Reputations

Spicy

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Mar 20, 2007
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Hi, I'm considering moving to the DR and applying for teaching jobs at international schools. Could anyone tell me what the reputation of schools are, like on a scale from 1-10, as well as what the neighbourhoods are like that they are in. Also any information on how these schools treat their teachers would be great! I'm looking in particular at the Garden Kids School, Americas Bicultural School and the American School of Santo Domingo. Thanks!
 

fightingirish

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Dec 8, 2005
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There is a lot of good info in prior threads. I remember cause I was looking at similar jobs last year. Check the search function and good luck!
 

Sharlene

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Mar 4, 2006
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Try International School of Sosua...

I know they were advertising for teaching staff last time I looked. I think there was an ad in the classifieds section on DR1. I also know that a couple of the teachers have recently left due to visa time constraints and commitments overseas.

They have an excellent reputation. My two daughters attend the school and are very happy. I gather they pay well in comparison to other DR schools. and many of the teachers are from UK or Canada. All the staff at the school seem very content there and many of the teaching staff have been there for a number of years. The grounds are beautiful and it's a very nice environment to work in. I actually have trouble extracting my daughters from school to take them home......

The neighbourhood in La Mulatta I is an international community including people from UK, Canada, Germany, Holland, Russia etc which is reflected in the mix of children at the school. There is reasonably priced accommodation in the surrounding area and it's a 5 minute drive into the main town of Sosua.

Hope this helps. They do have a website which will give you more info. Can't recall the address, but a search on google or whatever will bring it up.
 

Lambada

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Mar 4, 2004
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www.ginniebedggood.com
Nice to hear International School of Sosua is picking up its standards again. It used to have a great reputation 12/14 years ago, then it seemed to go downhill about 3 years ago & a lot of teachers left. I know they paid their teachers well but didn't I hear something about the new head (of a few years back) meeting some staff discontent? Judging from Sharlene's post maybe it's on the mend again? I don't, by the way, have children there or anywhere else, but I knew one of the teachers who left. Not sure if you're too late for August 2007 semester, see here:
International School Sosua - Working Together to Give our Children the Best Education - A Quick Glance

Garden Kids has a GREAT reputation (also less expensive for parents than ISS). Mix of staff, Dominican & foreign. I know parents who have children there, but don't know any staff.
Garden Kids

Santiago Christian School has a website - I don't know anything about it. Hillbilly would know.
Santiago Christian School - Reverence ~ Knowledge

Carol Morgan in Santo Domingo is reputed to attract the children of rich families. Doesn't make it a bad school, of course.
Carol Morgan School, Santo Domingo

American School of Santo Domingo also has a website. I don't know anything about it.
http://www.assd.edu.do/calendar/default.asp

There is another Christian school in Sosua but someone else would need to give you name & details.
 

Spicy

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Mar 20, 2007
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Thanks everyone! I've been applying to some of these schools since February based on info I found on the DR1 forums, I was just hoping to find out a little more about reputations of schools before I start receiving offers (hopefully haha) and have to start making serious decisions. Another concern of mine having to do with the neighbourhoods is the safety....things such as would I be able to have my laptop there with me.... any more help people could give me would very much be appreciated!
 

Sharlene

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Mar 4, 2006
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International School /Garden Kids neighbourhoods

I live close to the International School in La Mulata I, near to Las Canas apartments. I feel very safe in the area and I walk everywhere or get motoconchos when my partner's away as I'm a rubbish driver and have already had one small accident here. It's quite unusual to be `seen' walking any kind of distance here unless you're Dominican or Haitian, so I'm always being stopped by people who tell me it's `dangerous' but I really don't see what the problem is during daylight hours.

I takes me approx half an hour to walk right into the centre of town, but I'm always passed by numerous motorconchos offering lifts, or bumping into people going into town, so transport is not a problem. Some of the teachers at the school drive and some get motorconchos. I know some teachers lived at Caribe Campo, near to Garden Kids which is a couple of mins drive away and one who lives in Charamicos which is a predominantely Dominican area. I think it's very much up to your personal taste where you choose to live. With regard to safety etc. lots of people here own laptops. Just don't make it common knowledge that you have one, or flash it about in front of people. I think you're as safe as you make yourself, wherever you live.... common sense goes a long way here...

I can't really comment on previous problems at International School mentioned by Lambada. All I can say is that my girls attend Pre-K 2 and Kindergarten, so it's those teachers I have most contact with and they all seem very happy and content. The school seems very well organised and I'm kept very much up to date with the the girls' learning progress and future learning schedules. There's a very nice `community' feel about the place and a lot of after school activities such as Karate which children from other schools attend. Also, one of the selling points for me, was the large, well stocked library.

As Lambada rightly pointed out, Garden Kids also has a great reputation, and is more affordable. My daughter plays with children who attend the school and there's no doubt that they're getting a very good education. I opted for the International School because I thought the facilities were better, and there were some teachers from UK there. Also, they have a completely separate, gated off area with classrooms and playground for the under 5's. I wasn't even going to put my 2 year old into school until she kept wanting to stay when I dropped my 5yr old off .....then when I met the pre-kindergarten teachers, they were so wonderful I felt completely confident leaving her there...

Hope that somewhere in all the above blurb, you can find something that may help you..... I do have a tendency to waffle.....