What does a substitute teacher do?
Substitute teachers are responsible for filling in the role of regular teachers who will not be able to come to school. They may be engaged short-term or long-term, depending on the need. Substitute teachers should have a deep understanding of the topics that are related to the subject matter and are appropriate to the learning level of the student. They should be able to advance the lessons while the regular teacher is unavailable. At times, they are required to create their own lesson plans. Substitute teachers should have the skills of regular teachers. They should also be flexible and adaptable.
Substitute teacher responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real substitute teacher resumes:
- Manage the classroom environment and help students to learn in the absence of the regular teacher with grades levels k-5.
- Manage substitute teaching responsibilities in elementary and secondary school including ESL and bilingual programs.
- Lead classroom management activities including attendance while coordinating lesson plan delivery for consumer science, physics and mathematics classes.
- Maintain effective classroom management contracts and apply advanced math teaching strategies in middle and high school align with common core standards.
- Substitute teach throughout the district grades k-5.
- Attend necessary CPR and child care trainings.
- substitute teacher (k-8) extend day teacher all subjects
- Collaborate and implement teaching strategies from PLC staff meetings.
- Implement, analyze and record data for ABA plan.
- Work one-on-one and in groups of students in grades k-6.
- Instruct classrooms in place of the regular teachers in grades k-4.
- Substitute teacher grades k-12, special ed., and under-credite students.
- Educate students from grades k-12 in both mainstream and alternative school.
- Assist in the library, supervising hallways, cafeterias or playground areas.
- Use ABA techniques to mentor the boy on matters of acceptable classroom behavior.
Substitute teacher skills and personality traits
We calculated that 19% of Substitute Teachers are proficient in Kids, Math, and Help Support. They’re also known for soft skills such as Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, and Patience.
We break down the percentage of Substitute Teachers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Kids, 19%
Motivated and coached kids to succeed in academics and extracurricular activities.
- Math, 15%
Obtained Emergency Substitute Teaching Certificate for elementary education, math, science and special education.
- Help Support, 14%
Help support the students' learning and educational development during the time period their instructor is away.
- Language Arts, 12%
Developed imaginative and appealing activities for Language Arts learning centers.
- ESL, 12%
Assumed full responsibility for general, special education, and ESL classrooms, providing support and facilitating any required student accommodations.
- Social Studies, 12%
Earned Alternate Route Teaching Certificate in Social Studies and Elementary Education
Most substitute teachers use their skills in "kids," "math," and "help support" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential substitute teacher responsibilities here:
Communication skills. The most essential soft skill for a substitute teacher to carry out their responsibilities is communication skills. This skill is important for the role because "teacher assistants need to be clear and concise in discussing student progress with teachers and parents." Additionally, a substitute teacher resume shows how their duties depend on communication skills: "enforced administration policies and rules governing acceptable behavior, communication, and discipline. "
Interpersonal skills. Another soft skill that's essential for fulfilling substitute teacher duties is interpersonal skills. The role rewards competence in this skill because "teacher assistants must be able to develop relationships with a variety of people, including teachers, students, parents, and administrators." According to a substitute teacher resume, here's how substitute teachers can utilize interpersonal skills in their job responsibilities: "exercised leadership skills in classroom management and developed superior interpersonal skills for establishing rapport. "
Patience. substitute teachers are also known for patience, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to substitute teacher responsibilities, because "working with students of different abilities and backgrounds may be difficult." A substitute teacher resume example shows how patience is used in the workplace: "utilized patience and classroom management skills on a daily basis. "
Resourcefulness. For certain substitute teacher responsibilities to be completed, the job requires competence in "resourcefulness." The day-to-day duties of a substitute teacher rely on this skill, as "teacher assistants must find ways to explain information to students who have different learning styles." For example, this snippet was taken directly from a resume about how this skill applies to what substitute teachers do: "showed resourcefulness and teaching effectiveness in meeting the needs of students with limited english language proficiency as well as learning disabilities. "
The three companies that hire the most substitute teachers are:
- Kelly Services190 substitute teachers jobs
- Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES36 substitute teachers jobs
- Substitute Teacher Service
30 substitute teachers jobs
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Compare different substitute teachers
Substitute teacher vs. Teacher internship
Teaching interns are individuals who assist teachers and educators in the classroom. The interns are instructed to fulfill the tasks set out and provided by the supervisors for them. They take part in meetings and jot down their minutes. It is part of their job to conduct research at the request of the supervisor. They make updates to social media platforms and make posts. Also, they create images to be used in posts through different social media platforms.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, substitute teacher responsibilities require skills like "kids," "math," "help support," and "bilingual education." Meanwhile a typical teacher internship has skills in areas such as "classroom management strategies," "professional development," "learning styles," and "classroom environment." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Teacher interns earn the highest salaries when working in the education industry, with an average yearly salary of $47,436. On the other hand, substitute teachers are paid more in the education industry with an average salary of $32,682.On average, teacher interns reach similar levels of education than substitute teachers. Teacher interns are 1.7% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.3% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Substitute teacher vs. Teacher associate
A teacher associate is responsible for assisting the teacher in classroom operations and providing teaching support for the students. Teacher associates develop learning materials according to the instructions of the headteachers, helping them to track students' progress and observing class behaviors. They also take class responsibility if the teacher is away, ensuring to keep activity records and attendance for reference. A teacher associate must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in handling students' difficulties and working with the teacher to develop techniques to address those challenges.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real substitute teacher resumes. While substitute teacher responsibilities can utilize skills like "kids," "help support," "esl," and "bilingual education," teacher associates use skills like "child care," "cpr," "child development," and "cleanliness."
On average, teacher associates earn a higher salary than substitute teachers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, teacher associates earn the most pay in the health care industry with an average salary of $32,745. Whereas substitute teachers have higher pay in the education industry, with an average salary of $32,682.In general, teacher associates achieve similar levels of education than substitute teachers. They're 3.7% less likely to obtain a Master's Degree while being 0.3% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for substitute teachers in the next 3-5 years?
Dr. Diana Jones
Chair, Department of Kinesiology, Anderson University
Substitute teacher vs. 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. Furthermore, as a teacher/tutor, it is essential to monitor the progress and behavior of students, all while maintaining a healthy and safe learning environment for them.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from substitute teacher resumes include skills like "help support," "bilingual education," "unparalleled support," and "substitute teaching," whereas a teacher/tutor is more likely to list skills in "k-12," "english language," "classroom environment," and "study. "
Teacher/tutors earn the best pay in the education industry, where they command an average salary of $43,459. Substitute teachers earn the highest pay from the education industry, with an average salary of $32,682.teacher/tutors typically earn similar educational levels compared to substitute teachers. Specifically, they're 5.0% more likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 1.1% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Substitute teacher vs. Teacher aide
Teacher aides help lead teachers in managing the classroom. They assist teachers in conducting classroom sessions by setting up the classroom in advance, sourcing materials needed for class activities, helping in presentations, and guiding students during class activities. Teacher aides are also responsible for maintaining classroom cleanliness and helping clean up after the children. They also help manage the students during breaks and during classes. They help the lead teacher keep the students'students' attention. They also assist the students in any other tasks that they may need.
Types of substitute teacher
Updated January 8, 2025
