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Singulariki

Substitute Teachers, Short-Term

Occupation · SOC 25-3031.00

Teach students on a short-term basis as a temporary replacement for a regular classroom teacher, typically using the regular teacher's lesson plan.

Also called: Building Sub (Building Substitute) · Short-Term Sub Teacher (Short-Term Substitute Teacher) · Sub (Substitute) · Sub Teacher (Substitute Teacher) · Building Sub Teacher (Building Substitute Teacher) · Child Development Sub Teacher (Child Development Substitute Teacher) · ESL Sub (English as a Second Language Substitute) · HS Sub Teacher (High School Substitute Teacher) · Pre-School Sub Teacher (Pre-School Substitute Teacher) · Certified Sub Teacher (Certified Substitute Teacher) · Classroom Sub Teacher (Classroom Substitute Teacher) · Elementary Sub Teacher (Elementary Substitute Teacher)

Job family: Educational Instruction and Library Occupations

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Download .md

A source-stamped Markdown brief of this occupation — paste it into an agent, or fetch /roles/role-25-3031-00/context.md directly.

AI work map

A fast read on where AI already shows up in this occupation, where it stays a copilot, where humans remain in the loop, and what the labor market is doing. Built from observed Claude.ai conversations mapped to O*NET tasks and from published research — measures of usage and exposure, not advice or predictions that the job is going away.

57th-percentile task overlap — yet about 61,100 openings a year (+1.6% projected, BLS) . What exposure means →

AI & job outlook

What today's research says about this occupation's exposure to AI, how AI is actually being used in it, and where employment is headed. These are positions within published studies — measures of exposure and usage, not predictions that this job will disappear.

Exposure to current AI

Each study uses its own scale, so the raw scores are not comparable across rows — the percentile (this job's rank among all U.S. occupations with data) is the comparable figure, and sizes the bars.

Measure Rank vs all occupations Percentile Score
LLM task exposure, γ (OpenAI / Eloundou) Moderate 41st 0.4
AI assistant applicability (Microsoft) High 75th 0.2

OpenAI's exposure study scores tasks three ways: with a language model alone (α 0.3), with simple added tooling (β 0.4), and including AI-powered software (γ 0.4). Higher means more of the job's tasks could be done at least twice as fast — not that they will be automated away.

Job outlook

Independent U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics employment projection for 2024–2034 — a labor-market forecast, not an AI-impact forecast.

Outlook About average · +1.6% by 2034
Projected annual openings 61,100
Employment 2024 → 2034 510,100 → 518,500

“Annual openings” counts new jobs plus replacements for workers who leave the occupation, so it can be large even when growth is modest.

Tasks

All 18 tasks O*NET lists for this occupation, ordered by importance. Each links to its own page with AI-exposure and observed-use detail.

Emerging tasks

Newer responsibilities O*NET has flagged as growing for this occupation.

  • Provide teachers with notes summarizing the day's activities and feedback on any issues or events that occurred.

Work activities

Knowledge, skills & abilities

O*NET importance rating, from 1 (not important) to 5 (extremely important).

Knowledge

English Language 4.1
Education and Training 3.3
Public Safety and Security 3.2
Customer and Personal Service 3.0
Computers and Electronics 2.9
Mathematics 2.8
Psychology 2.8

Abilities

Oral Comprehension 4.0
Oral Expression 3.9
Near Vision 3.6
Speech Clarity 3.6
Written Comprehension 3.5
Written Expression 3.5
Deductive Reasoning 3.4
Inductive Reasoning 3.4
Speech Recognition 3.4
Problem Sensitivity 3.1
Information Ordering 2.9
Fluency of Ideas 2.8
Category Flexibility 2.8
Far Vision 2.8
Originality 2.6
Selective Attention 2.6

Essential skills

Reading Comprehension 3.6
Active Listening 3.6
Speaking 3.6
Critical Thinking 3.4
Monitoring 3.4
Writing 3.1
Learning Strategies 3.1
Active Learning 3.0

Transferable skills

Social Perceptiveness 3.5
Instructing 3.4
Time Management 3.1
Service Orientation 3.0
Coordination 2.9
Persuasion 2.9
Complex Problem Solving 2.9
Judgment and Decision Making 2.8
Negotiation 2.6

Skills in demand

Skills employers ask for in job postings for this occupation (Lightcast), with whether each is a common or specialized skill.

