Substitute Teacher resume examples & templates

Spitballs and passing notes are an all-too-common movie trope, i.e. when the substitute teacher arrives, the class goes haywire. In real life, however, substitute teachers are far from clueless fill-ins.

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Substitute teachers serve as temporary replacements for full-time teachers when the regular teacher is ill or can’t come to work. They most commonly work for public or private elementary or secondary schools, although sometimes they are employed by junior colleges, technical and trade schools, employment services, and child day care services.

If you love teaching and want to step into the classroom, there is no substitute for having a strong resume. To compete and increase your chances of being hired, your resume should highlight your classroom management skills, ability to adapt to different learning environments, and experience working with diverse student populations.

Resume guide for a substitute teacher resume

As a leading resource for job seekers in all fields, Resume.io offers 500+ occupation-specific resume guides and samples, and customizable resume templates. 

This guide, along with examples from a substitute teacher resume, will walk you through creating your own customized version to impress school administrators. We’ll cover the following essentials:

• How to write a substitute teacher resume
• Picking the best resume format for a substitute teacher
• How to include your contact information
• Crafting an impressive resume summary
• Adding your teaching experience
• Listing education and relevant skills
• Selecting the right resume design/layout
• An overview of the substitute teacher market and salary trends

How to write a substitute teacher resume

Before creating your substitute teacher resume, it's important to know the key sections to include. Here are the key components to include:

• The resume header
• The resume summary (aka profile or personal statement)
• The employment history section
• The resume skills section
• The education section

Just like students rely on a teacher for guidance and support, schools seek substitute teachers who can step in with ease. You'll need to show your ability to manage a classroom, keep lessons on track, and engage students—all while maintaining flexibility and patience under pressure.

School administrators often don’t have time to sift through every application they receive. Instead, they rely on ATS software to scan for keywords tied to essential teaching skills. This automated system filters out less qualified resumes before they reach a decision-maker’s desk.

That’s why incorporating relevant keywords in your substitute teacher resume is important. Your first step is to understand the qualifications and skills each school seeks. Including these terms can significantly improve your chances of passing the ATS screening. While there’s no guarantee, following this guide will boost your chances.

Now, here are the main points to consider for crafting your substitute teacher resume:

• Highlight unique teaching skills, certifications, or classroom experiences that set you apart from other candidates.
• Use quantifiable metrics to show your impact, like improvements in student performance or classroom management success.
• Customize your resume to match the school’s needs and specific job description.
• Optimize for ATS by incorporating relevant keywords, such as "curriculum development" or "classroom management." Starting with an ATS-friendly template helps ensure your resume gets noticed.

Choosing the right resume format for a substitute teacher

The chronological resume format is typically the best choice as it's widely accepted and easy for employers to follow.

However, if you're entering the workforce for the first time, shifting careers significantly, or have relevant experience outside traditional roles, consider alternative formats. A functional resume may better highlight transferable skills, training, or self-employment experience. 

Include your contact information

Just like students need clear instructions to succeed in class, your substitute teacher resume should guide principals and hiring teams with ease. Ensure your contact details are front and center—without them, they may be left guessing who’s the right fit for their classroom.

Include the following information on your substitute teacher resume:

• Full name and title. Include your first and last name along with the job title you’re seeking.
• Professional email. Use a clear and professional format like [email protected].
• Phone number. Provide a number where you can be easily reached.
• Location. Include only your city and state. Avoid street addresses and zip codes; mention 'Willing to Relocate' if relevant.
• LinkedIn. Include your LinkedIn profile if it’s up-to-date and relevant to your career.

Don’t include:

• Date of birth. Omit this to avoid age bias.
• Personal details. Exclude marital status, social security number, and passport number.
• Headshot. Avoid including a photo to prevent bias based on appearance.

Create a strong resume summary

Just like a strong start sets the tone for the rest of the class period, a strong profile (also known as the summary) will carry the reader through the rest of your resume. A summary should give hiring managers a feel for your personality, previous experience and skills with just enough detail to make them want to keep reading for more.

Note that resumes are mostly built on bullet-point lists with little room for free-form sentences. The profile/summary is the only exception, so it might be a good place for some short-form creative writing.

The pitfall to avoid here is long-winded explanations. Evaluate each word critically, as they all need to be either action verbs (strong verbs describing concrete tasks or achievements), powerful adjectives or simply necessary for the grammatical structure.

When writing the summary, it’s important to keep the tone conversational and human-reader friendly. Just make sure to work in some keywords to make sure the ATS works in your favor.

Your summary can also answer basic questions about your preferred grade levels, subject interests or availability. Just keep in mind that flexibility is often one of a substitute’s most attractive attributes when it comes to hiring.

You can find example substitute teacher resume summaries below:

Outline your substitute teacher work experience: your personal report card

It’s best to write your resume in reverse chronological order with your most recent experiences first. Work backwards until you have 2-3 relevant examples going no further back than 10-15 years. If you have enough experience in education, it’s best to leave off completely unrelated experiences, unless they demonstrate knowledge of a particular subject area you plan to teach.

