Questions to Ask in a Substitute Teacher Interview
These are questions to ask during an interview for substitute teaching, whether the employer is a school district, a single school or a staffing agency. They follow the job in order: how assignments reach you, what you find in the classroom, who backs you up on behavior, pay, what has to be in place before a first day, and where subbing can lead. Choose one or two from each group, starting with whichever would decide if on-call work fits your week.
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The questions
Each question, and why to ask it
Assignments
How are assignments offered to substitutes: an app, a phone call, or a list I check myself?
Why ask it
Each system rewards a different habit. An online board tends to go to whoever taps first, while a caller working down a list rewards the sub who picks up at six in the morning. If they can show you the booking screen, ask to see it.
How much notice do substitutes usually get before a job?
Why ask it
Sub jobs come in two kinds: absences booked weeks ahead and calls on the morning itself. Ask roughly how the work splits between them, because a week built around a second job or child care only works with the first kind.
Which schools and grade levels would I be eligible to work in?
Why ask it
A district pool can stretch from kindergarten to twelfth grade across buildings a long drive apart. If you only want elementary, or only schools near home, say so now and ask whether a narrower list means fewer offers.
How many days a week can a new substitute realistically expect to work?
Why ask it
The honest figure is the one for a newcomer's first two months, not for the busiest sub in the pool. Demand also rises and falls across the school year, and there may be nothing at all over the summer, so find out which months are slow before you count on a steady income.
Can I turn down an assignment, and does declining affect what I am offered later?
Why ask it
Listen for whether refusals are counted. If they are, blocking out the days you cannot work ahead of time is the fix, so have them show you where that is done in the booking system.
Is there a minimum number of days I have to work to stay on the active list?
Why ask it
Some pools remove people who go a stretch without accepting anything. If there is a minimum, the two details that matter are what counts toward it and whether a warning comes before your name is taken off.
Can I be on the substitute list for other districts or agencies at the same time?
Why ask it
Signing up with two or three employers is a common way to fill a week, and it is better raised now than discovered later. The practical follow-up is what happens when both want you for the same morning, and whether a no on those days counts against you here.
Can a school or a teacher request me by name once they know me?
Why ask it
Where requests exist, they are how substitutes end up with regular work in a building they like. Ask how a teacher makes one, so you know what to mention in the note you leave after a good day.
Could I be moved to a different class or building after I arrive?
Why ask it
On a morning with several teachers out, the office reshuffles, and the English class you accepted can turn into a day in the gym. That is manageable when you expect it, so the useful details are how often it happens and whether you may say no to a room you are not prepared for.
Do you also place substitutes in other roles, such as classroom aide or covering the front office?
Why ask it
Saying yes to aide or office days can fill a thin week, but those days may pay on another scale and ask different things of you. Get the list of roles and the rate for each before you check every box.
In the classroom
What should be waiting for me when I walk into the classroom?
Why ask it
The hoped-for list is lesson plans, a roster, a seating chart, the bell schedule and a name to call. Ask which of those the school requires of its teachers and which are left to each one, since that tells you how often you would find a bare desk.
What do you want me to do when a teacher has left no lesson plans?
Why ask it
It will happen, most often when someone woke up ill. Good answers point to an emergency folder, a department head or the teacher next door. If you hear 'use your judgment', ask what a good day looks like to them in that case, and plan to carry a few backup activities for each age group.
Who is my contact in the building on the day, and how do I reach that person from the classroom?
Why ask it
You are after a role and a method: the secretary on a known extension, a neighboring teacher, a radio. A substitute who has to leave students alone to go and find help has no real backup, so ask what the classroom phone or call button connects to.
What time should I arrive, and where do I check in?
Why ask it
The paid day and the useful arrival time are often different. Twenty minutes to read the plans and find the staff bathroom changes the whole morning. Whether that early time is expected, and whether it is on the clock, are two separate answers.
How do I get keys, a staff badge and a login for the computer and the attendance system?
Why ask it
Attendance that has to be taken on a screen you cannot open is a familiar first-hour snag. Substitutes may get their own account, a shared guest login or a paper roster to send to the office, so find out which, and who fixes it at eight in the morning when it fails.
How will I know about students with allergies, medical needs or learning accommodations?
