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Substitute Frequently Asked Questions
Scroll through the items below to learn about common questions and concerns that you might have around substitute teaching and the Senya app. If you don't see an answer that you need, you can explore our Resources pages or Contact Us directly with your question.
Jump to FAQ about:
Payments, Fees, and the Everee Payment Provider
FAQ about Substitute Teaching
What are the requirements to become a substitute teacher?
In most states, the basic requirement to become a substitute teacher is a fingerprint background check. The other requirement is a passion for helping schools and students! The Senya platform makes the process easy, helping you meet your particular state's requirements and getting you into classrooms quickly.
Are there substitute teaching jobs near me?
Yes! Substitutes are in high demand in every community, especially as schools grapple with staffing shortages. Senya is currently partnered with schools across Arizona, California, Florida, Nevada, New York City, Texas, and Utah!
How much do substitute teachers get paid?
The pay rate differs depending on the state and school, but substitutes typically make at least $100/day, with some schools paying well over $200 a day. When you join the Senya platform, pay for completed jobs is facilitated every Friday, and you are eligible to participate in the Tier Bonus program, where you can earn extra pay on every job!
Can I do substitute teaching as a side/second job? How about full time?
Substitute teaching as a freelancer fits with all kinds of schedules! Many people enter substitute teaching as a side source of income, but many people discover that there is so much need and opportunity that they get hired by schools for permanent positions. Visit our Resource page to learn more about how substitute teaching can work with your goals.
What schools, grade levels, and classes will I be working with?
Senya partners with charter, private, and public schools; currently, charter schools make up the majority of our partners. Through the Senya platform, you can work with a variety of grade levels and class types, including elementary, middle, high school, special education, arts/"specials" classes, and so on! You can adjust settings on the app to see the schools, grade levels, or subject areas that you are interested in.
FAQ about the Senya App
Is the Senya mobile app different than the web platform?
You can access all the same features whether you are on the web version or have the app on your mobile device. However, substitutes share that the mobile app makes everything more convenient through notifications and the ability to see jobs as soon as they are posted to you, no matter where you might be throughout the day.
What can I do on the Senya app?
The Senya app makes it easy and convenient for you to manage all aspects of substitute teaching:
- step-by-step guidance through onboarding and fingerprinting
- settings and preferences to see the jobs you are most interested in taking
- directions and contacts for schools
- calendars to set your schedule
- reminders for upcoming jobs
- resources to build up your substitute teaching skills
- daily earnings tracker and weekly pay
- direct chat support with Senya Customer Service
I have an emergency and need to cancel a job. What do I do?
If you must cancel a job, do it right away through the Senya platform so that the school can get another substitute––the more notice, the better for schools to get needed help. Jobs must be canceled more than 24 hours before the start time to maintain your eligibility for tier bonuses. For more details, visit the Readiness Center, click on Job Processes and Policies, and then look at the policies for canceling and last-minute cancellations.
Something isn't working for me on the app. How do I get in contact with someone at Senya?
If you are seeing error messages or experience other technical issues, please reach out to the Senya Customer Service team. The fastest way to contact the team is by clicking on the red "Chat with Us" button on the app. You can also send a message through the Senya website's contact form. The support email and telephone number are also available on the contact page.
I have done everything to get started but am still waiting on my fingerprint results. How will I know when I am cleared?
You will receive an email once we receive your fingerprint results, letting you know that you can schedule the video introduction meeting with a Senya representative. After that video meeting (through GoogleMeet), you can be approved to begin subbing!
When will I be able to start viewing and accepting jobs?
Once you complete all the onboarding items, you will be able to get started right away! Typically, the item that has the most wait time is the fingerprinting, with clearance results coming within a few days to a week. After your fingerprint results are received, the final item is to schedule and meet with a Senya representative, who can approve you to view and accept jobs.
FAQ about the Tier Bonus Program
Who can participate in the Tier Bonus program?
Anyone who has been cleared to substitute teach on the Senya platform is eligible to participate in the Tier bonus program. There is no additional signup! The bonuses are based on working more during the calendar month and maintaining a high rating from schools. View our Resource page on the Tier Bonus program for more information.
How do I qualify for bonuses?
The Tier Bonus program works as follows:
Tier 1 (0-249 points)
- Substitutes earn the school pay rate
Tier 2 (250-499 points)
- Substitutes earn the school pay rate and 30% of each job’s available bonus
Tier 3 (500-749 points)
- Substitutes earn the school pay rate and 60% of each job’s available bonus
Tier 4 (750+ points)
- Substitutes earn the school pay rate and 100% of each job’s available bonus
What Does “Available Bonus” Mean?
