Whether a school is instructing in-person or online, one thing remains the same — they need an increasing number of substitute teachers from an ever-decreasing talent pool. How prevalent is the shortage? Google serves over a million results on “substitute teacher shortage COVID.” These results come from Madison, Chicago, Kansas City, Utica, Las Vegas, Coeur d’Alene, Houston, and so many more. The reporting originates from large and small cities all over the nation.
Lots of jobs to fill
A good amount of jobs currently being posted come from Indeed.com. A simple search for substitute teachers in the United States reveals 7,271 openings nationwide. By far the largest number is coming from Chicago with 503 openings. That is well ahead of the number two city – Denver – with 61.
The changing candidate pools
Even before the pandemic, a shortage of substitute teachers existed in many areas. However, that number is now increasing rapidly as potential candidates weigh the risk-reward of substituting where the income is relatively low and the potential exposure to COVID is higher. On the income side of the equation, The Bureau of Labor Statistics shows short-term substitute teachers earning $32,460 per year, which is $21,030 less than the U.S. annual average among all jobs. This low earning level limits the availability of retired teachers and part-timers.
The fear of COVID among teachers is real when you consider 18% of all public and private school teachers are in the high risk, 65 and older age group per The American Enterprise Institute. That potentially also means they could be taking home the virus to equally vulnerable family members. The bottom line? It is no surprise that the American Federation of Teachers, a national labor union, shows that 1 in 3 teachers say the pandemic has made them more likely to retire earlier than planned.
How schools battle the shortage
Here is a list of some of the things schools have been doing to have enough substitutes in their classes:
- Hiring parents
- Increasing class sizes
- Adding babysitting to bus driver duties
- Hiring permanent substitutes
- Boasting earnings and more competitive wages
- Sending personal invitations to retired teachers
- Offering sign-on bonuses
Help is on the way
With the vaccine now here, help is on the way. Millions of doses have already been delivered, and both teachers and substitutes should be getting significant relief. Anything close to normal will be fully embraced by educators nationwide.
If you are looking for creative ways to fill open positions you can contact your Account Manager or email pcrescenzi@successcomgroup.com.
