# School subs can't get unemployment during the the summer? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 24, 2010, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315 "2010-06-24T03:33:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2010, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/21 "2010-06-26T16:00:29Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > Hmm. In my state, you can still get it as an adjunct or part-time teacher. It counts as being “under-employed.” Adjunct faculty can collect unemployment, or underemployment, benefits under the Cervisi ruling: [http://fa.fhda.edu/Info\_pt\_pdfs/fa\_info\_sheet\_1.pdf](http://fa.fhda.edu/Info_pt_pdfs/fa_info_sheet_1.pdf) No adjunct really has reasonable assurance of going back to work even if they are offered classes, since those classes can be yanked away at the last minute. ---
**Author:** ![Thin\_Ice](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/aeb1de/32.png) [@Thin\_Ice](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thin_Ice)\ **Post date:** [June 26, 2010, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/22 "2010-06-26T18:43:48Z")
One of the very first things we were told, as new school bus drivers, was we could not collect unemployment benefits during summer break. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2010, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/23 "2010-06-27T13:42:53Z")
You say there is no garuntee that you’ll be working in Septemeber. I don’t think there is even a garuntee in writing that you will have work during the school year. Each day you work is a seperate thing. There is nothing garunteeing 40 hours a week. Some weeks you’ll work 5 days, some 1, and some zero. So it isn’t even a full time job. Plus, it isn’t like the lack of summer employment came as a surprise to you. You had all year to look for a summer job! Why _should_ you get unemployment!? ---
**Author:** ![SciFiSam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/47e85d/32.png) [@SciFiSam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SciFiSam)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2010, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/24 "2010-06-27T14:12:47Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > You say there is no garuntee that you’ll be working in Septemeber. I don’t think there is even a garuntee in writing that you will have work during the school year. Each day you work is a seperate thing. There is nothing garunteeing 40 hours a week. Some weeks you’ll work 5 days, some 1, and some zero. So it isn’t even a full time job. > > Plus, it isn’t like the lack of summer employment came as a surprise to you. You had all year to look for a summer job! > Why _should_ you get unemployment!? She did look for a summer job and had three lined up, but they fell through. The lack of guarantee of work in September is a good reason for her to get unemployment in the Summer, IMHO; she is still looking for work, after all. It’s not like school bus drivers or teachers who are actually employed by the school. ---
**Author:** ![pabstist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 12:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/25 "2010-06-28T00:45:53Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > Plus, it isn’t like the lack of summer employment came as a surprise to you. You had all year to look for a summer job! > Why _should_ you get unemployment!? I did have three summer jobs lined up! Sadly, they didn’t happen. I should get unemployment because I am unemployed. I have no income right now, unlike a few weeks ago. Teachers and bus drivers know they will have to work everyday starting Sept. first. And they usually sign contracts before the summer for the next school year. I don’t even have a verbal promise that I might work next fall. It’s not like I’m a deadbeat trying to cheat the system. I just can’t understand why subs are singled out. I can’t get out of paying bills by giving them “reasonable assurance” that I might work in a few months. ---
**Author:** ![vivalostwages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d07c76/32.png) [@vivalostwages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vivalostwages)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/26 "2010-06-28T03:59:20Z")
It might depend on which state you’re in. I just did some Googling on substitute teachers and unemployment and found some info but it was for California. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 7:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/27 "2010-06-28T07:54:13Z")
Huh. I don’t know about subbing, but my sister was able to do it as a tech. She was essentially fired for the summer, and started to collect unemployment. And then they suddenly needed her back early, and she lost unemployment. But, during the time she was not working, she had a brief waiting period, and then was able to collect unemployment. The thing with subs is that you are absolutely not guaranteed a job, as it’s pretty much first come first serve. But the summer thing doesn’t make sense. What school system doesn’t have some form of summer school? My mom was offered to sub, and she’s employed full time the rest of the year. ---
**Author:** ![rowe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e68b1a/32.png) [@rowe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowe)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2010, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/28 "2010-06-28T21:46:07Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > What school system doesn’t have some form of summer school? My mom was offered to sub, and she’s employed full time the rest of the year. I would think a lot of schools have cut back drastically on summer school. The school where my fiancee teaches had to cut summer English classes for financial reasons so that wasn’t an option for her at all. ---
**Author:** ![pabstist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e99b99/32.png) [@pabstist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pabstist)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/29 "2010-06-29T02:14:30Z")
The summer school classes in my area are now all online since last year. Many teachers used to pick up extra money in the summer teaching them. And I’ve never heard of them calling in subs for summer school before then, I wonder what they did? They certainly never called me. ---
**Author:** ![RedSwinglineOne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a9adbd/32.png) [@RedSwinglineOne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RedSwinglineOne)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/30 "2010-06-29T16:21:31Z")
> [@pabstist](#): > > I should get unemployment because I am unemployed. I have no income right now, unlike a few weeks ago. > > … > > It’s not like I’m a deadbeat trying to cheat the system. I just can’t understand why subs are singled out. You’re not unemployed. Your job, by definition, is 9 months a year, whenever another teacher calls in sick. When a teacher gets sick in September, you will work. Unemployment is designed for people whose jobs have been eliminated, not to pad the income of people whose jobs are less than full time. I work 9-5, mon-fri. Am I considered unemployed on Saturday? ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 29, 2010, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315/31 "2010-06-29T16:29:31Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > You say there is no garuntee that you’ll be working in Septemeber. I don’t think there is even a garuntee in writing that you will have work during the school year. Each day you work is a seperate thing. There is nothing garunteeing 40 hours a week. Some weeks you’ll work 5 days, some 1, and some zero. So it isn’t even a full time job. This is exactly what I was thinking when I read the OP. The problem is not that they have something against substitute teachers, but that substitute teachers don’t have steady work to begin with. What would happen if a week went by when all the regular teachers came in and they didn’t need any subs - would you feel entitled to unemployment then? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/school-subs-cant-get-unemployment-during-the-the-summer/544315.md?page=1)