How to Become a Substitute Teacher in Iowa

Two Distinct Paths to Substitute Teaching in Iowa

Iowa doesn't have a single substitute teaching credential. Your eligibility depends on whether you already hold (or have held) a full teaching license, and the type of authorization you carry determines what you can actually do in a classroom.

The Standard Substitute License

If you currently hold — or have previously held — a regular, full teaching license in Iowa or any other state, you can apply for a standard Substitute License through the BoEE. This credential allows unlimited short-term and long-term substitute assignments in any grade level and subject area, with no cap on consecutive days in the same classroom.

The application process mirrors the standard license application: create a BoEE portal account, submit proof of your credential history, complete the background check and fingerprinting requirements, and pay the application fee. Total costs run around $192.35 when you factor in the $120 application fee, $3 portal convenience fee, $35 BoEE background check fee, and $34.35 Fieldprint fingerprinting fee.

The Substitute Authorization

If you don't hold a teaching license but have completed at least 60 semester hours of college credit (or hold an associate degree), you can qualify for a Substitute Authorization. This is the path most career changers and retirees use to start working in Iowa classrooms quickly.

The requirements:

• At least 60 semester hours from an accredited institution (an associate degree satisfies this)
• Completion of an approved Substitute Authorization course, typically offered through one of Iowa's Area Education Agencies (AEAs)
• A national criminal history background check through Fieldprint
• Mandatory Child Abuse and Dependent Adult Abuse reporter training

The authorization is valid for five years, but it comes with a significant limitation: you cannot serve more than ten consecutive days in the same classroom assignment. On day eleven, the district needs a fully licensed substitute or a contracted teacher.

Costs for the Substitute Authorization are the $85 BoEE application fee, $3 portal convenience fee, and background check costs ($35 + $34.35), plus whatever the AEA charges for the authorization course.

The Preservice Substitute Authorization

Iowa offers a third option specifically for students currently enrolled in an approved teacher preparation program. If you're a junior or senior in an Iowa education program, you can apply for a Preservice Substitute Authorization that lets you substitute teach when you don't have scheduled college classes or active student teaching responsibilities.

There's one important boundary: you cannot serve as a substitute for your own cooperating teacher during your student teaching placement. The preservice authorization is designed to give future teachers classroom experience and supplemental income, not to complicate the student teaching relationship.

What to Expect in the Classroom

Regardless of which credential you hold, Iowa school districts handle their own substitute hiring. Most districts maintain internal substitute pools and set their own daily pay rates — typically ranging from $130 to $180 per day depending on the district and region, with long-term assignments sometimes paying more.

Districts also run their own employment background checks, separate from the BoEE's licensure background check. Having your BoEE credential cleared doesn't exempt you from the district's hiring process.

Making the Transition to Full Licensure

Many people use substitute teaching as a stepping stone. If your experience in Iowa classrooms convinces you to pursue full certification, the hours you log as a substitute don't directly count toward the clinical placement requirements for a teaching license — but the practical experience matters when you're choosing between pathways.

Career changers with a bachelor's degree and three years of work experience can pursue the Teacher Intern License through RAPIL, Drake, or Morningside. Those without the three-year work experience requirement might consider the newer HF 255 alternative certification pathway, which requires 60 hours of classroom experience (30 hours of supervised teaching) rather than a full internship year.

The Iowa Teacher Certification Guide walks through every pathway from substitute authorization through full licensure, with a decision worksheet that matches your background to the shortest legitimate route.

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