Arkansas Substitute Teaching License
Arkansas doesn’t require a license for most substitute teaching positions. A traditional substitute needs only a high school diploma or GED, while a long-term substitute filling in for more than 60 consecutive days needs a bachelor’s degree or an Arkansas teaching license. Working professionals can also teach part-time through the Provisional Professional Teaching License after documenting content-area experience and passing a content exam.
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A teacher calls in sick on a Tuesday, and by Wednesday morning, someone else needs to be standing in front of that classroom. If you’re wondering how to become a substitute teacher in Arkansas, the short answer is that the state fills that gap without much red tape. Unlike full teacher certification, the state sets no statewide license or exam for most substitutes, leaving the specifics to individual school districts. There’s more structure than that sounds, though, once you factor in long-term assignments and the state’s Provisional Professional Teaching License for career professionals moving into the classroom.
Use the links below to jump to traditional substitute requirements, long-term substitute rules, the Provisional Professional Teaching License, background checks, and how to apply.
- Traditional substitute teacher requirements in Arkansas
- Long-term substitute teacher rules
- Provisional Professional Teaching License qualifications
- Criminal history background check process
- How to apply for a substitute teaching position
Traditional Substitute Teacher Requirements in Arkansas
Most people who substitute teach in Arkansas fall into this category, and it’s the easiest of the three paths to qualify for. The traditional substitute doesn’t hold any state-issued license or permit. Instead, each school district sets its own hiring bar, and most districts require substitutes to be at least 18 with a high school diploma or GED already in hand.
Education and Experience
A high school diploma or GED is the baseline. You don’t need any college coursework, prior classroom experience, or teaching background to apply. Some districts prefer applicants who’ve worked with kids before, whether that’s coaching, tutoring, or a paraprofessional role, but that preference isn’t a state requirement. Check with your local school district directly, since hiring bars vary from one to the next.
Examination
Traditional substitutes don’t sit for any state exam before being hired. That’s the biggest difference between this path and the Provisional Professional Teaching License described below, which does require passing a content-area test.
Long-Term Substitute Teacher Requirements
Arkansas draws a line at 60 consecutive days. If you’re filling in for a teacher who is out on military, medical, catastrophic, or maternity leave past that point, the state classifies you as a Long-Term Substitute (LTS) rather than a traditional one, and the bar goes up. An LTS needs a bachelor’s degree at a minimum or a valid Arkansas teaching license if you already hold one. A class can’t be assigned the same long-term substitute for more than one academic year, and the state’s Division of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) makes the final call on approving each LTS assignment.
This distinction matters for anyone weighing substitute work as a stepping stone into a certified teaching role. A long-term assignment gives you sustained classroom responsibility, closer to what a licensed teacher of record handles day to day, and Arkansas requires a higher credential to match that responsibility. If you already hold a license from another state, it’s worth checking Arkansas’s teacher reciprocity requirements before assuming you need to start over.
Provisional Professional Teaching License Requirements
Arkansas has a separate track for working professionals who want to move into the classroom without leaving their career behind: the Provisional Professional Teaching License (PPTL). Unlike traditional or long-term substitute work, it requires a formal application, a content-area exam, and ongoing pedagogy training, and it functions as a three-year license rather than an informal permit. If a full teaching license is the longer-term goal, Arkansas’s alternative teaching certification routes are worth comparing against the PPTL path.
Education and Experience
To qualify, you need a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university, plus documentation of at least three years of working experience in the specific content area you plan to teach. The degree itself doesn’t have to be in that content area. A former engineer moving into a high school physics classroom, for example, would need to document three years of engineering-related work experience alongside the bachelor’s degree, not necessarily a physics degree.
Applicants also submit two professional letters of recommendation speaking to their content-area experience.
Examination and Training
PPTL candidates must pass the applicable state content-knowledge exam for their subject, along with the required background checks, before the license is issued. Once licensed, PPTL holders complete 12 hours of pedagogy training each year for all three years of the license, for 36 hours total, in addition to any professional development required of other teachers.
Want to learn how to earn a professional teaching certification? Contact schools offering teaching certification programs in Arkansas.
