7 Hiring Practices to Combat the Substitute Shortage

The substitute shortage doesn’t live in a vacuum. It’s difficult for many schools to find enough teachers right now, too. That may mean a strong job market for those with an education degree, but it’s tough for schools who once found many of their substitutes by hiring out-of-work teachers.

Thankfully, there are steps you can take.

• Invest more time in recruiting

• Word of mouth isn’t enough — think creatively and use every channel you can to let people know you’re hiring!

• Expand your reach

• Look beyond education majors. Would any parents who are looking to go back to work be a good fit?

• Know where your best hires are coming from

• Where are you seeing success in hiring? Keep track of which strategies yield the best results for your school, then do more of that!

• Make it easy to apply

• An onerous application process can drive substitutes away. Online hiring makes it easier for candidates to find and apply for positions.

• Market the job

• Perhaps a major draw is that substitutes will have flexibility to work where and when they want, while gaining experience. Sell the job to people who want to work in education.

• Compete to win

• Substitutes often have a choice of where to work, and are likely to choose the district or building with the highest pay, most professional treatment, best training and easiest notification process. Be a place where substitutes want to work!

• Improve the hiring process

• Don’t make new substitutes wait — once they’re hired, quickly complete onboarding and training to get them into your working sub pool as quickly as possible.

If your substitute pool is shallower than you’d like, you’re not alone. Many districts are struggling to find enough substitutes through traditional methods like newspapers, but there’s a better way. Frontline's solution helps you:

• Recruit more substitutes

• Expand your reach by notifying selected candidates, capturing interest at job fairs and posting vacancies on social media and popular job boards.

• Hire substitutes quickly

• Substitutes can apply to work in your district online, letting you quickly receive their applications and coordinate interviews.

• Speed up onboarding

• Have your new hires fill out required paperwork online and provide required training as part of the application process.

  See how Frontline’s substitute management solution can help alleviate your sub shortage.