Tools & technology

Example Category
Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet software Hot technology
Microsoft Office software Office suite software Hot technology
Microsoft Outlook Electronic mail software Hot technology
Common Curriculum Computer based training software
EasyCBM Computer based training software
Edmodo Desktop communications software
Flipgrid Video creation and editing software
Google Classroom Project management software
Google Meet Video conferencing software
Instructure Canvas Computer based training software
Moodle Computer based training software
Nearpod Multi-media educational software
Schoology Computer based training software
Seesaw Multi-media educational software

Work context

How characteristic each condition is of the job, on O*NET's 1–5 context scale (higher = more present in day-to-day work). Each condition links to how it varies across all occupations.

Contact With Others 4.6
Coordinate or Lead Others in Accomplishing Work Activities 4.3
Freedom to Make Decisions 4.3
Work With or Contribute to a Work Group or Team 4.2
Face-to-Face Discussions with Individuals and Within Teams 4.1
E-Mail 3.8
Public Speaking 3.8
Determine Tasks, Priorities and Goals 3.7
Written Letters and Memos 3.6
Health and Safety of Other Workers 3.6
Spend Time Standing 3.5
Frequency of Decision Making 3.3
Importance of Being Exact or Accurate 3.3
Indoors, Environmentally Controlled 3.2
Spend Time Using Your Hands to Handle, Control, or Feel Objects, Tools, or Controls 3.1
Conflict Situations 2.9
Time Pressure 2.9
Physical Proximity 2.9
Importance of Repeating Same Tasks 2.9
Impact of Decisions on Co-workers or Company Results 2.8
Work Outcomes and Results of Other Workers 2.8
Dealing With Unpleasant, Angry, or Discourteous People 2.8
Telephone Conversations 2.8
Spend Time Sitting 2.7
Spend Time Making Repetitive Motions 2.6
Exposed to Sounds, Noise Levels that are Distracting or Uncomfortable 2.5
Level of Competition 2.4
Spend Time Walking or Running 2.4
Deal With External Customers or the Public in General 2.2
Outdoors, Exposed to All Weather Conditions 2.1
Spend Time Keeping or Regaining Balance 2.0
Spend Time Bending or Twisting Your Body 2.0
Outdoors, Under Cover 1.9
Dealing with Violent or Physically Aggressive People 1.8
Exposed to Disease or Infections 1.7
Degree of Automation 1.6
Spend Time Kneeling, Crouching, Stooping, or Crawling 1.6
Indoors, Not Environmentally Controlled 1.4
Exposed to Extremely Bright or Inadequate Lighting Conditions 1.4
Consequence of Error 1.3

How to get in

Job zone
Zone 4 — Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Education
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree · BLS, the typical path — not a requirement
Related experience
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Preparation level
SVP (7.0 to < 8.0) — total schooling plus on-the-job experience.

Education of current workers

Share of people in this occupation at each level of education.

Bachelor's Degree 39.7%
Associate's Degree (or other 2-year degree) 34.6%
Some College Courses 10.4%
High School Diploma 10.1%
Master's Degree 4.6%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate 0.5%
Post-Secondary Certificate 0.1%

Interests & work styles

The interests and personal qualities O*NET associates with people who do this work.

Work styles

Dependability 8.0
Cooperation 7.0
Social Orientation 6.0
Self-Control 5.0
Stress Tolerance 4.0
Empathy 3.0

Career interests (Holland / RIASEC)

Social 6.7
Conventional 3.6
Artistic 3.4
Investigative 2.5
Enterprising 2.5

Interest areas

Teaching/Education 6.5
Social Service 4.5
Public Speaking 4.1
Professional Advising 2.7
Humanities 2.4

Wages & employment

U.S. · annual wages (BLS OEWS)

$26k10th$31k25th$38kMedian$52k75th$63k90th
Annual wages by percentile — U.S. (BLS OEWS). The light band spans the 10th–90th percentile; the darker band is the middle half (25th–75th); the line is the median.
510k2024519k2034 (proj.)+1.6% · About average
Projected U.S. employment, 2024–2034 (BLS Employment Projections). A labor-market forecast for the occupation, not an AI-impact forecast.
10th percentile $26,240
25th percentile $31,310
Median (50th) $38,470
75th percentile $51,930
90th percentile $63,460
People employed 481,300

Industries that employ this occupation

Where these workers are employed, by number of jobs (national, BLS OEWS). Pay shown is the occupation's national median, not industry-specific.

