State Substitute Permit
A State Substitute Teaching Permit can be used to teach in all endorsement areas in all Nebraska schools. Someone who holds a state substitute permit may be employed to teach on a non-contractual basis (cannot be the teacher of record). Once issued, a state substitute permit expires August 31st in the fifth year following the year of issuance.
The requirements for a State Substitute Teaching Permit include the following:
- An application and fee in the TEACH system (Please note that registration for TEACH is required before an application can be submitted.)
- Fingerprints (Only required if someone has lived outside of Nebraska in the past five years.)
- Official Transcript(s)
- Institutional Verification – This form is used to show that a educator preparation program was completed and is sent electronically to Nebraska colleges and universities.
- Educator Certificate – A certificate is only required for those who have not been certified in Nebraska.
- Human Relations Training
More information on how to send supporting documents can be found in the FAQ section of this website.
Create an account in TEACH
You will need to use your personal email address. This will be the address that your permit gets emailed to as a PDF.
Start a new application
- What type of Certificate or Permit are you applying for today? = Select Teaching
- Ever held a Nebraska Teaching Certificate? = No
- Ever held an educator license in another state? = Yes/No
- Then select “First Time Applicant” and “STATE SUBSTITUTE” from the dropdown box and complete the online application.
In the application
A checklist will appear on the left side of the application. As you complete each section, the red X will change to a green check mark. Each tab has instructions to complete each section.
Certificate Type Tab
Select “All School Certificate or Permit” or “Nonpublic School Certificate ”. Districts you add to the employment section will be able to monitor your application and status.
Personal Information Tab
Enter your information. On this tab you can select the option “I hereby give my consent to the Nebraska Department of Education to use SMS messaging to send me notifications via text message and email.”
Academic Record Tab
If you have previously held a Nebraska teaching certificate, you will not need to add anything to this tab.
When an analyst processes your application they will review an official transcript for a Bachelor’s Degree and completion of a Teacher Preparation Program. Listing the college(s) you have attended lets the analyst know which schools to expect transcripts and forms from.
If you completed a teacher preparation program at an out of state college or university, you will need to provide an Institutional Verification Form signed by the certification officer.
To ADD a college or university follow these steps:
- Select the state where the college or university is located.
- Start to type the name of the college or university in the space provided. The name should appear in all capital letters and can be chosen from the list.
- Check the box if you completed an educator preparation program or added an endorsement at the college or university.
- Select the degree awarded from the list of choices. If you are more than one year away from graduation, choose “non degree” from the list OR make a selection and enter the date the degree was or will be conferred.
- Choose one of the two options for how you will send a transcript. If you are just updating the information, choose that you are going to send the transcript by mail in order to save the information.
- Click Save
Personal & Professional Fitness
Answer the questions listed. Any answer of “yes” will require explanation and documentation.
Testing
Nothing is required on this tab. If you have sent your test scores previously to the Nebraska Department of Education these will appear here.
Fingerprint
Select the option that accurately describes your residency for the last 5 years. Please note, that attending an out of state college would require you to select option “C”, as this means you were not continuously living in the state of Nebraska.
Declaration, Authorization and Signature
Your electronic signature will need to match the name on the application. If you previously had started the application, be sure to update your signature to reflect today’s date.
Fee and Payment
To move to the fee and payment, all of the tabs must be saved and have a green check mark next to them.
Other notes about applying for a State Substitute Permit
State Substitute Permits are for applicants that have completed a teacher preparation program. Applicants that have not met this requirement may qualify for a Local Substitute Permit.
To renew a State Substitute Teaching Permit, applicants must submit an application and fee in the TEACH system (Please note that registration for TEACH is required before an application can be submitted.)
A minimum of fifty (50) days of substitute teaching within five (5) years prior to the date of application is required for renewal. If the experience is not met, applicants should submit an official transcript of three (3) semester hours of college credit in education completed within five (5) years prior to the application date.
Applicants that do not meet the renewal requirements for a State Substitute Teaching Permit can apply for a Local Substitute Teaching Permit without taking any additional course work.