West Virginia Substitute Teaching License

The West Virginia Department of Education (DOE) offers substitute teaching certification to individuals who do not wish to devote their lives to education, but still enjoy the thrill of teaching.

Substitute teaching offers part-time work for teachers or other professionals interested in becoming full-time teachers some day. There are two levels of substitute teaching certification offered by West Virginia: short-term and long-term licenses. Short-term and long-term licenses last for three years.

Short-term license holders are qualified to temporarily replace a teacher for 30 or fewer consecutive instructional days, while long-term license holders are able to teach for longer than 30 days.

Education Requirements

In order to be eligible for both short and long-term substitute teaching certifications, individuals must have completed a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university in addition to maintaining a 2.0 GPA.

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Long-term substitute teaching candidates have the ability to earn endorsements in specific content areas if they completed 12 semester hours during their bachelor’s degree programs. For example, a substitute teacher who received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics would be qualified to receive a mathematics endorsement on their certification.

Examinations

West Virginia does not require substitute teachers to complete PRAXIS examinations before earning certification. However, a substitute teacher’s individual training program may include examinations to ensure they are absorbing information.

Experience

In order to receive their substitute teachers certifications, both long-term and short-term license seekers must prove they have completed 18 clock hours of training provided by the school district. This includes:

• State and Local Policies
• Classroom Management
• Content Standards and Objectives
• Overview of School Law

On-site training helps substitute teachers adjust to the classroom, and ensures they feel comfortable in teaching positions.

Document and Application Requirements

After completed all previous requirements, substitute teaching candidates are prepared to begin the certification application process.

Qualified individuals must print and complete Form 2 which details their contact information, background information, and qualifications.

Candidates must fully list out all institutions of learning, their degrees, and applicable endorsement areas. Applicants also must include a recommendation from the superintendent of their school district recommending the applicant for certification.

Potential substitute teachers must also request fingerprint cards from the DOE and include them in the application packet. The completed application packet, in addition to $45 in processing and $25 for fingerprint processing may be sent to the DOE office at:

Criminal History Background Check

All candidates seeking substitute teaching certification must submit to a background check from the state of West Virginia and the FBI. Applicants may print and complete consent Form 7 and include it with their fingerprint cards and application packets.

Contact Information

If you’d like to learn more about becoming a substitute teacher in West Virginia, see the certification website here. The certification office may also be contacted toll free at 1-800-982-2378.