Substitute teacher questions

Substitute teaching is often a limbo occupation. It is what students or other individuals who can't find steady careers often turn to. This is absolutely not to shame anyone who might actually do it full-time; they should be commended if anything. It is just that it is an extremely unstable and unreliable line of work. Many of them have no clue whether they will be working on any given day until the morning of.

However, if you would like a career that offers flexibility and enjoy academic environments, I would just work to become a teacher. They still receive the shorter days and summers off that you described in certain cases. You can pursue a higher degree and become a professor in order to receive much more pay for what can be much less work depending on the subject that is being taught. Regardless, teaching is a very good job for an aspiring author. Particularly teaching either lower level education(Elementary) or higher level education(University), as the former tends to be less strenuous in terms of grading and prep work load and the latter tends to offer quite a bit of flexibility when creating one's schedule.

 

I had some first hand viewing of subbing because of my mother, who did this about 25 years ago. In many ways she liked it: every day there was different. Plus in her case there was an advantage of no grade records to keep, and probably next to zero grading. (Exception: one long term job she had.) And something other subs I knew back then commented: one has flexibility and freedom. If you don't feel like working one day, well, you can take the day off.

But...there are drawbacks. A big one was that subs in our district didn't have benefits such as health insurance. There was no pay in summer. And subs had to be regularly certified teachers. There were no guaranteed days, either, although my mother did reach a point where she was called in almost every day. (She was reliable, and she was willing to do jobs that other subs hated. The dispatcher liked that, and so my mother rose to #1 on the list.) Some classes could be a challenge with order/discipline. And one had to start from scratch establishing order and discipline with each new class.

 

True. I remember a number of subs, and most either A) were doing it until they could find something else. (Often many used subbing as a way of getting into teaching.) Or B) they weren't forced to rely on the job to live. E.g. one sub I knew did it for a few extra dollars for holidays, and something to do.

They do have shorter days and vacation time. But it's worth noting that good teachers often end up working long hours, and vacation time can take a real hit with continuing education, and preparation work.

Hours for a professor can be pretty long, too. Professors on a tenure track also typically have to be doing work outside the classroom in their field of interest (research, writing for scholarly journals, etc). This work can have a profound impact on whether they get tenure.

Also the education requirements are high for professors: often a terminal degree of some sort (most typically Ph.D.).

Also note: there are only so many good positions to go around. Many good teachers end up as long term adjunct professors (no guaranteed hours, and often abysmal pay).

 

Absolutely, however, I was basing that off of what the OP was seeking. Regardless of the level, you could be a teacher with a workload that devours most of your day. You could be a teacher that does little outside of the classroom. Some of it has to do with dedication. Some of it has to do with individual subject. (Communication/Speech Professor v.s. Statistics/Science Professor)

I wasn't insinuating that the fact that academia offers flexibility that it is an effortless occupation; especially not for those who wish to go far. I was only say that if the OP was a career where they will have the flexibility to lighten their schedule to dedicate to their writing, then academia would probably be the best route.

And by higher degree, I meant a degree higher than the standard that is required for a career in education. (i.e. a graduate degree of some sort)

 

As someone who has had many substitutes in many different environments, I can tell you that students often expect substitutes to never really give a shit. They think they will have a lazy day without much consequence. On the other end of the spectrum, some subs stick rigidly to the agenda left by the regular teacher, thus students resent them because it makes the class boring.

Point is, the better you do your job, the less kids will like you. If you're subbing for a younger crowd, this could be a little problematic.

Not sure if this was any help. Sorry.

 

From my experience (especially in elementary school) students always behave worse with substitutes than the normal teacher. Of course students are expected to behave BETTER with substitutes and then we always got yelled afterward by our normal teacher.
This is why I don't think being a substitute teacher wouldn't be good. Here's a story I think you should read:
An Explanation for Why I am So Cranky
(or google "One tired working mommy: an explanation for why I am so cranky")