Why ask it
This information is private, and schools differ on how much a one-day substitute is shown. What matters is that something reaches you: a flagged roster, a page in the sub folder, a word from the nurse. Ask what the routine is there and who to call if a student says they need something you were not told about.
What are the emergency procedures, and will I be shown them before my first day?
Why ask it
Fire drill routes and lockdown steps differ from building to building, and the substitute is the adult least likely to know them. Two things to pin down: where the instructions are kept in each room, and whether you would have a way to lock the classroom door.
Am I expected to teach new material, or mainly to supervise work the teacher has left?
Why ask it
The answer often shifts with the grade and the length of the absence: a review packet for one day with older students, real teaching with younger ones or by day four. It also shows how the employer thinks of its substitutes, which colors everything else you hear.
What happens during the absent teacher's planning period, lunch duty or bus duty?
Why ask it
In some buildings the free period goes to covering another class, and the teacher's lunch or bus duty passes to you. Neither is unreasonable. Knowing ahead keeps you from counting on that hour to read the afternoon's lessons.
Are there classes you would only give to a substitute with specific experience, such as special education, labs or PE?
Why ask it
Rooms with equipment, or with students who need specialized support, ask more of a substitute than a general classroom does. Find out whether you can opt in or out of those assignments and whether an aide or a simplified plan comes with them.
Will there be another adult in any of the rooms I cover, such as an aide or a co-teacher?
Why ask it
An aide who knows the students is about the best resource a substitute can have, but only if it is clear which of you leads the lesson. Ask whether aides are told a sub is coming and what they usually take charge of.
What do teachers want to find when they come back: a note, collected work, anything graded?
Why ask it
A short written account of what got done, who was absent and who was helpful is a common minimum, and it doubles as your calling card for being asked back. Some schools have a form for it. Check too whether you should grade anything or leave every paper for the teacher.
Behavior
What is the school's behavior system, and which parts of it can a substitute use?
Why ask it
Points, referrals, detentions and calls home may be open to regular teachers only. Get the exact list of what is yours to use, because a class works out quickly whether the substitute has anything behind the words.
If a student refuses to follow directions or keeps disrupting the class, what do you want me to do first?
Why ask it
Have them walk through the steps in order. A clear sequence, such as a warning, a change of seat, then a call to the office, means someone has thought about substitutes. Vague encouragement to deal with it in the room means you would be dealing with it alone.
If I call the office about a class that is out of hand, who actually comes?
Why ask it
An administrator at the door within a few minutes is one kind of building, and a message that will be passed along is another. Ask about the last time a substitute called and what happened next.
Can I send a student out of the room, and where would they go?
Why ask it
Some schools have a supervised room or a partner teacher next door, and others want no student in the hallway for any reason. Settle this before your first morning: sending a student to a place that does not exist makes the problem bigger.
What is the rule on student phones and laptops, and am I expected to enforce it?
Why ask it
Students tend to test the phone rule first when a substitute walks in. You need the rule itself, whether the building holds to it, and what you personally may do, since taking a device from a student may be reserved for regular staff.
How do I report an incident, and who follows up with the student afterward?
Why ask it
When nothing follows a write-up, students learn that a sub day carries no consequences, and the next substitute pays for it. The answer you want names who closes the loop, the regular teacher or an administrator, and says whether you would hear the outcome.
If a student or parent complains about something that happened in my class, how is that handled?
Why ask it
A substitute is easy to drop quietly, since a school can simply stop asking for you. Ask whether you would be told about a complaint and get to give your account before a building takes you off its list.
Pay
What is the daily rate, and does it differ for certified teachers or by degree?
Why ask it
Where pay is tiered, say what you hold, whether a license, a degree or college credits, so they can tell you which line you would be on. Get the figure in writing, or the published schedule, before you compare it with the district next door.
How are half days and partial assignments paid?
Why ask it
A half day can mean half the daily rate or an hourly figure, and the cutoff matters when a job runs from eight until 12:30. The number to leave with is how many hours count as a full day.
Is there a higher rate for long-term assignments, and on which day does it start?
Why ask it
Where a long-term rate exists, it may begin only after a set number of consecutive days in the same room. Ask whether it reaches back to day one, and whether a single day off resets the count.
Am I paid if an assignment is canceled after I have accepted it, or after I have arrived?
Why ask it
A teacher who feels better overnight can cancel at dawn, after you have passed up other work for that day. Policies run from nothing, to a couple of hours of pay, to a place in another room, so ask how late a cancellation can come and which of those applies once you are already in the building.
