Oregon Substitute Teaching License
Oregon offers two substitute teaching license paths through the Teacher Standards and Practices Commission: a Restricted Substitute Teaching License, which requires a bachelor’s degree and works in any district, and a District Substitute Teaching License for teacher candidates, student teachers, or classroom aides sponsored by one specific district. Both require district sponsorship, a background check, and an application through TSPC’s eLicensing system.
Sponsored School(s)
Oregon’s Teacher Standards and Practices Commission (TSPC) issues two different substitute teaching licenses, and the one you qualify for depends mostly on whether you hold a bachelor’s degree. Both require a sponsoring school district before you can apply, plus a background check and, in most cases, a state exam. Here’s what each license requires, how much Oregon districts pay substitutes by law, and how to keep your license current.
Use the links below to jump to license options, requirements, the application process, renewal rules, and current pay rates.
- Two paths to an Oregon substitute teaching license
- Education, background check, and exam requirements
- How to apply through TSPC
- License terms and renewal
- Oregon substitute teacher pay rates
Two Paths to an Oregon Substitute Teaching License
TSPC offers two license options if you haven’t completed a teacher preparation program and don’t already qualify for a Preliminary, Professional, or Reciprocal Teaching License.
The Restricted Substitute Teaching License requires a bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution, plus district sponsorship. Once issued, it’s valid for substitute assignments in any Oregon school district, not just the one that sponsored you.
The District Substitute Teaching License doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree, but it isn’t open to just anyone without one. Oregon reserves it for people already connected to a specific district: applicants enrolled in a teacher preparation program, student teachers placed in that district, or classroom aides with at least a year of experience as an instructional or educational assistant there. A district can also sponsor a community member at its own discretion, subject to TSPC approval. Unlike the Restricted license, a District Substitute Teaching License only authorizes you to work in the sponsoring district. Working in another district means getting a separate sponsorship and license for that district too.
If you already hold a Preliminary, Professional, or Reciprocal Teaching License, that license already qualifies you to substitute teach in any content area at any grade level, so you don’t need either substitute-specific license.
Education, Background Check, and Exam Requirements
A high school diploma or equivalent is the baseline for either Oregon substitute license. The Restricted license adds the bachelor’s degree requirement. The District license instead requires that you already be enrolled in a teacher preparation program, working as a student teacher, or serving as a classroom aide in the sponsoring district, or, at the district’s discretion, be an approved community member.
Every applicant must clear a criminal history background check through TSPC, including fingerprinting. Your sponsoring district provides the fingerprint card, a local law enforcement agency completes it, and you send the sealed results to TSPC with your application. Fingerprint clearance stays valid as long as you maintain an active license.
Both licenses also require demonstrating knowledge of U.S. and Oregon civil rights laws and professional ethics. TSPC typically satisfies this through the Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment exam, a computer-based test of 60 multiple-choice questions with a $95 fee and a passing score of 240. The full appointment, including the tutorial, runs about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
How to Apply Through TSPC
You need a district willing to sponsor you before you can apply. Contact the school district where you want to substitute teach and ask about their sponsorship and hiring process directly. For the District license specifically, the sponsoring district must confirm you meet one of the qualifying roles above and commit to providing an administrator who will train, guide, and supervise you.
Once a district agrees to sponsor you, it submits a statement to TSPC explaining its need for the substitute, and you complete the application and pay the required fees through TSPC’s eLicensing system online. TSPC’s standard licensure fee schedule sets the application and renewal fee at $182 for most license types, plus a small online system fee. Confirm current fees on TSPC’s Fees page before applying, since the Commission updates this schedule periodically.
License Terms and Renewal
A first-time Restricted or District Substitute Teaching License runs through June 30 of the school year you apply in, if you apply between July 1 and December 31. Apply between January 1 and June 30, and the first license instead runs through June 30 of the following school year, unless the sponsoring district requests otherwise. Renew before it expires while keeping the same sponsoring district, and the renewed license becomes valid for three years at a time, as long as you stay with that sponsor and remain in good standing. Change sponsors or let the license lapse, and you’re back to a first-time term.
A single substitute assignment can’t exceed 10 consecutive days under either license. Renewal doesn’t require professional development units or recent classroom experience.
Oregon Substitute Teacher Pay Rates
State law sets a minimum, and Oregon recalculates it every year based on the statewide average salary for beginning teachers who hold a bachelor’s degree. For the 2025-26 school year, the Oregon Department of Education set that base salary at $49,404, using 2024-25 data.
In districts on a 5-day school week, substitutes must be paid at least $221.02 a day for the first 10 consecutive days of an assignment, with half that for a half day. After the 10th day in the same assignment, the minimum rises to $260.02 a day, or the district’s own beginning-teacher salary rate if the district has a salary schedule and that rate is higher.
Districts running a 4-day school week use a slightly higher minimum: $248.65 a day for the first 8 days of an assignment, then $292.52 a day after that. These are legal floors, not typical pay. Many Oregon districts, especially in the Portland metro area, pay substitutes well above the state minimum.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a college degree to substitute teach in Oregon?
Not necessarily. The District Substitute Teaching License doesn’t require a bachelor’s degree, but it’s limited to people already connected to a specific district, such as teacher candidates, student teachers, or classroom aides with at least a year of experience there. The Restricted Substitute Teaching License requires a bachelor’s degree but lets you work in any Oregon district once issued.
How long does an Oregon substitute teaching license last?
Your first license runs through June 30 of the school year you apply in, or the following June 30 if you apply between January and June. Renew it before it expires with the same sponsoring district, and it becomes valid for three years at a time.
How much do substitute teachers get paid in Oregon?
State law sets a minimum daily rate that’s recalculated each year. For 2025-26, that floor is $221.02 a day in districts on a 5-day week, rising to $260.02 after 10 consecutive days in one assignment, with a similar structure for 4-day week districts. Many districts pay more than the minimum.
Do I have to pass an exam to substitute teach in Oregon?
Both substitute licenses require demonstrating knowledge of U.S. and Oregon civil rights laws and professional ethics. TSPC typically satisfies this through the Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment exam, which costs $95 and requires a passing score of 240 out of 60 questions.
Can I substitute teach in more than one Oregon school district?
It depends on which license you hold. The Restricted Substitute Teaching License is valid in any Oregon school district once issued. The District Substitute Teaching License only covers the district that sponsored you, so adding another district means getting a separate sponsorship and license for that district too.
- Two license paths, different eligibility — the Restricted Substitute Teaching License requires a bachelor’s degree and works statewide, while the District Substitute Teaching License doesn’t require a degree but is limited to teacher candidates, student teachers, or district classroom aides, and only covers the sponsoring district.
- License terms start with a partial year — first-time licenses run through June 30 of the current or following school year depending on when you apply, then renew in three-year terms with the same sponsor.
- Pay follows a state formula, not a flat rate — Oregon recalculates the minimum daily substitute rate every year from statewide beginning-teacher salary data, with a 2025-26 floor of $221.02 a day for 5-day-week districts.
- Assignments cap at 10 consecutive days — under either license, working longer in the same assignment isn’t allowed without a different license or arrangement.
- Both licenses require the civil rights and ethics requirement — TSPC typically satisfies this through the Protecting Student and Civil Rights in the Educational Environment exam.
Find accredited teacher certification programs in Oregon if you’re ready to move from substitute teaching toward a full teaching license.
