Substitute Teachers build social perceptiveness, instructing and time management skills that carry over to other work. Below are 25 careers ranked by how closely their skills match, with pay from BLS May 2025. The closest match is Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education (94%).
Updated October 2026 · Data: O*NET 31.0 and BLS OEWS May 2025 · How we match careers
Sorted by skill match.
| # | Career | Skill match | Median pay | Pay change | Extra education |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education | 94% | $62,680 | +50% | None |
| 2 | Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | 93% | $63,970 | +54% | None |
| 3 | Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 92% | $72,040 | +73% | None |
| 4 | Special Education Teachers, Secondary School | 92% | $74,260 | +78% | None |
| 5 | Middle School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 89% | $64,370 | +54% | None |
| 6 | Special Education Teachers, Middle School | 87% | $66,810 | +60% | None |
| 7 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Secondary School | 83% | $66,270 | +59% | None |
| 8 | Special Education Teachers, Preschool | 83% | $64,830 | +56% | None |
| 9 | Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education | 82% | $38,140 | −8% | None |
| 10 | Career/Technical Education Teachers, Middle School | 82% | $65,030 | +56% | None |
Compared with Substitute Teachers, Short-Term, median $41,670. Skill match is our estimate (0–99) from O*NET 31.0 skills, knowledge, work activities and interests, adjusted for preparation and big pay drops. Pay: BLS OEWS May 2025, national median.
How important each skill is in work as substitute teachers (O*NET importance, scale 1–5).
The gaps that show up most often across your top 10 matches.
Free and low-cost training: use the CareerOneStop training finder below.
A concrete first step, the skills to add, and the hard parts of each job, from O*NET 31.0 education, training and work context data.
94% skill match · $62,680 · +50% pay
Coordination · Systems Evaluation · Judgment and Decision Making
93% skill match · $63,970 · +54% pay
Coordination · Judgment and Decision Making · Systems Evaluation
92% skill match · $72,040 · +73% pay
Judgment and Decision Making · Systems Evaluation · Management of Material Resources
No work-context factor stands out as unusually hard in O*NET data.
If you want to stay close to what you do now, these roles are the nearest.
The closest matches are Kindergarten Teachers, Except Special Education (94% skill match, median $62,680), Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education (93% skill match, median $63,970) and Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education (92% skill match, median $72,040), based on O*NET 31.0 data and BLS May 2025 pay.
Among the 25 matches, 21 pay more than substitute teachers at the median. The biggest increases: English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary (+89%, $78,760), Instructional Coordinators (+86%, $77,440) and Family and Consumer Sciences Teachers, Postsecondary (+82%, $75,870).
20 of the 25 matches usually need no more education than you have now, based on O*NET Job Zones. 5 usually need a graduate degree: Teaching Assistants, Postsecondary, Instructional Coordinators and Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselors and Advisors.
We compare the importance of skills, knowledge, work activities and interests in O*NET 31.0 for your job and every other career, then adjust for extra preparation and big pay drops. The full method is on our Methodology page.