How often are substitutes paid, and how long after a job does the money arrive?
Why ask it
A monthly payroll with a cutoff date can put weeks between your first day and your first check. Ask for the cutoff, and whether you confirm your own days or the school does, so a missing day gets caught before payday.
Do substitutes qualify for any benefits, such as sick leave, health coverage or a retirement plan?
Why ask it
Eligibility depends on the employer, the hours you work and local rules, so a fair answer may be 'it depends' and a referral to human resources. Take the referral. With an agency, the agency is the employer, so put this one to the recruiter and not to the school.
Are orientation and required training paid, and who covers fingerprinting and permit fees?
Why ask it
Start-up costs can swallow the first day or two of earnings. A full list with prices lets you budget for them, and it is fair to ask whether any of it is reimbursed once you have worked a set number of days.
Are there bonuses or higher rates for hard-to-fill schools or days?
Why ask it
Some employers add money for Mondays, Fridays, particular buildings or a set number of days in a month. If this one does, the incentive list is also a plain map of where it struggles to find coverage, which is worth knowing before you choose your schools.
Before you start
Which permit or license does a substitute need here, and what else has to clear before my first job?
Why ask it
Depending on where you are, the list may include fingerprints, transcripts or a health screening. The rules come from the state or country and the employer can add its own, so do not go by what a friend needed somewhere else. Get the checklist in writing and find out which item is slowest to clear.
What does orientation cover, and is there any training in classroom management?
Why ask it
A session on the booking system and payroll is not preparation for thirty seventh graders. If the training stops at paperwork, ask whether you could shadow a teacher or an experienced substitute for a morning before you go in alone.
Could I visit one or two of the schools before my first job?
Why ask it
Knowing where to park, which door is unlocked and where the office sits takes the worst nerves out of a first morning. The visit also gives the front office a face to put with your name, and that office often has a say in who gets called.
Is there a dress code for substitutes, and does it change for PE or a lab?
Why ask it
Buildings differ on jeans, sneakers and visible tattoos, and the office's first impression of you is formed before you have taught anything. If you could be sent to a gym or an art room, keep flat shoes and a layer you do not mind ruining in the car.
If I wake up sick or am running late on a day I have accepted, who do I call?
Why ask it
A substitute who drops out leaves the office almost no time to find another, so how you cancel matters as much as how seldom. Get the number to call and the latest acceptable hour, and find out whether a late cancellation goes on your record.
Where it leads
Do long-term assignments come up, and how are substitutes chosen for them?
Why ask it
A long leave or an unfilled vacancy can mean weeks or months in one room, with planning and grading attached. Those jobs may call for a particular license, and schools may pick from the subs they already know, so find out which applies before you set your heart on one.
Is there a limit on how many days I can work, in one classroom or over the school year?
Why ask it
Some permits and some employers cap the days a substitute can spend in a single assignment or in a year, and the cap can differ with the license you hold. It is set locally, so ask what applies to you and what happens to a long-term job when you reach it.
Have substitutes here been hired into permanent teaching or support positions?
Why ask it
A general yes is easy to give, so ask for an example from the last year or two. If you are working toward a license, the detail to get is whether principals look at the sub pool when a position opens or whether you would apply like any outside candidate.
If I am placed through an agency, can a school hire me directly, and are there conditions on that?
Why ask it
Skip this when the district employs its substitutes itself. With a staffing agency, the agreement between the agency and the schools may set terms for a direct hire, so ask how it works there and read your own paperwork before you sign.
Do days worked as a substitute count toward anything later, such as licensure hours, seniority or salary placement?
Why ask it
This turns on the state, the preparation program and the contract, and the interviewer may not know offhand. Ask who would know, and keep your own log of dates, schools and grades whatever the answer is.
How will I find out how my days went?
Why ask it
Substitutes often hear nothing unless something went wrong. Where teachers or schools can rate a sub, ask to see your own ratings. Where they cannot, ask who would give you a straight read after your first few jobs.
What makes a school ask not to have a substitute back?
Why ask it
Asked calmly, this brings out the unwritten rules: arriving late, leaving no note, being on a phone, ignoring the plans. Whatever they name first is likely the mistake they see most.
What do the substitutes that teachers ask for by name have in common?