Create a few bullet points under each job title keeping in mind the needs of the school when it comes to hiring subs.

A few things to ask yourself about previous roles to create strong bullets:

• How did I demonstrate an ability to manage a classroom or another sizable group of people?
• What is my strategy for keeping a class orderly and safe?
• How did I incorporate creativity into a lesson without reinventing the wheel?
• How did I demonstrate effective communication both with students and fellow teachers and staff?
• How did I make life easier for the teacher or administration?

Example: Created lesson plans that boosted student engagement by 20% and improved behavior by 15%, as noted by teachers.

How to write a substitute teacher resume with no experience

Showing that you’ve worked with children before, even if it wasn’t as a teacher, will be a big advantage when it comes to securing a position as a sub. If you don’t have any teaching or childcare experience, you may also be able to demonstrate your expertise in a field relating to one of the subject areas you will be teaching.

Either way, it’s important to tailor your resume to the job description of the position you’re applying for by showing how your previous work experiences fostered the skills needed to be an excellent substitute teacher.

Include the relevant key skills to qualify for substitute teacher roles

While education is about knowledge, teaching is about skill. Anyone who has spent a day in a classroom can tell you that the brainiest professor doesn’t always make the best teacher. That’s because having the knowledge and being able to impart it are two different processes. 

The reality of substitute teaching is that your classroom management skills will be just as important as your teaching abilities. Students are likely to test your patience, and principals are looking for a substitute who can get through the day without cracking under pressure. 

When writing your skills section, you will probably primarily focus on soft skills—those innate qualities that make you an effective teacher students respect. But it’s not a bad idea to throw in some hard skills, too. Hard skills are any abilities revolving around specific knowledge, computer programs, and pragmatic tasks.

If you already have some knowledge of the school system you intend to work with, you can include the specific classroom technologies that are in use, as long as you are decently comfortable with them. 

If applying for a long-term position, you may already know what subject matter you will be assigned to teach. In that case, feel free to include your competencies related to that area. If you are applying for a general subbing role, you will want to keep your skill section more multipurpose.

Here’s what the skills box looks like in our substitute teacher resume template. 

Detail your education & relevant substitute teacher certifications

The amount of education required of substitute teachers can vary widely from state to state or even between school districts. There are a number of regions which will accept substitutes with only a high school diploma, while others ask for an associate’s or bachelor’s degree as the bare minimum. 

While a degree in education can be a big bonus, an unrelated degree is unlikely to stop you from being hired for a substitute position. In fact, candidates with other specialties often bring something new to the table, especially if the school district is in a position to offer some supplementary teacher training. 

If you have a bachelor’s degree or higher, it’s fine to leave your high school diploma off your resume. If you have passed a teaching exam or training, it’s a great advantage to include it in this section. Additionally, some states require substitutes to pass a specific program designed to train them on teaching basics in case they come from another discipline. 

Pick the right resume layout and design for your substitute teacher resume

It’s one thing to say you’re a well-organized teacher. It’s another thing to show it. One of the easiest ways to put some weight behind your words is through your resume layout and design.

The layout is like the lesson plan for the principal to follow in evaluating your skills and experience. A high-quality layout that hits just the right mark when it comes to professionalism and style is the best way to give yourself a fighting chance at landing the substitute teacher role.

In the education field, you’ll want to keep the resume simple. While one accent color may be acceptable, it’s best to keep the feel of the layout clean and free of unnecessary icons or pictures.

If you need a little help building a layout that meets the right criteria, try resume.io’s expertly crafted and HR-tested templates to get your resume on the principal’s desk in no time.

Substitute teacher text-only resume example

Substitute teacher job market and outlook

According to the U.S. School Superintendents Association, “a shortage of substitute teachers, both in quantity and quality, across the country has never been more severe.” The cause is twofold: many high-quality teachers prefer to take on full time roles instead of subbing.

In addition, many current teachers are requesting more flexibility in a traditional rigid career, increasing the need for classroom coverage. In response to this imbalance, school systems have started increasing pay, offering bonuses, recruiting heavily and offering additional training to encourage more substitutes to join the pool.

What type of salary you can expect in substitute teaching

Substitute teachers in the U.S. earn annual mean wages of $28,790, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.  

Key takeaways for a substitute teacher resume

A standout substitute teacher resume is essential in a competitive job market. Emphasize your classroom management skills, adaptability, and experience with diverse students. Include quantifiable achievements like improved student engagement. Optimize for ATS by using relevant keywords and tailoring your resume to the job. Choose a clear, professional layout to ensure it passes initial ATS screenings.

If you need a little help getting out of your living room and into the classroom, try our field-tested templates and custom builder tool to craft the perfect resume and meet your students in no time.