We used to get "Personal Time Off" which was for both vacation and sick days. I got 4 weeks per year, due to the fact that I've been at my job for a long time.

Last year they changed the policy, and gave us "unlimited" sick days, with the qualification that you went on short-term disability after 5 consecutive sick days and your manager could require a note from a doctor after 3 consecutive days. They also reduced our vacation time -- I still managed to qualify for 3 weeks, but many of my coworkers were cut to 2.

This year they changed the policy again, and we are limited to a total of 5 sick days per year.

As for substitute teachers, I was unemployed for almost a year back in 1998-99, and it never occurred to me to look into that. I worked temp jobs at various offices while taking classes part-time at a local university. Since I don't know anything about teaching and would rather not deal with a room full of kids, I think being a substitute would be a last resort for me as a job.