Does It "Pay" To Be A Substitute Teacher?

Does it pay to be a Substitute Teacher?  An article written by Allison Wert at Frontline Technologies states a contributing factor to the dwindling substitute teaching pool is "declining unemployment rate where more people are finding full time jobs teaching or in another profession." I know only too well that many laid off teachers in the State of California haven't found full time teaching jobs and, after years of waiting to regain a position in their own classrooms, they have given up teaching altogether and found full time jobs in another profession! 

Allison Wert cites another contributing factor as "individuals are less inclined to pursue substitute teaching work knowing that their hours may be limited by the district" due to limitations addressed by the Affordable Care Act. Such restrictions result in insufficient income.

While I admit to be ignorant of district policy limitations due to the Affordable Care Act, I do know an educator cannot financially survive on substitute teaching jobs. Think about what happens during the flu season... Teachers are called in to sub for colleagues who have succumbed to the flu and are too ill to teach.

Coughing And Sneezing Hazards

After working in a classroom full of coughing and sneezing students, the substitute teacher returns home to infect his/her household with the same influenza virus. Herein lies another problem .... as the day-to-day substitute teacher isn't a full time employee for the district, unlike the regular classroom teacher, he/she isn't fortunate enough to be covered on a district medical insurance policy. As a result, these substitute teachers are left with only a few options: continue to work in spite of how they feel, lose more work while waiting out their illness until they feel better, or pay unexpected money for a doctor's visit to help them recover. With substitute teachers, the "Affordable Care Act" becomes "More Unaffordable" every day!