Substitute teaching

[LayWoman for Christ]

I have a new job. Yay! I was unemployed for 5 months. Big bills are due soon. Any way I found out a van dweller is also substitute teacher. He does all he can to stay off radar. He pays the membership cost on an app to make sure he gets the latest job. He dresses for the work. The agency has a dress code. 

So you can be a pro and be a van dweller. Yay. I'd like to talk to him.

 

[OutdoorFT]

Ive seen lawyers vandwell. Thats extreme case, but profession does not really matter. If you want to live in a van, you can.

 

[user 37446]

So what do you want to know, I'm a part time teacher.

 

[Travelmonkey]

I'm still home based but I just got my sub credential for CA. What state are you planning on teaching in?

 

[user 37446]

I'm still home based but I just got my sub credential for CA.  What state are you planning on teaching in?

I'm certified in AZ. Sub when I want to. No lack of work in the cities. Average $85-95 daily, more if long term (20 straight days = $120).

 

[LayWoman for Christ]

I'm in CA. I work in a national agency so if I move its easier for me to continue working. Pay is starting at $18.50 an hour and up depending on the school assigned to. Daily full work pays $129-$143 /day.

 

[LayWoman for Christ]

I'm certified in AZ. Sub when I want to. No lack of work in the cities. Average $85-95 daily, more if long term (20 straight days = $120).

I love I can pick and choose when I want to work for the most part. I had to miss a special occasion recently due to new long term assignment. That's ok because I get to eat.

 

[VanGrrl57]

I was told once that I could be a substitute teacher as I have a bachelors' degree. Is that true? Also, what credentials are necessary to be a substitute teacher? I am currently living/working in Yellowstone National Park for the season but my state of residence is South Dakota. I will see what I can find out myself but any suggestions/ideas you have would be appreciated. 

VanGrrl57 

 

[bullfrog]

When I was a teacher I taught in several different states and they were all different even though there was a National Teachers Exam. Substitute teachers requirements were easy some states emergency teacher certificates could be granted for 1 year to just about anyone. The biggest deal is finger print cards, background checks or state required tests.

 

[slynne]

I never thought of this as an option but it seems perfect for a semi-retirement!

 

[LayWoman for Christ]

I was told once that I could be a substitute teacher as I have a bachelors' degree. Is that true? Also, what credentials are necessary to be a substitute teacher? I am currently living/working in Yellowstone National Park for the season but my state of residence is South Dakota. I will see what I can find out myself but any suggestions/ideas you have would be appreciated. 

VanGrrl57 

Hi VanGrrl57 I just saw this. Each state has its own requirement. You can legally reside in sd but work in ny. You'd need a credential for ny. A bachelor degree is required to sub along with a 30 day credential in ca. Good luck. If I may I could recommend kelly educational staffing. They are nationwide

 

[Travelmonkey]

I subbed my first 2 days this week. While I'm still living in a house, I can see this as a pretty good way for a nomad to make money if you stay in an area for a few weeks to a month at a time. In a large state like CA, it seems feasible that you could visit different parts of the state and subbing off and on for different districts. One of these winters, I'd like to move to the Truckee, CA area and volunteer at a ski resort (like a host position) to earn my season pass while subbing to pay for my food and RV spot. I don't go through a temp agency. I went to the district website and called them. Pretty easy.

Some things to note:
* Bachelor's degree is typically required
* In CA, you need to pass the CBEST (math, reading comp., and writing test)
* CA charges $100 annually for 30-day sub license.
* You'll need to be fingerprinted by the state and some districts will fingerprint you again.
* Some school districts may charge to get set up in the system. 1 of the 2 districts charged me $32.
* You'll need to be screened for TB. One of my districts payed for my TB test and I used the results for another.
* Finding and accepting assignments is pretty easy and online. I think most districts use the same web-based system and I can view all available assignments for both of the districts I work for.

If you have any questions, feel free to post on this thread or PM. I have a CBEST study guide that I will give to the first interested person. - Kevin

 

[Paisley777]

I'm in CA. I work in a national agency so if I move its easier for me to continue working. Pay is starting at $18.50 an hour and up depending on the school assigned to. Daily full work pays $129-$143 /day.

Hello,

What is the name of the agency, please?

Paisley

 

[Travelmonkey]

Hello,

What is the name of the agency, please?

Paisley

A couple of posts above, Kelly Educational Staffing.

 

[ValerieP]

Also, some districts have mandatory training. The district I'm in has testing- a week or two. I have min 3 years and then I'm retiring and may dub in a different district.

 

[Travelmonkey]

I'm 5 weeks into subbing. Last month I worked 12 days (out of 20 school days in Sep) for 3 different school districts. Overall I'm enjoying myself. The kids are generally good kids. One of the school districts (K-8 grades) is in a high end area of the Bay Area; it is amazing to see the resources of these schools. Assistant teachers, small class sizes (less than 24 kids), and beautiful park like school grounds. The kids are thriving and it is easy to get them back on track when they goof off. It's an easy pay check.

At another elementary school in San Jose, it is harder. There are more discipline issues and I suspect the kids are not reading, writing or doing math at grade level. I have a son in the same grade (Catholic school) and the public school kids at this school seem way behind. I assume the parents are not as involved and less educated. No judgement - just an observation and guess.

For the other subs out there, how is your school year going so far?

 

[Travelmonkey]

So I finished my first year subbing and I really enjoyed myself. In fact, I'm enrolling into a teacher preparation program to become a regular school teacher. This is a second career for me after the first one became a grind after a couple of decades. It's weird being too young to retire, yet, an old guy to "start over".

Even though I'm still living in a house, I think substitute teaching can be a great job for an urban based RV dweller willing to stay in one place for a few months or longer. Easy hours and flexible schedule (you pick the days you want to work). I was as busy as I wanted to be from Sep thru May. In the Bay Area, the pay was ranged from $135-$175 per full day (around 6hrs or less) depending on district. Good communication skills will go a long way in the classroom and will be helpful getting you future jobs (teachers like getting notes on how the day went).

 

[Travelmonkey]

With schools reopening, there is a need for subs. Some of the requirements have been reduced (no need to pass a basic skills test - CBEST in CA). You still need a Bachelor's degree, clean TB test and clear background test.

Pay has increased dramatically (in districts in my area). $300/day for long term sub. I was paid $275/day for 5.5hrs (still got a break of 30 min and 60 min lunch) to watch HS students... I believe the daily sub rate is $200 (up from $135). If you like kids, it seems like a good option for nomads (in a city).

Hope this helps.

 

[user 37446]

Must be nice. Subs in my state (NC) get like $90 a day, and other neighboring states (SC) are even less. That's not LT of course but there's not many of those positions available. I was going to do some of that after I retired but decided other work is more "pleasant".

 

[bullfrog]

^^^ I also was considering teaching again. I got my finger print card and background checks done and actually applied a few places even doing an interview but for me an NPS seasonal job doing interpretation talks and tours was much more fun, nothing like a boat ride, short hike, hour question and answer with show and tell, and lunch all in the outdoors in beautiful surroundings, not to mention they furnished clothing and paid more money with cheap health insurance.