SubGuide – Recruiting Substitute Teachers

Recruiting a staff of qualified substitute teachers can become a daunting task at times. If attention toward recruitment practices and strategies is weak, then the number and quality of the individuals required will miss the mark. Making sure a school district has a sufficient number of available and trained substitute teachers will ensure that schools are fully staffed.
Avoid the pitfall that assumes raising pay will solve a shortage of substitute teachers. Studies have shown that administrators see pay as the number one incentive that draws substitutes to an area, but that substitutes view pay rates as second to both training and recognition for their work (Sorenson, 2001). For more information on how training can be used as an effective recruitment and retention tool, see the Training section of this SubGuide. The following articles address recruitment concerns and issues:

Burke, R. M. (2000). Substitutes as graduate interns: Everyone becomes a winner. SubJournal, 1(1), 57-62.

Byers, K. D. (2003). SubWays: Ways to track, train, and retain quality substitute teachers. SubJournal, 4(1), 42-53.

Cardon, P. W. (2001). Recruiting and retaining substitute teachers. SubJournal, 2(1), 37-44.

Cumo, C. (2002). Socrates, Jesus and Gandhi: Toward reform in substitute teaching. SubJournal, 3(1), 37-44.

Ferguson, A. (2001). Recruiting strategies for substitute teachers. SubJournal, 2(1), 62-71.

Smith, G. G. (2001). A time of opportunity with increased numbers of substitute teachers. SubJournal, 2(2), 21-26.

Sorenson, B. L. (2001). Money has not solved the problem – Personalizing policies to attain and retain substitute teachers. SubJournal, 2(1), 31-36.

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