Why ask it
The answer is a free checklist from the people who assign the work, and asking shows you mean to be good at the job. Write it down as they say it and do those things from your first week.
What happens after today, and how soon could I be in a classroom?
Why ask it
Between the interview and a first job there may be a background check, an approval step, an orientation date and an account to set up. Ask which of those you can start this week, since clearances are often the slow part.
Getting real answers in a substitute teacher interview
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Work out who is interviewing you
A district human resources office
Someone from human resources or a substitute coordinator knows the booking system, the pay schedule, the paperwork and the rules for staying on the list. They may know little about what a given classroom is like at 8 a.m. Put the Assignments, Pay and Before you start groups to them, and keep the classroom questions for a principal or for orientation.
A principal or a school office
When one building is hiring its own substitutes, the person across the desk can tell you what is left on the teacher's desk, who answers the phone when you call for help and how the students treat a new face. The In the classroom and Behavior groups belong in this conversation. Pay may be set elsewhere, so ask who to speak to about it.
A staffing agency
An agency recruiter is your employer and the schools are the client, which changes several answers: who pays you, who handles a complaint, who decides you are not sent back to a building. Ask each of those plainly, along with which districts the agency serves and how far apart the schools are.
A group session or hiring event
Substitute hiring is sometimes done in batches, with a short screening and a presentation for a room of applicants. There may be time for one question each. Choose the one whose answer would change your decision, and write the others down for the coordinator's email address, which is worth asking for before you leave.
Picking your questions
Start from your own constraint
A parent who needs to be home by three, a student teacher who wants time in middle school classrooms and a retiree after two days a week should not ask the same five questions. Decide what would make this job unworkable for you, whether that is too few days, too little notice or too long a drive, and ask about that first.
Bring four or five, in order
These interviews are often short. A workable set is one question on how jobs reach you, one on what is in the room, one on backup, one on pay and one on what happens after today. Rank them, because the interviewer may close the conversation after two.
Look up what is published
Many public employers post the substitute pay rate, the application requirements and a substitute handbook online. Read them the night before, then ask about what they leave out: 'The handbook gives the daily rate. How does the long-term rate work?' That lands better than asking for a number printed on the job posting.
Ask about pay without apology
Day-rate work is a practical arrangement on both sides, and people who hire for substitute pools are used to questions about rates, cancellations and paydays. Ask them after the questions about the work itself, in an even tone, and write the answers down.
Weighing what you hear
Routines count for more than reassurance
'Our teachers always leave great plans' is a hope. 'Every teacher keeps an emergency folder in the top drawer and the office checks them in September' is a routine. For plans, backup and emergencies alike, keep asking until you hear who does what and where it is kept.
Notice how they speak about substitutes
An interviewer who calls subs guest teachers, mentions them by name or describes how a new one is introduced to the staff is describing a place where you would be treated as a colleague. An interviewer whose answers are all about filling slots is describing something else. Neither rules the job out, but it sets your expectations for the first week.
'I am not sure' can be a fine answer
A coordinator who does not know how a complaint is handled in one particular building, and says so, is more useful than one who guesses. Ask who would know and note the name. A whole interview of 'it varies' on pay and notice, however, means you would be finding out the terms as you go.
Compare employers on the same points
Many people sign up with more than one district or agency. Ask each of them the same handful of questions, on notice, rate, cancellations, long-term pay and backup, and put the answers side by side. The daily rate alone rarely settles it once driving time and the number of days on offer are counted.
Between the interview and your first assignment
Start the slow paperwork at once
Fingerprints, transcripts and permits each move at their own speed, and one late document can hold up the rest. Ask in the interview which can be started that day, and keep copies of everything you hand in.
Set up the booking system properly
Once you have a login, enter the schools and grades you will take, the days you cannot work and the hours you want to be contacted. An account left on its defaults can ring at five in the morning for a building an hour away.
Pack a bag from what you were told
The answers about missing plans, logins, dress and arrival times turn into a packing list: a few activities that suit any subject for each age group you agreed to cover, pens, a notebook for the end-of-day note, flat shoes, a water bottle and lunch that needs no microwave. Add the office number of each school to your phone.
Keep your own record
From the first job, log the date, school, teacher, grade and hours. It lets you check each paycheck, shows which buildings you would go back to, and gives you dates and names to hand over if you later apply for a permanent position or need to document classroom experience.