An urban environment on a tropical island: perhaps Santo Domingo has just the mix for you! St. Michael’s School (SMS), celebrating 25 great years, is now a member of Search Associates. The Dominican Republic is a wonderfully diverse country geographically, with not only beautiful beaches, but also mountains, rivers, and a desert as well as large rural and urban centers. Exploring the island and all it has to offer is wonderful! Dominican culture, vibrant and friendly, is alive and well in Santo Domingo. One portion of the city, the "Colonial Zone," is a UNESCO World Heritage site and a fantastic place to connect with Dominican and, indeed, New World, history.
SMS is located in the central Santo Domingo neighborhood of Piantini within a wonderful business district that includes shops, malls, and restaurants. The school comprises a four-story building with air-conditioned classrooms, science and computer labs, art and music rooms, a library, a cafeteria, an auditorium, and a large outdoor recreation area with basketball, volleyball, and soccer courts.
SMS is fully accredited by AdvancED and the Dominican Ministry of Education and offers a curriculum based on the U.S. Common Core State Standards as well as a variety of Advanced Placement (AP) courses. In order to meet the Dominican requirements for graduation, students also study Spanish, Latin American and Dominican Social Studies, French (in secondary school), and they must fulfill 60 hours of community service. Graduates earn diplomas from both the United States and the Dominican Republic and are prepared to succeed at some of the most competitive universities in the world. The school prides itself on solid academic performance and high expectations, but it also has a very sound character education program, which families value a great deal. Currently, 600 K–12 students are enrolled; 91% are Dominican, and the remaining 9% are North American. The teaching staff of 69 includes 62 Dominican and seven North American teachers.
SMS is a very active school, offering its students a wide array of class electives and extracurricular activities. Students can join the Student Council, National Honor Society, Model United Nations Club, Junior Achievement, and Leaders’ Club, in addition to participating in the community service projects that are carried out by different grade levels. Elective courses include PSAT prep, Human Formation, Health & Choices, dance, choir, yearbook, and newspaper. SMS also offers cheerleading and participates in intercollegiate competitions in volleyball, basketball, soccer, and golf. (Throughout the years, the school has won many soccer tournaments.) Furthermore, quite a few individual students, who train on their own, represent the school in other athletic competitions, such as tennis, swimming, scooter racing, and marathon running.
St. Michael’s prefers to hire single teachers, but will consider married or unmarried teaching couples and couples with a non-teaching spouse. Teachers credentialed by a non-English speaking country and newly-certified teachers with exceptional qualities are also welcome to apply. Candidates must be certified and have their academic degree in the subject which they will be teaching. Certified teachers up to the age of 60 may acquire a work visa in the Dominican Republic.
Teachers on an SMS contract are provided with a furnished apartment near the campus and one annual round-trip airfare ticket home. They also receive a 100% tuition benefit for up to two children. Additionally, local health insurance, including dental, long-term disability, and life insurance, is fully covered. SMS provides professional development opportunities and a corporate-rate gym membership for its staff. This salary and benefits package, coupled with a reasonable cost of living in the Dominican Republic, allows for some saving.
To gain access to St. Michael’s School’s full profile on the Search Associates database, including a list of all open positions, candidates can apply for membership by clicking here. Candidates already registered can easily access the school profile directly through their dashboards.
The information presented about this school was valid on the date published. This information may change, and the most up-to-date information can be found in the school profile.
