Term Substitute
   • Math
   • Public Schools
   • Social Studies
   • Student Learning
   • Professional Development
   • Kindergarten
   • Language Arts
   • Social Development
   • IEP
   • Learning Styles
   • K-12
   • Student Achievement

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create math lessons adopt from Florida 6th grade mathematics curriculum to meet individual learning styles and student comprehension levels
   • Lecture students about grammar and punctuation.
   • Develop, lead, communicate, and educate students of the geography curricula.
   • Deliver instruction over grammar, writing, reading, speaking, and listening skills.
   • Utilize academic standards design for ESL and regular education classrooms to construct long and short-term goals, units and lessons.
   • Design lessons to use in a pull-out ESL program that would supplement and review topics/information present in students' mainstream classrooms.

   More long term substitute teacher duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your long term substitute teacher job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A long term substitute teacher can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, long term substitute teachers' average salary in missouri is 49% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level long term substitute teachers 49% less than senior-level long term substitute teachers.
   • Certifications. A long term substitute teacher with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a long term substitute teacher's salary.

   Average long term substitute teacher salary

   $42,808yearly

   $20.58 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level long term substitute teacher salary

   $30,000 yearly salary

   Updated January 16, 2026

   Average long term substitute teacher salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$52,209	$25
   2	Illinois	$43,633	$21
   3	Maryland	$43,048	$21
   4	New Jersey	$41,379	$20
   5	Michigan	$39,851	$19
   6	Minnesota	$39,621	$19
   7	Colorado	$38,594	$19
   8	New York	$37,205	$18
   9	Texas	$36,734	$18
   10	Connecticut	$34,939	$17
   11	Indiana	$30,644	$15
   12	New Hampshire	$29,118	$14
   13	Missouri	$26,249	$13

   Average long term substitute teacher salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Capistrano Unified	$64,798	$31.15
   2	The Archer School for Girls	$62,752	$30.17	4
   3	Lake Zurich Community Unit School District 95	$61,263	$29.45	12
   4	Boston Public Schools	$59,087	$28.41	50
   5	Escalon	$58,121	$27.94	4
   6	Strongsville City Schools	$56,907	$27.36	5
   7	Excelsior Charter School	$55,606	$26.73	6
   8	Oxnard Union High School District	$55,228	$26.55	12
   9	Newton Public Schools	$55,164	$26.52	21
   10	The Agnes Irwin School	$54,904	$26.40
   11	Jefferson Elementary School District	$54,781	$26.34	4
   12	Cheshire Academy	$54,232	$26.07	27
   13	Little Lukes	$54,090	$26.00	24
   14	Palatine School District 15	$53,805	$25.87	7
   15	French American International School	$53,799	$25.86	1
   16	Orinda Union School District	$53,776	$25.85	4
   17	Distinctive Schools	$53,457	$25.70	8
   18	Renaissance Acquisition Holdings	$53,127	$25.54
   19	Worcester Academy	$53,094	$25.53
   20	Legacy Traditional Schools	$52,623	$25.30	20

4. Writing a long term substitute teacher job description

   A long term 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. To help get you started, here's an example of a long term substitute teacher job description:

   Long term substitute teacher job description example

   As a Substitute Teacher , you have the flexibility to work as available, when we have a need in one of our non-public day schools serving students with special education needs such as autism, intellectual disabilities, and emotional disabilities. We are developing a pool for our different locations and populations, and candidates selected will mutually work with principals to identify which school location(s) they would be called for when a need for substitutes arise. Classroom sizes do not exceed 9 students, and a Substitute Teacher also will have the support of Assistant Teachers, One to Ones, and/or resource staff. Long and short-term Substitute Teachers will be in the pool, and those with a bachelors, conditional certification, or professional certification all qualify.

   Arrow Substitute Teacher Essential Duties:

   • Provides direct group and individual instruction to students in assigned courses, providing the special education services on the students' IEP.
   • Maintains a safe learning environment for students within the scope of the Arrow Center for Education administrative policies and procedures. Supervises and manages student behavior in the classroom, school, and school-sponsored functions.

   A Substitute Teacher Requires:

   Bachelor's Degree and/or a valid (issued) State Department of Education Teaching Certificate in the area required by the specific assignment, or eligible and willing to obtain the certificate within state-mandated timelines.

   Arrow Substitute Teacher Benefits:

   • Company sponsored learning and development.

   
   

   EEO

   Arrow Child and Family Ministries is an Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) employer. Arrow Child and Family Ministries does not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression of any other non-job-related characteristic.

   
   
   Job Posted by ApplicantPro
   

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are a few common ways to find long term substitute teachers for your business:

   • Promoting internally or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to meet candidates with the right educational background.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to recruit passive job-seekers.

   To find long term substitute teacher candidates, you can consider the following options:

   • Post your job opening on Zippia or other job search websites.
   • Use niche websites that focus on engineering and technology jobs, such as k12jobspot, learn4good, serious teachers, teachingjobs.com.
   • Post your job on free job posting websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting long term substitute teachers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you 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 long term substitute teacher

   Once you have selected a candidate for the long term substitute teacher position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   You should also follow up with applicants who don't get the job with an email letting them know that you've filled the position.

   Once that's done, you can draft an onboarding schedule for the new long term substitute teacher. Human Resources should complete Employee Action Forms and ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc. They should also ensure that new employee files are created for internal recordkeeping.

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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