The PPTL covers middle childhood (grades 4-8), secondary (grades 7-12), and K-12 content areas, and it authorizes the holder to teach part-time or full-time as the teacher of record, not just a limited number of periods. It’s not available for elementary, special education, adult education, or school counselor licensure.
| Substitute Type | Education Required | Experience / Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Traditional Substitute | High school diploma or GED | None required |
| Long-Term Substitute (60+ days) | Bachelor’s degree, or a valid Arkansas teaching license | None beyond the degree or license |
| Provisional Professional Teaching License | Bachelor’s degree (any field) from an accredited institution | 3 years of content-area work experience, plus a passing score on the applicable content exam |
Criminal History Background Check
Every substitute in Arkansas goes through the same background screening, whether they’re a traditional substitute or a Provisional Professional Teaching License holder. That includes an FBI/Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check and a Department of Human Services Child Maltreatment Central Registry check.
Your local school district provides the forms for the state police check, or you can reach DESE’s Office of Educator Licensure directly at (501) 682-4342. The State Police report your background check and fingerprinting results directly to the Arkansas Department of Education.
The DHS Child Maltreatment Central Registry check is now processed online rather than by mail. You generate the request form through the DHS website, upload the signed form, and pay the processing fee online. DHS reports its results directly to the Arkansas Department of Education, so there’s no need to submit copies yourself.
How to Apply for a Substitute Teaching Position
Traditional Substitutes
Contact your local school district directly to find open substitute positions and request an application. Depending on the district’s policies, you may be able to choose the grade level or subject you want to substitute in.
Provisional Professional Teaching License Applicants
You’ll need two letters of professional recommendation speaking to your content-area experience, your completed application, your content exam score report, documentation of your background checks, and your college transcripts. Applications go to the Office of Educator Licensure, Arkansas Department of Education, Four Capitol Mall, Room 106-B, Little Rock, AR 72201, along with a $75 application fee.
For questions about the Provisional Professional Teaching License, contact DESE’s Office of Educator Licensure at (501) 682-4342. For substitute teacher openings, reach out to your local school district.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need a license to be a substitute teacher in Arkansas?
Not for a traditional substitute position. Arkansas doesn’t require a state-issued license or permit for most substitute teaching, and each school district sets its own hiring criteria. A license or bachelor’s degree only comes into play for long-term assignments or the separate Provisional Professional Teaching License.
What’s the difference between a traditional and a long-term substitute in Arkansas?
A traditional substitute fills in the short term with just a high school diploma or GED. Once you’re covering the same classroom for more than 60 consecutive days, Arkansas classifies you as a long-term substitute, which requires a bachelor’s degree or a valid Arkansas teaching license. A class can’t keep the same long-term substitute for more than one academic year.
How old do you have to be to substitute teach in Arkansas?
The state itself doesn’t set a minimum age, but most school districts require substitutes to be at least 18. Check with your specific district, since requirements can vary.
What is the Arkansas Provisional Professional Teaching License?
It’s a three-year license that lets working professionals teach in their content area without completing a traditional education degree. It requires a bachelor’s degree, three years of documented work experience in that content area, two letters of professional recommendation, and a passing score on the applicable content exam. License holders also complete 12 hours of pedagogy training each year of the license.
Do Arkansas substitutes need to pass a background check?
Yes. Every substitute, regardless of type, must pass an FBI/Arkansas State Police Criminal Background Check and a DHS Child Maltreatment Central Registry check before starting.
- Most substitutes need no license. A high school diploma or GED is enough for traditional, short-term substitute positions in Arkansas.
- 60 days change the requirements. Long-term substitutes covering the same classroom for more than 60 consecutive days need a bachelor’s degree or an Arkansas teaching license, and can’t hold that assignment for more than one academic year.
- The Provisional Professional Teaching License has its own bar. A bachelor’s degree, three years of content-area work experience, and a passing content exam score, plus 12 hours of pedagogy training each year of the three-year license.
- Background checks apply to everyone. An FBI/State Police check and a DHS Central Registry check are required regardless of which substitute path you take.
Find accredited teacher certification programs in Arkansas, including application requirements and licensing timelines, if substitute teaching is your first step toward full certification.
