Total Number of Days...

[ashley1616]

I'm entering the third month of the school year and wondering...how many supply days have you had so far? I've had about 15 days, would have had a few more but I turned some down due to illness and terrible classes - not worth the hassle for me. It seems that the calls are picking up compared to the first two months of school, which is great!!! Prolly b/c report cards are around the corner.

I'm curious to find out how many supply days you have thus far?!?!

 

[usateach]

prolly..

I've prolly done about 40. I try to work everyday, as this along with a very very "part" time job, is all my income.

 

[kenyann8]

What's a supply day?

 

[ashley1616]

I also have another job until January so I've been working everyday just not supplying everyday. I love my other job working at a garden center and want to get hours in there as well as for supply teaching. I don't know what I'm going to do come the new year if I don't get enough supply teaching days b/c I will really need to money come that time. Because this is my first year supplying things will be a bit slow as teachers will likely call supply teachers from last year to cover their classes. Oh well, only time will tell!

 

[chteacher]

do you mean teaching days?

I get usually 4 days per week, on average.

if you aren't getting enough work, go visit some schools, meet the secretary face to face. You can even do a little marketing of yourself. Print business cards, attach to an info sheet about you, and add some sort of treat, (tape a piece of chocolate onto the large sheet of paper) and ask the secretary if you can put them into the teacher's boxes, most will do it foryou. Don't forget to butter up the secretary. it works.

Then do a super job at every school. Walk in the halls with a big smile, get the kids to know you. I am famous at "my schools" kids scream my name and want to hug me. Believe me, staff notices.

but be strict and nice at the same time. A lot more advice than you wanted, huh??

please tell us what supply days are anyway.

 

[ashley1616]

supply days = substitute teaching days

Sorry to make it so confusing. HAHA!

Thanks for the great tips!! I've considered handing out a business card but haven't built up the confidence to actually go through with it. I feel like it may make me look too desperate. I know I shouldn't think that way. It really sounds like a great way to get my name out and get known in the schools. I really need to get a business card...I will look into it!

 

[linny22]

I've probaby have about a dozen supply days so far. I also work a second job everyday.

 

[newsub07]

I have worked

about 26 days. I try to get 4-5 days a week, but the calls have not been coming in lately....is it the time of the year or me?

 

[Sandteach]

How many day subbing so far...

I have subbed 30 days so far this year. We need "guest
teachers" badly where I live, and I could work every day
at the grade levels/classrooms I like. I am a retired teacher,
and only want to sub about 8 days a month, but I am
requested all the time, weeks in advance. I feel that I
am requested all the time because I am a certified teacher
who is experienced. (We have mostly subs who are
retired engineers, cops, secretaries, paralegals, etc., etc.,
and they never went to school to become a teacher.)
We really need these subs to help us out, like I said, because
we have such a shortage here. So many of them do a great
job in the classroom, but me, being experienced, is probably
why I get contacted first by the teachers.
I feel so bad for all of you who want to land a teaching job,
but can't, because of the overabundance of teachers waiting
to find one. Here, if someone wants a teaching job, they
end up getting one, usually right away.

 

[newsub07]

Sandteach....

where do you live? I heard that the Carolinas, Virginia, and Nevada are hiring steadily. I live in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and there are very few jobs available. One school district that I work for will only hire you if you sub and have had two formal observations. I am certified K-6 and I am planning on taking the Social Studies Praxis soon. Hopefully I will be able to find something next year. I thought about moving but the pay will not be what I could get here in PA.

 

[Super Sub]

I just looked back and counted. Out of 61 days of school I have worked 36 of them. There were some days that I had other things to do and couldn't work and I know I turned down jobs on some of those days. I guess 60% is pretty good for what I consider a part time job. I've also got 4 days of next week booked already!