Each job has an available bonus amount—money that is set aside as a potential bonus for substitutes. The amount that substitutes can earn is tied to their eligibility and work patterns:
- Substitutes who are not eligible for bonuses do not receive any of the bonus amount.
- Substitutes who move up Tier levels receive a percentage based on their Tier, as outlined above.
- Substitutes who take last-minute jobs receive a percentage based on the urgency of the circumstances, as outlined in the Urgency Bonus Programsection (later in this guide).
For example, a job may have an available bonus of $30.00. Substitutes may receive none of the bonus or up to all of that bonus, depending on their eligibility and work patterns.
Senya is proud to reward substitutes for their commitment with bonus pay. Available bonus amounts vary based on market conditions in each region where substitutes are working. The available bonus is affected by a number of factors, including the pay rates of schools, the number of schools in a region, and the number of substitutes in a region. For this reason, substitutes may see varying available bonus amounts across jobs; however, the Tier and Urgency bonus programs ensure that substitutes have the opportunity to receive bonus pay beyond schools’ pay rates.
How Are Bonuses Applied?
Bonuses are immediately applied to future jobs upon reaching each Tier level, and substitutes start the next month at the Tier level earned each previous month! However, points reset each month, so substitutes must earn points in the current month to maintain or build their Tier level for the next month.
How to Earn Points
Completing Jobs
Substitutes earn a minimum of 50 points per completed job.
Some jobs may, but not always, offer more points for special circumstances:
- months with fewer school days (e.g., school breaks)
- fewer jobs available in an area
- new partner schools in an area
- hard-to-fill jobs (remote campuses; special education, etc.)
- last-minute job postings
- Mondays, Fridays, days before/after holidays
Checking In Early
Substitutes who check in on the app between 4-8 AM and who mark themselves as available to work that same day can earn a minimum of 50 points for the day:
- If presented with same-day jobs, substitutes receive the minimum 50 points by accepting and completing one of those jobs.
- If not presented with any same-day jobs, substitutes still receive the minimum 50 points since they were seeking to work but no jobs were available.
- If presented with same-day jobs and all of them are declined, substitutes do not receive any points since they did not wish to work.
Additional Details:
Substitutes must check in each day to be presented with jobs unless they already have an accepted job for that day or have marked themselves as unavailable on the Senya app’s calendar.
Substitutes interested in working same-day jobs get points for participating in the early check-in between 4-8 AM. All other substitutes must still check in at some point each day to indicate that they are interested in being presented with jobs on future days.
Weekends:
Substitutes must check in on the app on Fridays to be presented with jobs over weekends. Remember that substitutes are counted as “checked in” if they already have a job on a given Friday or have marked themselves as unavailable on their Senya calendar on a Friday.
School Breaks:
To ensure substitutes can still reach higher Tier levels, Senya increases points for jobs in months when there are fewer school days. Under this system, substitutes who check in or work every available day can still advance in Tier levels.
During extended seasonal breaks when no schools are in session (no available jobs), the app will notify subs of when they can pause, and when they must resume, daily check-ins. Substitutes will be presented with future jobs during breaks.
Calendaring Ahead
Substitutes earn 10 points per day that they mark themselves as unavailable on their calendar in the Senya app.
- This can be done well in advance but must be done by 8:00 AM each day to earn points. Substitutes may also check in on the app before 8 AM and mark themselves as unavailable on the pop-up to receive these points.
- These points are awarded at the end of each of the marked days. In other words, marking 5 days as unavailable does not instantly earn 50 points; rather, 10 points are awarded at the end of each of those marked days.
- By marking their calendar ahead, substitutes are protected from accidentally accepting jobs on days they are unavailable, they do not need to check in on those days, and they won’t be presented with job alerts that they won’t be able to accept on those days.
Why did my Tier status suddenly drop?
There are only a few reasons your Tier status drops:
- You did not earn the number of points needed in a calendar month to maintain your current Tier.
- Your average rating from schools has dropped below 4 stars.
- You canceled a job within 24 hours of the start time, so you are moved down to Tier 1 for the next 5 jobs.
I got a low rating from a school, and it dropped my Tier status down. What do I do?
Continue taking substitute jobs; do everything you can to build relationships with schools and to earn high ratings. See the Resource page titled "5 Tips for Substitute Teachers" to learn about the top 5 things that schools say will earn their subs a 5-star rating.
FAQ about Payments, Fees, and the Everee Payment Provider
When do I get paid?
