Substitute Teacher Resume Templates and Examples for 2024

Substitute Teacher Resume Template Example

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As a substitute teacher, school districts expect you to quickly adapt to different classroom environments and subject matters. Your resume should demonstrate this ability and show the school administrators you can maintain continuity for students without their regular teacher. We’ll provide tips and examples to help you craft a substitute teacher resume emphasizing the best of your education career.

How To Write a Substitute Teacher Resume

To save some time during the resume writing process, consider using a professional template. Your substitute teacher resume template should include these sections:

• Contact information
• Profile
• Key skills
• Professional experience
• Education and certifications

Contact information

At the top of your resume, list your full name, phone number, email address, location, and a link to your online professional profile. Ensure all of your information is correct and updated. This makes it easy for school administrators to contact you for teaching opportunities as they arise.

Profile

The profile of your substitute teacher resume is where you’ll introduce yourself to new school administrators. Highlight your job title, key skills, and any unique strengths or specialties you have, including specifics like grades and subjects you’re most experienced with. Your goal is to show that you meet the qualifications and requirements listed in the job description.

Key skills

To create a key skills list that proves you can step into any classroom immediately, highlight those abilities required for the job. Show you can handle the daily tasks of substitute teaching by including both hard and soft skills. This helps school districts immediately capture that you’re well-qualified to handle all of their educational needs.

Common hard and soft skills for substitute teachers

Resume writer’s tip: Use strong action verbs

Using action verbs is like adding that extra spark to your lesson plan — they make your past experiences more compelling and show you’re actively engaged in the classroom. Instead of simply listing duties, words like “facilitated” and “motivated” transform your responsibilities into achievements. As you detail your work history, start each bullet point with an action verb. The list below will help you get started as you write your substitute teacher resume:

Professional experience

To provide hiring managers with a comprehensive view of your work history, list where and when you taught, giving a brief description of your responsibilities and achievements in each role. This could include anything from improving student engagement to effectively managing a particularly challenging class. You can also mention any long-term positions to demonstrate your ability to step in and maintain continuity over extended periods.

Resume writer’s tip: Quantify your experience

To make your past accomplishments more tangible, use numbers to describe your professional experience. Quantifying helps potential employers see what you’ve done and how you can make a difference in their classrooms. Metrics, percentages, and dollar amounts will give value to things like how many students you taught or how you improved a process.

Resume writer’s tip: Tailor your resume for each application

The demand for substitute teachers exceeds supply. Although employment is rising, your resume must be well-tailored to land jobs in the best districts. Each educational institution will have its own culture and expectations, and your goal is to customize your resume to every role you apply for.

Pay close attention to the requirements mentioned in the job posting. For example, if it’s a technology-forward school, discuss your tech use in the classroom. Or, if community involvement is emphasized, mention your experience with after-school programs. Show that you made an effort to tailor your resume to meet the needs of the district.

What if you don’t have experience?

The foundation of your teaching career lies in your own education, so leverage any certifications, coursework, training, or workshops you’ve completed. Next, consider all of the transferable skills you’ve gained from past experiences. Leadership, communication, organization, and conflict resolution will translate well as a new substitute teacher.

If you’ve volunteered at schools, camps, after-school programs, or in any setting where you’ve worked with children, mention this on your resume. Provide examples of times when you’ve had to adapt to unexpected changes or solve problems creatively. This is a daily reality for substitute teachers and will help demonstrate your ability to handle various situations.

Education and certifications

For substitute teaching, a bachelor’s degree is often the minimum. If the school district you’re interested in also requires a special certification or state teaching license, include that as well. For each academic credential, remember to list the title of the degree or certification, the name of the issuing organization, and when you earned it.

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Andrew Stoner

Executive Resume Writer and Career Coach

A resume should be a forward-looking value proposition that showcases your most relevant accomplishments for a target role — not a rear view summary of your previous roles and responsibilities.