Employment

1. Must hold an Associate’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or show completion of 60 semester hours of coursework.

• Valid for substitute teaching in all grades of the public schools, prekindergarten through grade 12.
• Short-Term Substitute licenses are valid until June 30, 2023, and may not be renewed. 
• Cannot teach more than 5 consecutive days per licensed teacher 
• Must complete a training program provided by the school board

Apply on-line through your ELIS account.

Looking to become a substitute teacher?  

A great place to start is to read through our How To Become A Substitute Teacher document.

To substitute teach in Illinois individuals are required to hold a valid Illinois Professional Educator License (PEL) OR a Substitute Teaching License.

The only way to apply for a PEL or a Substitute Teaching License is through ELIS.

Educator Licensure Information System (ELIS)

You will need to go through the ELIS wizard to complete either license application. You will need a debit/credit card to pay the $50 fee.

Applicants can bring official transcripts to one of our ROE offices and we will be happy to scan and submit them to ISBE for you. While you can do that yourself, ISBE told us that it will be faster if the ROE submits them for you.

When the license is issued, you will need to register it. The cost will be $50 ($10 per year). This fee is also payable by debit/credit card through ELIS.

After you receive your license via ELIS and if you are interested in substitute teaching in the ROE 3 (Bond, Christian, Effingham, Fayette and Montgomery Counties) region, we recommend that you stop by one of our offices and apply for an ROE 3 Substitute Authorization Certificate. The cost is $25. We require a physical examination by a board-certified and licensed physician. We will also arrange a fingerprint criminal background check for you through Bushue Human Resources. Your cost for the background check will be $54.

The Regional Office of Education will hold all these records for you and issue the Substitute Authorization Certificate, which allows you to substitute teach at any school in the ROE 3 region without additional background checks and associated costs. The Substitute Authorization Certificate is only valid in the school districts within Bond, Christian, Effingham, Fayette and Montgomery Counties.

To learn more about ELIS and how it works, please review the documents, webinars and presentations on

ISBE’s Education Licensure website

The Illinois State Board of Education will accept telephone calls and written correspondence. The general number for the Division of Educator Licensure is 217-557-6763, and the address is Illinois State Board of Education, Educator Licensure Division (S-306), 100 North First Street, Springfield, Illinois 62777-0001.

As always, you may call the Regional Office of Education at any of our locations for assistance.

In a nutshell, the essentials for obtaining a Substitute Teaching License are:

1. Anyone with a bachelor’s degree or higher from a regionally accredited institution of higher education is eligible for a substitute teaching license.
2. A substitute teaching license is valid for five years and may be renewed with payment of registration fees.
3. Individuals who hold a license indicative of a bachelor’s degree (such as a professional educator license) can substitute on that license.
4. Applicants must pay a $50 application fee.

SUBSTITUTE REIMBURSEMENT INFORMATION

In efforts to reduce the substitute teacher shortage, ISBE is now offering a reimbursement of application and registration fees to qualifying applicants.

To see if you qualify, please check the ISBE web site for information:

https://www.isbe.net/Pages/reimbursement-information.aspx