About the role
On-Call Founding Substitute Pool · Reports to the Principal · Bachelor’s degree required · Secondary (grades 6–12) teaching or substitute experience preferred; high school (grades 9–12) experience highly preferred · College-preparatory, independent, Jewish day or faith-based school experience is a plus. Being Jewish is not a requirement for this role. Fewer years but exceptional craft? We hire for mastery, not seat time.
Are you an educator who can walk into any room and hold both warmth and standards? Do you want a flexible connection to a school built on excellence? Are you interested in a first look at a founding faculty as it grows? If so, Davis School Chicago wants to hear from you.
The Dream Team
Davis School Chicago is a proudly Jewish, college-preparatory high school opening in fall 2027 in downtown Chicago, in a state-of-the-art building at the heart of a great city for learning. Every adult at Davis Chicago is an educator and a culture-builder. We hold two expectations at the same time: deep human warmth and uncompromising intellectual excellence. High health and high results, never one at the cost of the other. This is a summary of the characteristics that describe our dream team. Please read the full Profile of the Ideal Davis Chicago Educator and more information about our opportunities before you apply.
To thrive here you are
- Warm and intellectually formidable. Genuinely kind and seriously bright. We hire for intellectual horsepower; only sharp minds grow students to their full potential.
- You bring the room to life. Passion people feel, loud or quiet, with the range to teach, support, and lead.
- A builder who owns it. Startup grit, a real growth mindset, open about mistakes, gives the gift of feedback, and the drive to create what doesn’t exist yet.
- Teach how to think, not what to think. Rigor, evidence, and a love of hard questions, including the controversial ones. Students reach their own conclusions.
- Rooted in tradition, built for what’s next. Ancient wisdom and modern tools, AI included, aimed at today's problems.
- Unapologetically Jewish. Israel has a right to exist; that is not up for debate. Everything else is fair game, including spirited debate about Israel’s actions. You’re excited to help build a proudly Jewish, pro-Israel school.
What Davis Chicago Needs
Davis Chicago is building its founding substitute pool: educators we can call on to hold the standard when a teacher is out. Substitutes at Davis Chicago are treated as educators, briefed properly, and remembered when part-time and full-time roles open. If you are interested in a part-time or full-time role, Davis School Chicago’s postings are open now; apply to the one that fits, and join the Talent Community so we know who you are.
Who Thrives in This Role
- Warm, Relational, and High-Performing – Kind, emotionally intelligent, intellectually rigorous, and committed to excellence.
- A Steady Hand – Walks into any room and holds warmth and standards.
- A Quick Study – Picks up a plan and delivers it with care.
- An Entrepreneurial Builder – Thrives in ambiguity, solves problems, and creates programs, systems, and traditions from the ground up.
- A Curious and Courageous Thinker – Embraces learning, evidence, critical thinking, and meaningful debate.
- Rooted and Forward-Looking – Honors tradition while embracing innovation, technology, and AI.
- Committed to Jewish Life and Community – Values Jewish identity, the diversity of Jewish thought, and meaningful engagement in Jewish life.
- A Collaborative Culture-Builder – Balances accountability, care, and results while elevating everyone around them.
The Role
Substitute teachers deliver prepared lessons across subjects, hold the school’s culture of deep human warmth and uncompromising intellectual excellence, and leave clear handoffs for returning teachers. Availability windows are set with the school; assignments are by day or by stretch.
1. The Work
- Deliver prepared lessons faithfully and adapt with judgment when the room needs it.
- Hold the culture bar: warmth, respect, and real work, every period.
- Communicate clear handoffs to returning teachers and school leadership.
- Set and honor availability windows so the school can plan.
Qualifications
- Education: Bachelor’s degree required.
- Experience: Secondary (grades 6–12) teaching or substitute experience preferred; high school (grades 9–12) experience highly preferred.
- Availability: Reliable on-call windows agreed with the school.
- Craft: Evidence you can hold a room with warmth and standards.
Core Competencies
- Classroom Presence: warmth and standards from the first minute.
- Adaptability: any subject’s plan, delivered with care.
- Communication: handoffs teachers can build on.
- Reliability: availability the school can plan around.
Compensation and Benefits
Compensation is $175 per full day. Paid leave and paid sick leave accrue as required by law; this on-call position is not eligible for the school’s benefits package.
How We Hire
Our process is thorough and we believe that hiring is a dual decision-making process; you are vetting us as much as we are vetting you. Our process includes focused conversations with the people you would work with, a battery of assessments we use for your development as much as for selection, and interview rounds both in-person and virtually. We use artificial intelligence tools in our recruitment and hiring process to help review and organize applications and interviews; every hiring decision is made by a person. Davis School Chicago is an equal employment opportunity employer.
Is this you?
This isn’t for everyone. If it’s you, it may be the best work of your life. Read the full Profile of the Ideal Davis Chicago Educator, then apply.