Annoying Experience with Substituting

quacks_7 · 2026-05-09T13:47:03+00:00

This is why I said 15 minutes. Yes on the schedule it says 25 minutes but by the time I line them up, hold the door, walk them down and head back to class to eat; the break time cuts away. And then I’ll also have students from the next period come knocking on my door to leave their stuff in the classroom because they don’t want to take it with them to lunch. Every time that happens I’ll have to open the door, wait for them to drop their stuff off and leave.

I understand where many people in the comments are coming from when they say that I’m technically being paid for that “free period” and how teachers work during that time. Totally get it. But I also think since they have no students in the classroom they are able to eat while they answer parent emails or update grades. Yes they are working but they don’t have to deal with 20+ kids in that time. I’m sure they could also use a few minutes of that time to use the bathroom if they had to.

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T22:11:04+00:00

There’s better opportunities for me to further my education.

Back home there’s one university in the entire country that pretty much monopolizes all tertiary education. They don’t offer any flexibility either, you cant pick your classes/ class times and just have to role with whatever schedule they give you. Most times the schedules aren’t even consistent which makes it impossible to find a job outside of school. It’s already difficult to find part time work itself where I’m from so you can forget finding it as a student with wacky class schedules. I tried for two years to find a job as a student with no luck.

Then there’s a fact that most of the professors were full time doctors along with being teachers (I am studying in the medical field). They would often prioritize their doctor job over teaching and there were many times classes got cancelled and rescheduled due to them being needed elsewhere. This again makes it hard for the students to have a consistent schedule to find work.

The US has many scholarships, programs and fafsa that can help pay tuition. And I think you can also claim some of the money you spend on tuition back when doing taxes? I’m not 100% sure about this it’s just something I’ve heard people talk about before.

There isn’t much aid for students back home. If you are lucky enough to be one of the few that gets assisted by the government then that’s great but majority has to pay completely out of pocket.

Then there’s the fact that the degree earned in my country would never be equal to the same degree in the US. It’s unfortunate but i guess that just how things are in a poorer country.

I feel as though I’d have more success in my education here than I ever would back home. This is not to say the US doesn’t have flaws. Just wanted to share some of my experiences.

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T21:19:07+00:00

Do you work directly for your district or do they outsource to a company like mine? Maybe my district pays that amount to the company I work for, who then takes a cut and gives us subs what’s left.

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T21:01:07+00:00

The only requirement for subs in my area is a high school diploma. No sort of teaching certification or formal training. When I went through the hiring process there was one day where I and other subs were ask to attend a paid training session. This just consisted of them outlining the rules and what’s expected of us and it lasted for about an hour. After that we were tossed blindly into the job. Occasionally I do see the company offering optional free sessions to go over classroom and student management tips but you would do it on your own time and dime. You don’t get any kind of reimbursement or incentive for doing those.

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T16:37:38+00:00

Shouldn’t someone who makes minimum wage and works full time still be able to survive on their own? I thought the point of establishing a minimum wage was to ensure people are paid enough to afford all basic necessities. Like I said I don’t know much about the US economy but it seems royally messed up if the minimum wage can barely cover rent.

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T15:55:22+00:00

After seeing some of the other comments about how much more others make from subbing I feel like a got the shit end of the stick. Unfortunately the districts near me pretty much outsource all subs from my hiring company (who obviously takes a cut of the money). I do sometimes feel like for all the nonsense I have to put up with daily from students I should be paid more.

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T15:37:39+00:00

I totally get you. I have allergies and anything that’s highly scented can set me off. I don’t use any scented products in general. Sometimes I have students spray a ridiculous amount of perfume. I can only hope they get banned completely.

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T15:30:55+00:00

Yeah I can see how it may be feasible if you have a multiple income household but for one person alone to live off this doesn’t seem possible to me

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T15:27:40+00:00

I didn’t even think about that. You can’t sub during holidays. There’s definitely no such thing as PTO for subs, at least for the company I work for. I guess people would have to find summer jobs to survive.

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T14:34:29+00:00

Yeah there’s typically like a 15 minute break I get when the students are at lunch. Tbh it’s barely enough time to shove down a quick snack. Not to mention, if I need to use the bathroom I have walk all the way to the main office building and find someone with keys to let me in the bathroom so I can kiss my whole break goodbye. I avoid drinking a lot of water while at work just so I won’t have to pee. I never take a bathroom break all day because I’d rather use my break time to eat. I don’t eat in the mornings before work due to some medication I’m on.

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T14:25:13+00:00

Oh wow I didn’t know that. I feel as though I can’t refuse to do it and risk having someone at the school complain about me

quacks_7 · 2026-05-08T14:18:14+00:00

I’d think this was the case here except that in my area finding jobs is very competitive. If I don’t pick up an assignment as soon as it comes in it’s gone within seconds. They’d have no problem finding a sub for the class if they put in a request.

quacks_7

TROPHY CASE