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1. Is it difficult to become a teacher if you have a 4 year degree, but not in education (in terms of getting certifications)?
2. Why are some people substitute teachers for years without becoming a regular teacher? Can you live/pay bills on $90 a day, especially if you get sick? I have heard these jobs don't offer health insurance. What is a certified substitute?
3. Do the assistants that help out special needs classes get paid decently? Do they need a teacher's certificate in special education to become one? What are they considered?
1. Is it difficult to become a teacher if you have a 4 year degree, but not in education (in terms of getting certifications)?
There are multiple routes that can be taken which last anywhere from 18 months to 2 years, to include traditional MAT programs at major universities, online MAT programs, alt-cert programs, and the ever dreaded Teach for America.
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Originally Posted by Teachers2
2. Why are some people substitute teachers for years without becoming a regular teacher? Can you live/pay bills on $90 a day, especially if you get sick? I have heard these jobs don't offer health insurance. What is a certified substitute?
Some just don't want to work full time but for most newly certified it's because they haven't found a job yet. If you actually want a job and go for years without getting one it's time for a little self assessment because subbing generally helps with getting jobs.
The $90/day depends on where you live, but generally no, you can't support yourself on substitute pay. Not only is hourly rate not that great but you only work (get paid) when students are at school so you only have the opportunity to work between 160-190 days per year depending on the state. I have never met a sub that worked every single day either, although some do come close. There are no paid sick days and no vacation pay. Subbing generally does not include benefits.
The definition of what is a certified sub depends on the state. It could be a sub who has a teacher certification or it could be every sub in the state.
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Originally Posted by Teachers2
3. Do the assistants that help out special needs classes get paid decently? Do they need a teacher's certificate in special education to become one? What are they considered?
No, teacher's aides are generally not paid well at all. They are almost always hourly and generally only work when the students are there. In many places they barely make above minimum wage. In my current district, which pays very well, beginning special ed aides make about $16/hr, work 7.5 hr days, and work 190 days a year ($22,800/yr) but in my former district they made $8.25/hr, 6.5 hr days, and worked 178 days a year ($9,545/yr). Unless you need the lighter work schedule or are using it to help get hired as a full time teacher you are better off financially working elsewhere.
No, they do not have to be certified teachers, although some are.
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I live in oregon which has a strong teacher union. Subs earn $180 a day and have health insurance. In Arizona where I lived there was no union. Subs earn $75 a day and no insurance.
Here in Canada, I work as an assistant in special needs and our range is $18-$31/hour ($18 being on-call, $31 being after seven years and a certificate).
Teachers get $65-$95k (insurance irrelevant) but mind you, our standards nationally are higher. No five-year 100% complete BEd, no job as a teacher, not even as a substitute. We don't do exams, alternative certs, etc. I know a few American girls up here that managed to immigrate (Canadian husbands) and they are quite happy as teachers. They are from NY and VT.
1. Is it difficult to become a teacher if you have a 4 year degree, but not in education (in terms of getting certifications)?
2. Why are some people substitute teachers for years without becoming a regular teacher? Can you live/pay bills on $90 a day, especially if you get sick? I have heard these jobs don't offer health insurance. What is a certified substitute?
3. Do the assistants that help out special needs classes get paid decently? Do they need a teacher's certificate in special education to become one? What are they considered?
The answer to each question is probably different in every state, but as for #2 in my area - People sub in PA because we produce thousands more graduates every year than there are jobs. It's not by choice that people sub instead of hold down class room jobs, for the most part.
I am a retired software engineer.
I went through the alt cert program to get my teaching certificate in Math 4-8.
I did student teaching rather than a paid internship to qualify for my cert.
I then did sub/extended sub work on purpose because I needed that classroom practice.
My teacher in our teaching program recommended this route to us. He said it would help ease us into teaching.
He also said the sub work would force us to work on classroom management skills and being a sub meant we'd be in different classrooms with different age groups and could practice and see what works and what doesn't and not be "stuck" in a situation for a full contract year.
Not everyone can financially afford to do that. I could and did follow that route. And I am glad I did because I learned so much, got to practice various methods/procedures that I read about and found "my" style.
I also learned how to gauge bell to bell and acquired a boatload of academic activities should the work be done before class was over.