 

[Sandteach]

NewSub

Newsub, I live in the Greater Phoenix area. I taught for
4 yrs. in the Greater Cleveland area when I first graduated
from college. Then, my husband and I moved out here in
the 70's and I got a job right away. In fact, I bought back
my 4 yrs. of teaching in OH, and I got to retire with 32 yrs.
here, at the age of 53, which I think is somewhat young
to be able to retire at.
I do know that PA has an excellent pension, since a gal who
posts on another board is retired from there with the same
yrs. I had. But, her pension is not that totally great that
I would have wanted to stay there and tolerate the type
of weather year round that both Pittsburgh and Cleveland
has. (To each their own)
Good luck in your job search. I met a nice lady online who
was subbing for 7 yrs. in PA, and couldn't land a job. She
and her hubby moved here last year, and she got a job.
This is her second year teaching full-time. We meet
for lunch about once a year, and she fills me in on stuff.
In fact, I will give her a call today to find out how she and
her family are doing.

 

[MikeRocode]

Sixty-Two percent

I've worked 33 of the first 53 school days this year.

(...That works out to be 62% of the time)

 

[JenniferS]

I am a long term sub!

I worked 5 weeks the first nine weeks and I am working every day this nine weeks. SO I have worked 43 of the first 53 days. I think that is pretty good.
Jennifer

 

[Evergreen]

I'm a building sub, so I've worked every day since the first day of school-including 3 inservice days. I'll take over a classroom after Christmas till the end of the year.

 

[hindypo]

picking up

it was a little slow at the beginning of the year, but i could work every day if i want to now.

ashley--IMHO, there is nothing "desperate" about business cards!

you can order them free from
http://www.vistaprint.com/

you do have to pay for shipping, and there is an ad on the back for vista print, but it is worth it to me anyway.

i ordered ones this year that are a nice stand-out bright lilac.

they also offer free sticky notes--next time i order i am going to get some of those...more reminders of who we are to teachers the better!

teachers get so harried, other things can get lost....they can stick the card in their desk drawer or pin it to their bulletin board. even if i think the teacher has one, i leave another one anyway.

sometimes i get calls or emails from teachers i do not know, requesting me because another teacher gave them my card.

i also tend to carry cards around with me at schools, in case i run into anyone that might want me.

i leave cards with secretaries i like as well, and tell them to feel free to see if i am available if something super last minute comes up, say mid-morning--that way they don't have to go through the district system...

this is a business, just like anything else, and businesspeople carry cards!

 

[Elyssa]

Eight weeks and counting

I was called to come in and handle a longterm position during the second week of school. That was eight weeks ago and I've been in class every day since.

To my knowledge, the job will last at least till the semester break. Whether it goes beyond that is up to the principal. Time is flying! Only six more weeks till Christmas break. I am amazed that I have been keeping up, since there is no "supervising teacher." She retired. I basically have my own classroom.

 

[AMDucky]

11.5 days!

11.5 days total ... I just could not get motivated to do it! But w/ Christmas around the corner ... I'm scheduling work like crazy!

Plus I need to get back into activiely looking for a Teaching job! I'm also going to study, take, a pass another Excet/Texes exam, so I'll have 2 certifications!

 

[Augustus]

busy

I have missed two school days this year, but I am willing to go into rooms that some others don't care to sub in because of difficult students.

 

[i-sub-2]

I have worked 60 of 62 days. In a typical year I work every day except for an occassional day when I am ill or have to take one of my parents to the doctor. This year I have missed one day for the doctor and one day for an illness.

Students are in school 175 days, and I usually work at least 170 of those days. Those are days that I have to take off, not days that they did not need me. Our district has few subs, so we work regularly.

 

[bgalum]

Well...

Well, I just finished student teaching, so I started to sub again yesterday. In the 15 days from yesterday until Christmas break, I will have 8 full days, one day I need off because of personal reasons (basically by choice), and I have four days I have not been offered a job. However, those four days are the last four before Christmas, and I'm sure I'll get offered jobs those days. Even if they are half-days, that would mean I worked ten full days out of 14 days.

I guess it pays to sub for more than one district! The ones I sub for are in a co-op, so I get called by a computer, and sometimes sub for a different district for each day of the week.