| You may be desperately seeking a full time teaching | | | | And now some of the disadvantages: |
| position and will do whatever it takes to get your | | | | 1. Short notice for jobs. It's sometimes hard to plan |
| foot in the door. Or you may want to fill in time | | | | your life when you don't know if you will work that |
| between jobs in your own career. Substitute teaching | | | | day until the phone rings early in the morning. Being |
| can help with both of those situations. But there are | | | | flexible is the key. And remember, you don't have to |
| things you should consider if you are thinking about | | | | take the job. If you use the job for extra income, |
| being a substitute teacher. Don't worry; one thing | | | | you can easily turn down an inconvenient call. |
| about being a substitute teacher is that you are not | | | | 2. The phone's not ringing. So maybe you want the |
| committed to show up unless you agree to an | | | | phone to ring and it's not. This can be a problem for |
| assignment. | | | | many, especially at first. If you want to work a lot as |
| Here are some of the advantages of being a | | | | a sub, try to make the most of every job you get. |
| substitute teacher: | | | | Make sure the classes are well managed. Maybe the |
| 1. You get teaching experience. If you recently | | | | regular teacher will ask for you the next time if her |
| earned your teaching certificate you may have a | | | | class made progress while she was gone. |
| hard time finding a permanent position. Being a | | | | 3. You'll be asked if you are a real teacher. Now, this |
| substitute will give you valuable classroom experience. | | | | may not bother some people, but those of you who |
| 2. It is generally a flexible schedule. If your job | | | | are looking for a full time position may feel a little |
| doesn't have a fixed schedule and you can quickly | | | | insulted by the question. Be warned, it can come |
| move your commitments around, being a sub is a | | | | from the students and the faculty. Just smile and |
| great way to fill in some time and money gaps. | | | | nod. They don't really mean to insult you. |
| 3. You can begin to network. When you sub at | | | | A substitute teaching job is not for everyone. Even |
| several different schools you will meet a lot of | | | | for those that desire a career as a teacher. But |
| different people. Establish relationships with as many | | | | many people find the experience fulfilling and are |
| people as you can. That goes for the faculty and the | | | | happy they have the opportunity to teach, in |
| staff. | | | | whatever capacity they can. |