What is one career that is often overlooked but that could be the perfect one for you and many others? The answer is being a substitute teacher. A substitute teacher is someone who fills in for teachers who are going to be aware of their jobs for anything from a couple of days to months, and it could be at any of a number of schools you are registered with. Substitute teaching is flexible, fun, and interesting, and if you’re looking for a career you can enjoy on a part-time basis and still find rewarding, substitute teaching could be the one for you. Read on to find out why this is such a great career and what you can do to make it even better.
You Will Ensure Continuous Education Is Achieved
In any school district, there will be a number of different schools. Within these schools, there will be a wide range of teachers. Each one of those teachers is integral to the system, ensuring the children within that district and community receive an excellent education. So if one of those teachers were to be unwell for a long period of time (or even just a day or two), if they were to have an accident that meant they couldn’t come into school, if there was a personal reason why they needed some unexpected time away, or if there was a conference or training they needed to attend, what would happen? Who would teach the children?
Of course, the answer is that a substitute teacher would be called. As a substitute teacher, you can make sure that the children’s education is not disrupted, even if their regular teacher is unable to be there. Even if you’re only with the children for a day, that’s still important; routine and education are crucial, and when there is no break in proceedings, the children will be much more settled.
You Can Have A Flexible Schedule
Although substitute teachers usually don’t work every single day because they are only required when a regular teacher is unable to come to work for some reason, this is a good thing for many people; it’s often why they choose to be substitute teachers rather than full-time ones.
When you are a substitute teacher, you have a very flexible working schedule. You can choose which days you work, you can choose which schools you want to be on the call sheet for, and you can say you’re unavailable if you are approached for work that doesn’t fit in with your life. This is ideal if your schedule is unpredictable due to a second job or because you have personal responsibilities to think of, such as children or elderly relatives to take care of.
When you are able to organize your own schedule and work at times and places you are happy with, you will be much more engaged with your work. This will help you be a better teacher than the children in your classes enjoy having, making their lives and the lives of the teachers you’re subbing for much easier.
You Will Gain Valuable Teaching Experience
In order to be an excellent teacher, you’ll need plenty of experience. This can sometimes be hard to come by; if you work full-time with one class or teach one subject, it will take many years to obtain the experience you need to boost your career further. This is not the case when you’re a substitute teacher.
When you’re subbing for other teachers, you’ll be teaching a variety of different age groups and topics (although don’t worry; when you sign up to be a substitute teacher, you will have the opportunity to list the areas you are confident in and which would be best left for someone else). This means you’ll gain a lot of experience quickly, much more quickly than with any other type of teaching, and once you have that, you can progress in your career as you see fit – again when it comes to substitute teaching, the choice will always be yours as it is so flexible.
You Can Take The Next Step
For some, substitute teaching isn’t their final career; it’s a step that will help them decide what they want to do next. When you are a substitute teacher, you will need to have teaching qualifications, so this step will always have been taken. However, if you’re unsure whether teaching is for you, substitute teaching can help you decide. You’ll realize whether or not you actually enjoy teaching, and you’ll do it in a much freer, more flexible way that will allow you to really consider the pros and cons of the job.
Not only that, but you can also determine whether you want to go back into education and gain additional qualifications. You could opt for an online masters degree in education because you can see where you want to go, thanks to the flexibility of substitute teaching. You can also work out if there is a specific age group that appeals more or whether you need to specialize in a certain subject. Rather than making a decision without any experience or evidence, you help you know it’s the right one; if you are a substitute teacher who then wants to turn your career into a full-time teaching post, you’ll already know what you’re best at and what additional qualifications – if any – you require to get the job you want.
Every Day Is Different
Every time you’re given a new assignment as a substitute teacher, you’ll be experiencing something new. You’ll work in a variety of different schools with different classes teaching different lessons, and because you’re subbing for a variety of teachers, you’ll have lots of teaching plans to follow (most of the time, a substitute teaching won’t need to create their own lesson plans as the teacher they are subbing for will have done it in advance, although it may be required in emergency situations).
Although you will always be able to use your own style to teach, everything else will be different, and you’ll have new and exciting things to do every day. If you hate the idea of routine and every workday being exactly the same as the one before, being a substitute teacher will mean this no longer has to be something you worry about – you’ll be able to enjoy the difference every day can bring.
