In partnership with Otsego Northern Catskills Board of Cooperative Educational Services or ONC BOCES and Delaware-Chenango-Madison-Otsego Board of Cooperative Educational Services or DCMO BOCES, students at SUNY Oneonta have the opportunity to substitute teach in the area school districts during the school year. This is a great way to get field experience with children at various ages and grade levels and get paid by the school district.
Participating students need to have their own transportation, or commute with others who are also ‘subbing’ at the same school district. Also, please note some districts may require you to have the COVID-19 vaccination.
Each school district has its own employment process for substitute teachers. Some districts require the applicant to apply through the Online Application System for Educators, or OLAS. Others require the application to be mailed or emailed directly to the school. Please check the school district’s website.
To see list of school districts:
OLAS:
OLAS main page
Register in OLAS. It is free. Once you are registered you can search school districts, find the school you want to substitute teach for and apply through the OLAS system. It is a lengthy process to register in OLAS so make sure to set aside time to complete this. Once it is done, you are set. You can use OLAS to search for full-time teaching positions in NY, CT, MA, VT, and surrounding areas when you are ready.
On your substitute teaching application: For those of you who are in the teacher education program, whether early childhood, elementary or secondary, on your application it is highly recommended to state that you are in the program. In addition, make sure to provide up-to-date contact information (name, email, phone number, etc.) in your References section. School districts must be able to easily contact your references.
Fingerprinting and TEACH account: You cannot substitute teach until you have your fingerprinting done and, for those in the teacher education program, on file in your TEACH account. Current fee for fingerprinting (January 2022): $101.75.
- Students in the teacher education program must have their TEACH account set up.
- Students must have their fingerprinting up to date and, for those in the teacher education program, in their TEACH account.
- Fingerprinting is done through MorphoTrust/IDEMIA
- The student (applicant) applies for ‘Certification’ fingerprinting (not ‘employment’)
Those not in the teacher education program but want to substitute teach can contact ONC BOCES for fingerprinting information.
Process: After you submit your application and it gets processed through the school district’s human resources, it then goes to the school board for approval. This is critical. All school board meetings, regardless of district, are held mid-month. Once you are approved to ‘sub’, you are then put on the school district’s substitute teacher list.
Each school district handles ‘sub’ openings differently. Some districts require the substitute teacher to check a website that has weekly subbing offerings and the substitute teacher signs up. Other districts call the substitute teachers directly. It is up to each applicant to check with the school district’s Human Resources department on how to proceed.