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.

Sign up for Substitute Bootcamp

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

Substitute Boot Camps are facilitated in the online course system Moodle. Once you register using the form below, you will receive an email within 5 business days on how to finish setting up your account and how to access your course. After that, you can complete the course at any time. It should take about two hours to complete.

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

Get Started as a Substitute

1. Submit your fingerprints.
2. Submit an application for a substitute authorization.
3. Visit the school districts webpage to identify and contact the districts in which you want to serve.

Questions?

Profile of a Guest Teacher

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 gain insight into the classroom.

Substitute Authorization

Additional Training through SubSchool

"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.

YouTube Videos

• Best Substitute Teacher Tips - Early EDVentures
• BEST Substitute Teacher Tips and Advice
• What's in My Substitute Teacher Bag
• 10 Substitute Teacher Tips

Articles

• How to be a Successful Substitute Teacher (Thought.Co)
• 50 Tips, Tricks and Ideas for Substitute Teachers (WeAreTeachers)
• 3 Tips for Substitute Teachers on How to Earn Respect (Western Governors University)

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.