Senya facilitates payments from schools every Friday for all jobs completed 1 week prior. Those Friday payments should be available in your bank account by 5:00 PM Mountain Time at the latest, according to your bank's processing time.
What is Everee?
Everee is a company that manages direct deposit payments. You will receive emails from Everee regarding your Friday payments.
Are there fees for using the Senya platform?
There is no fee for downloading the Senya app. There is only a standard $3.00 fee for each job that you arrange and complete through the Senya platform, which supports the development and maintenance of the software. The fee is deducted from your total pay, which you can track on the Income tab of your account.
I don't think my pay is correct. Whom do I contact?
Contact a Senya Customer Service representative by clicking the red "Chat with Us" button on the app or by using the website Contact page. Do not contact Everee unless directed by a Senya representative.
I want payments to go to a different account. Where can I change my direct deposit on the app?
The fastest way is to click on the Income tab and go to the Direct Deposit item. This will allow you to make changes to your bank information. Note that it may take a few days for the changes to take effect (it takes Everee and your bank time to process the update).
FAQ about the Rating System
When do I get a rating?
Schools are able to give you a rating after the end time of each job.
Senya does not supervise or assess substitutes' work since they are independent contract workers, and therefore, Senya does not give ratings to substitutes. Substitute ratings are based entirely on the rating submissions by schools.
After completed jobs, schools rates substitutes on a scale of 1-5 stars for three categories:
- Professionalism (on time, dressed appropriately, stayed off personal devices)
- Communication (checked in/out with office, left notes for teacher)
- Classroom Management (engaging, friendly, followed lesson plan)
The three categories are averaged, and that average is factored into each substitute's overall rating.
- The overall rating is a continuing average of school ratings as they are added to each substitute's profile.
- If a school does not submit a rating, substitutes receive a top rating by default, but it is weighted less than a school-submitted rating.
- The overall rating is maintained for the "lifetime" of substitute accounts; the rating carries over (does not reset) across school years.
Schools must type feedback if marking any rating below 4 stars so that substitutes know what to improve.
Substitutes can view their overall rating on their Senya profile. Substitutes can view specific job ratings and comments on the Tier Audit screen.
Schools are able to see substitutes' overall ratings, but they do not see ratings or comments for individual jobs.
What happens if a school doesn't give me a rating?
If a school does not submit a rating within 48 hours, you are given a top rating by default.
What qualities will get me a high rating?
You can guess at some of the things that schools appreciate with substitutes, such as being professionally dressed, friendly toward staff and students, engaging in the classroom, and appropriate with personal conduct. However, there are a few things that you might not think about, which are discussed in more detail on our Resource page titled "5 Tips for Substitute Teachers." These are the top things that schools mention as reasons they give 5-star ratings.
Why did I get a low rating from a school?
There are a number of reasons why a school might be unsatisfied, but the top reasons that Senya receives from feedback include:
- arriving late
- being on a cell phone
- remaining at the teacher desk all day
- not following the teacher's lesson plan
- discussing personal life details or other off-task topics
- leaving students unattended
- yelling at students
How do I rate a school where I subbed?
On the Income tab, you can see all your recently completed jobs; there is a green "Rate Job" button, where you can rate and give feedback. You are able to rate jobs within 48 hours after the job end time.
Who sees my rating?
Schools are able to see your average rating, but they do not see any specific feedback that schools have submitted.
FAQ about the 1099 Contract
What is a 1099 contract? Why is it called a 1099?
A 1099 contract means that you are an independent contractor, or freelance worker. You are considered self-employed for tax purposes, running your own business, which can include providing substitute teaching services to schools. Since you are not employed by Senya, your income is reported on a 1099 tax form.
Does Senya withhold taxes or provide insurance?
No. As a 1099 independent contractor, you are responsible to withhold your own taxes; it is recommended that you speak with a tax professional or study official tax information to determine those withholdings. As a contract worker, you are responsible to acquire any insurance that you are required or interested in holding.
Can I do other work outside of my contract with Senya?
Yes! As a freelance worker, you are not exclusively tied to Senya or even to substitute work. You are able to have other jobs and market your skills to seek any other work opportunities that you want to pursue.
When and where do I get my 1099 tax statement for the year?
You can access your 1099 tax statement for the previous year by going to the Income tab and clicking on the Tax Documents item. Everee posts the 1099 statement on January 31 of each new year. You may also create or log in to your Everee account to access the document. If your income from jobs on the Senya platform was less than $600.00, you will not receive a 1099 statement.