Industry Workers National median pay
Educational Services · Sector 410,280 $39,020
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 54,870 $37,260
Temporary Help Services · National industry 50,930 $37,240
Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector 10,160 $35,100
Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector 1,080 $36,420
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 710 $41,180
Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry 240 $36,240
Residential Intellectual and Developmental Disability Facilities · National industry 90 $38,310
Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities · National industry 80 $22,340
Arts, Entertainment, and Recreation · Sector — $36,140
Fitness and Recreational Sports Centers · National industry — $36,140

Where this work is most concentrated

Industries where this occupation is far more common than in the economy as a whole. The location quotient is how many times more concentrated it is here (a value of 5 means five times its economy-wide share).

Industry Concentration Workers
Educational Services · Sector 9.64× 410,280
Temporary Help Services · National industry 6.16× 50,930
Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services · Sector 1.95× 54,870
Health Care and Social Assistance · Sector 0.14× 10,160
Management of Companies and Enterprises · Sector 0.08× 710
Other Services (except Public Administration) · Sector 0.08× 1,080
Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities · National industry 0.03× 240

Part of the Education career cluster.

Exposure quadrant: AI task-overlap percentile vs Median pay Substitute Teachers, Short-Term sits at the 57th percentile of AI task-overlap and the 10th percentile of median pay, placed here against 9 adjacent occupations on the same two axes. Lower overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · higher pay Higher overlap · lower pay Lower overlap · lower pay Substitute Teachers, Short-Term Special Education Teachers, Middle School Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education Special Education Teachers, Secondary School Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary Tutors AI task-overlap percentile → ↑ Median pay
AI task-overlap percentile (horizontal) vs. median-pay percentile (vertical), across all scored occupations. This occupation is highlighted; related occupations are plotted alongside it. Overlap measures shared tasks with AI, not automation.

Side-by-side comparisons place two occupations’ pay, preparation, skills, and AI exposure on the same page — same data, same scale, no forecast.

What you can do with this

Options the data surfaces for Substitute Teachers, Short-Term — not advice or a forecast. Each is a real cross-link you can follow into the evidence.

Skills that travel

Capabilities this work builds that are used across many other occupations.

Adjacent roles

Occupations O*NET rates as related — the nearby moves on the map.

Paths in

How people typically prepare for this work.

Zoom out

See where this work sits in the bigger picture.

Write a report on thisheadline · factoids · citation

Substitute Teachers, Short-Term show 57th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 61,100 annual U.S. openings

  • Substitute Teachers, Short-Term rank in the 57th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated.Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE
  • The occupation is projected to see about 61,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.6%) from 2024 to 2034.BLS Employment Projections 2024–34
  • Median annual pay is $38,470, across about 481,300 U.S. workers.BLS OEWS (May 2024)
Copy the whole kit
Substitute Teachers, Short-Term show 57th-percentile AI task overlap — and about 61,100 annual U.S. openings

• Substitute Teachers, Short-Term rank in the 57th percentile (Moderate band) for AI task overlap across U.S. occupations — a measure of how much of the work today's AI can attempt, not how much is automated. (Eloundou et al. (GPTs are GPTs) + Felten AIOE)
• The occupation is projected to see about 61,100 U.S. job openings per year (2024–34), counting growth and replacement — a labor-demand projection made independently of AI. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• BLS projects employment to be about average (+1.6%) from 2024 to 2034. (BLS Employment Projections 2024–34)
• Median annual pay is $38,470, across about 481,300 U.S. workers. (BLS OEWS (May 2024))

Source: Singulariki — "Substitute Teachers, Short-Term". https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-3031-00
Note: AI task overlap measures what today's AI can attempt, not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

AssetsShare imageMethodology & sourcesPress & newsroomThe newsroom

Every line is built only from figures this page already shows and cites. AI task overlap means what today's AI can attempt — not automation, job loss, or a forecast.

Sources for this page

Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.

Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.

Cite this page
Plain

Singulariki. "Substitute Teachers, Short-Term." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-3031-00

APA

Singulariki. (2026). Substitute Teachers, Short-Term. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-3031-00

BibTeX 
@misc{singulariki-role-25-3031-00,
  title  = {Substitute Teachers, Short-Term},
  author = {{Singulariki}},
  year   = {2026},
  note   = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
  url    = {https://singulariki.com/roles/role-25-3031-00}
}

Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.

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