Tips and strategies for substitute teachers
CalSTRS lists a postretirement earnings limit of $59,565 for 2026-27, down from $80,245, and its fact sheet says what counts toward it, how the excess is collected, and how Illinois and Texas handle the same question.
Read More →Whether a substitute teacher can collect unemployment over summer or winter break depends on "reasonable assurance" of work after the break, a federal rule that each state applies differently; here is what the U.S. Department of Labor, California, New York, Kentucky and Wisconsin sources say.
Read More →There is no national limit on how long a substitute can cover one classroom: California, Illinois and Oregon each set their own, by permit or license type, and the numbers run from 5 days to a full academic year.
Read More →No federal rule pays a substitute for a job canceled the morning of. Here is what the U.S. Department of Labor, three states and two staffing agencies have published, and who to ask about your own case.
Read More →As of October 5, 2026, SubAlert's site says it is not accepting new customers and gives no shutdown notice or date, so here is what a current SubAlert user on Frontline can set up now.
Read More →When Frontline says a job is already filled after you tap Accept, another substitute booked it while you were looking, so here is what Frontline's own guides say about it, how to tell whether you got the job, and what does and does not help.
Read More →How a substitute can tell whether a district runs Frontline Absence Management or PowerSchool's SmartFind Express, and which job alert tools work on each, from each company's own pages as of October 5, 2026.
Read More →A Frontline job alert filter can save fine and match nothing. Sub Hero's new filter editor lets you pick names from your district's list and shows what fits.
Read More →SubAlert's homepage still lists two plans and a 21-day free trial, but its sign-up page says it is not accepting new customers, so here is what that means and what Frontline substitutes can sign up for today.
Read More →Frontline decommissioned its own Jobulator alert app on December 31, 2024, so here is what Frontline substitutes use for job alerts now: Frontline's free mobile app, its phone calls, and an independent alert service that is still taking sign-ups, with what each one leaves out.
Read More →Frontline's pages say its free app sends a notification of available jobs, and say nothing about when, for which jobs or with what filters, so here is their wording and what a filtered alert adds.
Read More →What a free Sub Hero account does without a card, what Standard at $6.99 and Pro at $9.99 a month each include, and how the 14-day Pro trial, one per Frontline login, works.
Read More →A job you booked on Frontline can be canceled without a word. Sub Hero's paid plans now tell you, usually within minutes, when a booking leaves your schedule.
Read More →SubAlert's sign-up page says it is not accepting new customers. Here is what it offered, and the ways a Frontline substitute can still get job alerts, with each one's limits.
Read More →34,000 postings, 193 districts, two weeks. Most sub jobs get filled, and fast — but nearly a third of postings in slow districts never do, and jobs posted during the school day are gone within five minutes.
Read More →Some postings vanish in under a minute; some sit for three days. But a district's pace turns out not to predict your odds at all — because the average job and the job you actually want are not the same job.
Read More →Postings tripled in a week as school came back — and the week has a rhythm. Sunday evenings, the 6 AM scramble, the school-day disappearing act: when jobs appear, and when they vanish.
Read More →The landscape changed this year. An honest survey of what substitute teachers can use now to hear about Frontline jobs faster — including Frontline's own app — and how to choose.
Read More →Any service that watches Frontline for you needs your login. Here are the five questions worth asking before you hand it over, the red flags, and our own answers.
Read More →SubSidekick has closed after 16 years. Here's what Frontline substitutes actually lost, what the official app does and doesn't do, and the honest options that remain.
Read More →We watch Frontline postings around the clock. The best jobs vanish in under a minute — here's how the race really works, and how to stop losing it.
Read More →Districts are desperate for subs. If you've been thinking about substitute teaching, this is your moment.
Read More →Perfect job appears. You click. "No longer available." Someone got there first - by seconds.
Read More →28 pairs of eyes size you up. "Sub day = free day." You have 90 seconds to establish control.
Read More →The difference between earning $15K and $35K+ as a sub? Strategy.
Read More →5:00 AM. 6:00 AM. Finally a job posts. "No longer available." This is unpaid work just to get paid work.
Read More →Most ed-tech is built for full-time teachers. Here's what actually works for subs.
Read More →Starting as a sub? Here's what I wish someone had told me before my first day.
Read More →A 6-week assignment can pay $3,600-7,200. Here's how to actually land them.
Read More →The hardest word: "No." Why saying no strategically can make you more money.
Read More →Let's talk money, stress, and opportunities. The honest comparison.
Read More →Some mistakes cost money. Others cost reputation. A few cost both.
Read More →Can you make a living as a full-time sub? Let's do the math.
Read More →The appeal: flexibility. The reality: constant availability. Here's how to achieve actual balance.
Read More →Subs often miss valuable deductions. The mileage alone can save thousands.
Read More →Get instant notifications for jobs matching your preferences. Designed specifically for substitute teachers.
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