I got certified December 2011 and immediately got an extended sub in the same school I did student teaching with the same group of 6th graders until the end of the year. That was a blessing.
12-13, 13-14 and 14-15 I branched out to other districts with subbing and eventually fell into steady Math tutor position at an elementary and middle school.
And now, for 2015-2016 year, I have my very own 6th grade Math class !!!!
(This is another story that I will post about..that's why I've been absent from the forums as of late).
The $90/day depends on where you live, but generally no, you can't support yourself on substitute pay. Not only is hourly rate not that great but you only work (get paid) when students are at school so you only have the opportunity to work between 160-190 days per year depending on the state. I have never met a sub that worked every single day either, although some do come close. There are no paid sick days and no vacation pay. Subbing generally does not include benefits.
I can't imagine someone subbing close to 190 days in a school year. In Pennsylvania, districts only have between 175 and 180 days of school. It is supposed to be 180 days, but Title I days are considered student days even though students are not in school. Some of those days are half days such as the last day of school, and days before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some districts only have school for a half day on Fridays, so a sub would only get paid for a half day.
1. Is it difficult to become a teacher if you have a 4 year degree, but not in education (in terms of getting certifications)?
Depends on individual states' guidelines for certification.
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2. Why are some people substitute teachers for years without becoming a regular teacher? Can you live/pay bills on $90 a day, especially if you get sick? I have heard these jobs don't offer health insurance. What is a certified substitute?
Why sub versus teach full-time? Various reasons, a few of which are mentioned below:
-No full-time teaching positions have opened where person is located and/or they applied for FT positions and did not get them, and relocation is for whatever reason not possible.
-Person is not interested in doing FT teaching (common with retirees and some others).
-Person is not the main source of income in the household and subs for supplemental income, personal interest, or other reasons, but does not require the income as the sole means of supporting one's self or household.
-Person already has other access to health insurance, and is not counting on any benefits from the school district.
-Person is subbing in an area where subs are not required to be certified teachers, but is considering becoming a certified teacher, and is subbing to gain exposure and experience and decide what he or she wants to do.
A certified substitute (I'm guessing, the term isn't used, here) is, I would imagine, a substitute teacher who holds a teaching certificate. In some states, certification is not required to sub, so this would differentiate between subs who have teaching certification, and those who have a degree, but not specifically teaching credentials.
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3. Do the assistants that help out special needs classes get paid decently? Do they need a teacher's certificate in special education to become one? What are they considered?
Special ed paras may or may not be required to be certified and/or have completed some stated level of post-secondary schooling (typically are NOT required to be certified teachers, but there are also certifying programs specific to paraprofessional work). Requirements vary by state and district. In the past, I've been a para as an already certified teacher, by choice. But it's not common, because it's low-paying.
Special ed para pay varies greatly depending on where you're doing it, level of experience, any special training, how long you've been doing it, what the school district or private employer wants to pay you, whether or not you are protected under collective bargaining (many paras are not, union protection is only for FT certified staff, which paras may or may not be).
Para pay at places I've personally worked has ranged from $12/hr. to $16/hr. Only hourly, no salary. Hours frequently get cut, depending on district budgetary needs, and while certified staff has union protection from such cuts, noncertified staff typically does not, so that's where cuts get made.
I can't imagine someone subbing close to 190 days in a school year. In Pennsylvania, districts only have between 175 and 180 days of school. It is supposed to be 180 days, but Title I days are considered student days even though students are not in school. Some of those days are half days such as the last day of school, and days before Thanksgiving and Christmas. Some districts only have school for a half day on Fridays, so a sub would only get paid for a half day.
My daughter was a long term sub in PA. She started just a few days after school started and worked the whole school year. In my district, it's not that uncommon.
My daughter was a long term sub in PA. She started just a few days after school started and worked the whole school year. In my district, it's not that uncommon.
I checked some of the school calendars in the area and found the following. Student days ranged from 175 to 184. Teacher days ranged from 184 to 195 with an average of 187.6.
Teacher in-service days before students start at the beginning of the year range from 2 to 5.
A long term sub working all in-service days could work more than 188 days at only two of the over a dozen districts that I looked at.
A couple district calendars show more student days then students actually attend. The district with 175 student days states 180 student days on their calendar but they are counting 5 Act 80 in-service days.
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