FAQs for Substitute Applicants
Please read carefully the
Instructions page before downloading the
application and payroll
forms.
There is information there which refers to:
2009-2010 Minimum Requirements and Pay Rates
Scheduling Appointments and What to Bring With You
Map and Directions to 900 Watervliet Shaker Road
HazCom/Right-To-Know/Universal Precautions Training
What’s a Confidential College file?
If you have one, you know it! These are files set up for
students in a college teaching program
to keep a record of their student teaching recommendation letters and teacher certifications.
If
you don’t have a
confidential file, two written
reference letters written within the previous
two
years are
acceptable. If you have not worked in a school setting, list references
that
can attest
to your ability to work with children.
I have a Confidential College file.
Should I have
it sent to you by my college?
If so, where do I send it?
Colleges usually insist on sending the credential files
directly to us, as most credential files are
confidential. Our address is listed
on the Scheduling Appointments link.
Make sure your college
sends it to
the attention of the Substitute Coordination Service. Some colleges will fax
credential files. Please ask for
the fax number when you
set up your appointment.
Can my two reference letters be from the same people
I list in the references
section of the page on the application?
What should the reference letters contain?
Yes, they may
be from the same people you list on the application. They must have been
written in the last two years,
but do not have to be written
specifically to us. You may bring
copies of
letters written for you for other employment or
graduate school etc. as long as
they
are signed and have the reference’s phone number or
address on them. The reference letters
should
attest to your ability to handle a classroom if you are in a teacher education
program, or
may be character references if you are not.
May my references send their letters to me or do they
have to be sent directly to
you, and what is your address? Must they be sealed? My mother (or sister,
brother,
cousin, aunt etc.)
wants to write a reference letter for me. Is that
acceptable?
Our address is on the Scheduling Appointments link. They
may be addressed to
Program Manager, Substitute Coordination Service. Letters
may be sent directly to us
or you may bring them in yourself and they do not have to be sealed. We do
not accept
reference letters from relatives.
Do you accept email references?
Not at this time
as reference letters must be signed, unless you set this up with the Program
Manager
at your interview.
Do you need my actual
Bachelor's (or Master's) degree? How about a transcript?
We can accept
your diploma or a good copy, or a transcript (does not have to be sealed)
from your college that states that your degree was conferred and the conferral
date. We are
unable to accept the multi-page unofficial transcripts downloaded from the
internet.
I
haven't graduated from college yet! How do I prove I'll be graduating?
You can provide a transcript from your college showing courses completed
(again, not the down-
loadable document from the internet) or a registrar's letter stating when you
will graduate.
How can I prove I'm certified?
You may bring
a copy of your certification or you can access the TEACH site at
http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/teach/ Make a copy of the page
showing that your
certification was issued and bring it to your interview.
Do I have to be certified to substitute for your districts?
Guilderland requires certification, Bethlehem and Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake strongly prefer certification
but will look at applications on a case by case basis. That said, all of our districts prefer certified
teachers and require a Bachelor’s degree except for the following: with an Associates degree
you may sub as a teacher in the Cohoes and Duanesburg districts. You may sub as a teaching
assistant with your High School diploma in the South Colonie, Cohoes, Voorheesville districts, BOCES CTE
and Special Ed divisions. You need 60 college credits to be a TA sub in Schalmont, and you must hold
New York State Teaching Assistant Certification to sub as a TA in North Colonie.
I’m not able to bring everything requested for my
interview. Should I still come to
my appointment?
We suggest that you do keep your appointment, as long as
the application itself is completely
filled out. You may mail, fax or bring in
subsequent documentation after your interview.
Your
application is not
forwarded to the Program Manager for a reference check until all
required
paperwork
is complete.
What if I can’t come to my appointment?
Due to high
demand, there is often a waiting list of a
6 weeks for an interview appointment.
Please call to cancel by
leaving a message so that someone from the waiting
list can take your place!
How long does it take to be approved?
You should allow
a minimum of four weeks if all required documents are
in your file. Reference checks
can take anywhere from a day to many weeks.
Please make sure your references know
you need this
reference. Once you’re
approved out of our office (application file complete,
reference check done)
your application will be sent to the districts for approval. Approval
is
dependent upon each district’s
board meeting schedule.
I used to substitute for you and I would like to come back on the list. What do I have to do?
Call the help desk at 464-3918 and your file
will be pulled and checked over.
You will be called back
or mailed a chart with what is required
to return to the Service. In most cases a
new application and
payroll forms are
required.
Do you hire permanent or long term substitutes?
No. Hiring long term or permanent subs is a district decision.
Do you handle substitutes for summer school?
No. We suggest you contact the school district offices directly.
Do you handle home tutors?
Bethlehem, Cohoes,
North and South Colonie
districts pull tutor names from our substitute list. If you want
to home tutor for any of these districts proceed
with the substitute application process and then
follow up with them directly.
The Service does not call for home tutors at this time.
I have questions about New York State Teacher
Certification. How do I contact the New York
State Education Department or
BOCES Certification Officers?
The
Capital Region BOCES
Certification Officers can be
reached at 862-4918 daily between the hours
of 1:00pm - 3:00pm only. You won't be able to leave a message, so
please keep trying.
For certification information please refer to the NYSED
website at
http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/faqapply.htm or call them at 474-3901
from 9 -11:30am and
1:30 - 4:30pm Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays
and Fridays.
I was fingerprinted for the NYSED OSPRA database once
already.
Do I have to be printed again? How do I tell if my fingerprints are on
file?
What if I was fingerprinted for the New York City Board of Education?
You do not have to be reprinted as long as you were
fingerprinted for the NYSED
OSPRA database
after July 1st, 2001. If
you were printed for the New York City
Board of Education after July 1st,
1990
you will fill out and send the NYCBOE an OSPRA 104
form authorizing the NYCBOE
to release your print
results to NYSED OSPRA. If you were
printed for daycare or
as a bus driver, you have to be fingerprinted
again. Our process
and fees are
explained on our fingerprint link. You may also check your fingerprint
status
online, arrange to be fingerprinted on your own, or access the fingerprint forms
link, at
http://www.highered.nysed.gov/tcert/ospra/ospra100.htm Or you may call
NYSED
OSPRA directly at
473-2998 for information.