Step Into Substitute Teaching

Classroom substitute teachers come from all walks of life and can positively impact students' lives. Substitute teaching pay ranges from $100 to $200 a day across the state. Earn money, influence lives and make a difference in your community!

We're looking for accomplished professionals, career changers and college seniors or graduates, who want to become substitute teachers.

Get started!

1. Submit your fingerprints.

2. Submit your application.

3. Visit the school districts webpage to identify and contact the districts in which you want to serve.

Questions?

Contact Educator Licensing or schedule a 1-on-1 coaching call with TEACH Colorado.

Ever wonder what a great substitute looks like? They look just like you! When a full-time teacher is unable to be in their classroom, an effective substitute must step in. When substitute teachers are prepared with a passion for sharing knowledge as well as many other essential characteristics, they are destined for success!

Here are our top characteristics of a great substitute teacher:

Substitute teachers who have a passion for working with students often inspire them. By showing love for what they do, a sub gets students more involved in learning and spark an interest for topics you are teaching.
Displaying enthusiasm for learning helps students become more driven towards learning. By piquing a student’s interest, effective substitute teachers can help get students involved in learning outside of the classroom. The buzz a substitute creates around their own interest for learning can help ignite a connection between academics and "real-life."
While being organized is a great skill to have in all professions, familiarizing yourself with the lesson plan ahead of time is especially important in substitute teaching.
Showing a genuine care for students establishes a supportive and optimistic classroom environment. Students often learn from the teacher’s actions so teachers should exemplify positive behavior for students to emulate. Getting to know needs, interests and talents of individual students helps them feel as though the educational relationship is a partnered learning experience.
There are many roles a substitute teacher must step into, but the role of classroom manager is one of the most important and difficult. Without effective classroom management, sufficient teaching and learning cannot take place. A substitute teacher must effectively manage time and clearly outline academic and behavioral expectations so that students are prepared to succeed.

While each of these characteristics are necessary for effective substitute teaching, they are not always second nature. Just as each teacher and teaching style is unique, so is each school and classroom. To prepare accordingly, we aim to provide substitutes with tools for success.

Resources

Need a bit of help starting your new substitute job? We have resources! Several these resources will help you can insight into the classroom.

Free advising call

TEACH Colorado offers free advising calls with TEACH Colorado coaches to help answer questions and share more insight about life in the classroom. Schedule a 1-on-1 call with a TEACH Colorado coach today.

Sign up for Substitute Boot Camp

You can make a difference in the lives of children by serving as a substitute teacher! The Substitute Boot Camp is a FREE virtual course that will prepare you to be successful throughout your substitute career, from day one on the job. This course is an excellent resource for current and future substitutes who will learn about their roles and responsibilities, including:

Understanding and executing academic lesson plans
Preparing lesson plans when lesson plans aren't available
Building student relationships and developing classroom management skills
Following school procedures and responding to emergencies

Visit the Be A Substitute/Guest Teacher webpage for more information, including Boot Camp registration details.

For questions, please contact Educator Recruitment at educator_recruitment@cde.state.co.us.

Colorado Substitute Stipend

You can qualify for a $300 stipend in three easy steps! Visit the Be a Substitute/Guest Teacher webpage for eligibility requirements and details.

Online training

"Welcome to Substitute Teaching," is a free course that will set you up for a successful start to your substitute teaching journey. The curriculum is based on the Substitute Teacher Competency Framework. Visit SubSchool.org to get started.

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