Substitute Teachers, Short-Term
What Substitute Teachers, Short-Term Do
Teach students on a short-term basis as a temporary replacement for a regular classroom teacher, typically using the regular teacher's lesson plan.
See full salary breakdown & percentiles →
Career Outlook
National employment outlook, 2024–2034.
- Related work experience
- None
- On-the-job training
- None
- Self-employed
- 5%
Source: BLS Employment Projections — 2024-2034.
How Much Preparation Does This Take?
Job Zone 4 of 5Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
- Experience
- A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations.
- Education
- Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
- Job training
- Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Source: O*NET Job Zones.
Key Knowledge Areas
Subject-matter areas this occupation draws on most, per O*NET.
- English Languageimportance 4.1/5
- Education and Trainingimportance 3.3/5
- Public Safety and Securityimportance 3.2/5
- Customer and Personal Serviceimportance 3.0/5
- Computers and Electronicsimportance 2.9/5
- Mathematicsimportance 2.8/5
- Psychologyimportance 2.8/5
- Communications and Mediaimportance 2.5/5
Work Environment
What the day-to-day work setting is like, per O*NET.
- Contact With Others4.6/5
- Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities4.3/5
- Freedom to Make Decisions4.3/5
- Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team4.2/5
- Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams4.1/5
- E-Mail3.8/5
Careers With Similar Skills
Occupations whose Transferable Skills profile most closely matches this one — a mathematical comparison, not observed data about people actually moving between these careers.
- Human Resources Assistants, Except Payroll and Timekeeping98% skill match
- Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors98% skill match
- Customer Service Representatives98% skill match
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language Instructors98% skill match
- Special Education Teachers, Middle School98% skill match
- School Psychologists98% skill match
- Tutors98% skill match
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education98% skill match
Transferable Skills
Cross-functional skills this occupation draws on most, per O*NET — the kind that carry over to other careers.
- Social Perceptivenessimportance 3.5/5
- Instructingimportance 3.4/5
- Time Managementimportance 3.1/5
- Service Orientationimportance 3.0/5
- Coordinationimportance 2.9/5
- Persuasionimportance 2.9/5
- Complex Problem Solvingimportance 2.9/5
- Judgment and Decision Makingimportance 2.8/5
Software & Technologies
Tools and software used in this occupation, per O*NET.
Hot Technologies
Other Software Used
- Common Curriculum
- EasyCBM
- Edmodo
- Flipgrid
- Google Classroom
- Google Meet
- Instructure Canvas
- Moodle
Work Style
Personal work characteristics that matter most for this occupation, per O*NET.
- Dependability
- Cooperation
- Social Orientation
- Empathy
- Optimism
- Adaptability
- Self-Control
Career Interests
This occupation’s RIASEC interest profile, per O*NET — how strongly it fits each of the six Holland interest types.
- SocialHigh
- ConventionalMedium
- ArtisticMedium
- InvestigativeLow
- EnterprisingLow
- RealisticLow
Specific Interests
A more detailed breakdown of this occupation’s interest profile, per O*NET.
This page includes information from the O*NET 30.3 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
Where This Career Is Most Concentrated
Metro areas where substitute teachers, short-term make up the largest share of local employment, relative to the national average (BLS location quotient).
- 1Merced, CA5.42× national avg
- 2Fresno, CA5.39× national avg
- 3Bakersfield-Delano, CA4.73× national avg
- 4Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL4.06× national avg
- 5Parkersburg-Vienna, WV3.76× national avg
Possible Career Moves
A computed starting point, not observed job-change data — see the full list for why each one might fit.
- Elementary School Teachers, Except Special EducationLateral Move
- Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special EducationLateral Move
- Special Education Teachers, Secondary SchoolLateral Move
- Adult Basic Education, Adult Secondary Education, and English as a Second Language InstructorsLateral Move
See the full career path from Substitute Teachers, Short-Term →