Substitute Employment Opportunities

Getting Hired as a Substitute

The easiest way to get hired as a substitute is to inquire with the school where you want to work. Some substitutes take jobs at more than one district or county, but keep in mind that unless you are employed by a substitute contracting company or substitute consortium that serves multiple districts or counties, you will have to complete the onboarding requirements for each employer, including fingerprinting. ^[1] Many employers hire substitutes year-round and can assist you with the process of applying for the appropriate permit.

Where to Look

The links below are provided solely for informational purposes and are in no way an endorsement by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing or the State of California. If you are a Local Education Agency or other entity that would like your information added to this page, please reach out using the Contact the Commission form.

EDJOIN, an education job site used by many schools for hiring.

The substitute webpages of districts or county offices of education. You can find a link to each county office of education’s website on the California County Superintendents regional map.

Substitute Consortiums. Some counties allow those who obtain fingerprint clearance through their consortium to substitute in any district or charter school within their county.

• Monterey County Fingerprint Clearinghouse Substitute Consortium
• NorCal Substitute Teacher Consortium (Colusa county, Sutter county, Yuba county)
• North County Coastal Substitute Consortium (San Diego county)
• Placer County Office of Education Substitute Consortium
• Tehama County Department of Education Substitute Consortium
• Tuolumne County Substitute Consortium

Substitute contracting companies like Swing Education partner with districts to outsource recruitment and hiring for a fee. Hired substitutes have a lot of flexibility to decide which schools they want to work for and how often.

[1] Fingerprinting is required by the Commission for the issuance of your first substitute permit and is also required for employment with a school or district. Livescan fingerprints are not transferable between agencies, so you will have to do multiple sets of fingerprints: one for the Commission, and one for each employer you will be substituting for. Please note that it may be necessary to re-fingerprint if your permit lapses for more than 18 months and/or you have a break in service with your employer.

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