Q:  Do I have to have touch-tone service to use SubFinder?

A:  No, but you do need a telephone that is tone/pulse switchable.

Q:  Do I have to call in and register with SubFinder before I can receive job offers?

A:  Yes.  You will not receive any job offers until you have registered!

Q:  Do I have to register every time I call in?

A:  No.  You only have to register once.

Q:  What happens if SubFinder calls me and gets my answering machine?

A:  Your answering machine will record some portion of SubFinder’s greeting and narration asking for your PIN – Personal Identification Number.   SubFinder will realize that the phone was answered, but will not leave any information regarding the job.  SubFinder may call back later and offer you the job again or, if your district allows you to review available jobs, you may want to call in and see if anything is available.

Q:  What if someone in my family answers the phone and it’s SubFinder calling?

A:  You have two choices:  1) If you are not home, you can teach family members  how to accept jobs for you.  If you choose to do this, please make sure they realize how important it is to tell you about the job after they accept it!  2) If you are home, have the person who answered the phone put the receiver down and call you.  Substitute Finder will ask for your PIN several times, waiting approximately 30 seconds between each request, so you will have time to get to the phone before the call is terminated.

Q:  Can an employee assign me to, or request me for, his/her absence?

A:  Yes, if the district has chosen to use these options.  The employee must have your SubFinder-assigned ID number in order to do this.  They should be able to obtain this number from their school office.

Q:   What if the days I am available to work change from week to week?

A:  You can change this information yourself, using your touch-tone phone.  From the Main Menu, choose option #4 – To Review Personal Information and then choose option #3 - To Review the Days of the Week You Can Work.  Follow the instructions given by the narrator and/or your reference card to change your available days.

Q:   Can I call SubFinder and “shop” for jobs?

A:  (Whatever policy the district chooses to follow.) 

Q:  When I call in to Review Available Jobs, will I be given a list of jobs from which to choose.

A:  No.  You will hear one job at a time and will be able to accept the job, listen to the job again, or listen to the next job.  If you accept the job, you may still review jobs for other dates, if there are any available at that time.

Q:  What is the difference between marking myself ‘Unavailable’ and marking myself with a ‘Do Not Disturb’?

A:  Marking yourself as ‘Unavailable’ means that you can not work for that time period.  It does not mean that you don’t want SubFinder to call you with offers for future jobs.  For example: If you say that you are unavailable on Monday, SubFinder will not offer you a job for Monday but it may call you Monday evening to offer you future jobs.

When you create a “Do Not Disturb’, you are telling SubFinder that you do not want to receive any calls during that time period.  You are not telling SubFinder that you can’t work.  For example: If you ask not to be disturbed on Monday, SubFinder will not call you on Monday.  But, it could call you Sunday night and offer you a job for Monday.

If you are not available to work and you do not want to receive any calls, you must add both items to the specified time period.  After adding an Unavailable Date Range, SubFinder will ask you if you still want to receive calls during the period.  Indicating that you do not will also place a Do Not Disturb on your account for the same period.

Q:  If I enter an Unavailable Date Range (for example, for a vacation) and return early, can I begin to pick up jobs early?

A:  Yes.  You must call SubFinder, choose option #4 - To Review Personal Information, choose option #4 - For the Date Range Menu, choose option #3 - To Review a Date Range, and then remove the date range.  You will then be eligible to receive job offers from SubFinder, as well as review available jobs (if allowed by the district.)

Q:  If I reject a job for a particular day, will SubFinder quit calling me for that day?

A:  No.  SubFinder may still call you for other jobs if you meet the criteria.

Q:  If I reject or cancel jobs, will I be automatically removed from the substitute list?

A:  No.  You will not be automatically removed for rejecting or canceling jobs. 

Q:  Do I need to remember my job number?

A: Yes.  The job number is your confirmation that SubFinder has registered your acceptance of the job.  You will also need this number if you need to cancel the job.

Q:   Will I have the same job number for all my jobs?

A:  No.  Every new job you accept will have a different job number.

Q:   Can I cancel a previously accepted job in the event of an emergency?

A:  Yes.  From the Main Menu, choose option #3 - To Cancel a Job.  After entering the job number, SubFinder will play the job information for you and then give you the option of canceling the job.  If you try to cancel a job after the Substitute Cancel Deadline, you will be instructed to call the administrator and will be given the appropriate number to call.

Q:  What is my Substitute Cancel Deadline?

A:  Each district establishes its own deadline.  This information should be given to you at the time of your introduction to SubFinder. 

Q:  Will I ever be offered jobs in position areas that I did not request?

A:  Maybe.  You may be called for jobs outside your stated position area(s) if: (1) a special request for you has been made, or (2) SubFinder has been configured to call substitutes outside the position area after all matching substitutes have been called.