Teach

Del Mar is a bilingual (Spanish and English), green, international, college preparatory, Montessori and International Baccalaureate pk2 -12th grade school serving over 250 students on an 11 acre campus located in Nosara, a small international surfing and yoga town in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Del Mar Academy was founded in 2008, to serve the needs of a growing international expat and local resident community, and graduated is first 12th grader in 2018 who passed the IB Diploma examinations, and its second graduating class of 8 students – 7 of whom passed the IB Diploma Bilingual examination, and all 8 the MEP high equivalent school requirements. Del Mar Academy is the largest international school in central Guanacaste, and is accredited by both MEP (Costa Rica Ministry of Education) and as an IB Diploma world school.

The 11 hectare campus, nestled among a dry forest and just 2 km from the pacific ocean, has 4 academic buildings housing 21 classrooms (including a fully equipped science lab), a covered gym, two soccer fields, a grass and sand volleyball court, a climbing wall, and a 1.5 hectare farm with a greenhouse. Surrounded by forests, and populated by over 60 species of birds, two species of iguana, a dozen snake species and countless invertebrates and frequented by packs of howler monkeys, the campus benefits from Costa Rica’s rich biodiversity. Century old guanacaste trees grace the campus with their shade. 38 solar panels provide the campus with supplementary electricity. A variety of grey water reutilization schemes and passive thermal management, and fans keep the campus cooled and watered. The school aspires to obtain green school certification through its environmental education programs, its green management practices, energy conservation measures and water reutilization schemes. The campus is fully wified, and all high school students participate in a one-to-one laptop problems. Over 120 Kindles provide 4-12th graders with access to a wide variety of reading materials. In our pk2-3rd grade Montessori program, each classroom has a well stocked bilingual paper reading library.

The school has comprehensive creatives arts, dual language Humanities, STEM and physical-outdoor education programs. From pk2 to 3rd grade we offer multi-age Montessori program. From 4th to 10th grade we offer an IB aligned curriculum, and includes a rich science sequence of biological sciences, physical sciences, earth science, biology, environmental science, and chemistry, that culminates in the IB Diploma Program. A parallel STEAM program that includes civil engineering, technology, coding, robotics, agroecology and green design courses, provide a rich STEAM experience. From k to 10th grade students take – every year: art, music, theatre and physical-outdoor education. Recess and free play are provided on a daily basis from pk2 to 5th grade. STEM classes are offered in english and humanities and creative arts classes in Spanish, thus providing for a 50/50 bilingual learning experience. In the IB Diploma program we offer college level art, biology, environmental science, business, mathematics, english A and B, Spanish A and B courses.

A rich afterschool program offers courses in science research, agroecology, surfing, wall climbing, horseback riding, parkour, aerial gymnastics, soccer, basketball, volleyball, skimboarding, math olympiads, skateboarding, ukulele, yoga, outdoor survival and ecoart.  

Our academic program spans from Toddler (PK2) to 12th grade.  In our Lower Primary (Pk2- 3rd grade) we follow Montessori’s philosophy and philosophy of multiage, student centered, project based learning. From 4th to 12th grade, we have implemented an International Baccalaureate aligned curriculum that culminates in 11th and 12th grade with the IB Diploma Program.  Our education is characterized by our curricular pillars that include: student-centered project based learning experiences,  constructivist teaching practices,  a English-Spanish bilingual program, a diverse creative arts and physical education program that includes music, visual arts and multimedia communication,  and a distinctive STEM program with an emphasis in environmental sciences, that takes advantage of Costa Rica´s rich biological and geological diversity. All together, this shapes DMA´s  unique school culture and identity as a Costa Rican and international independent school.  We believe that our well-rounded, integrated approach provides a liberating and extraordinary foundation for children as they prepare for successive grades, higher education, and life.

We are seeking adventurous, progressive, outdoorsy educators who are flexible, filled with ideas and passion, and committed to active experiential and student centered teaching practices, an academically rigorous IB curriculum, and being part of an innovation center for environmental education. The school’s green campus, and its proximity to beaches, rivers, and forests, allows for STEAM and outdoor teaching, and provide a wide variety of experiential and service learning opportunities.

Candidates must have have a teaching certification and/or a degree in the relevant content area and at least 3 years of teaching experience. Montessori and/or IB training or experience is highly desirable.

For School Year 2023-24: 

• Montessori Lead Teacher
• Learning Support Coordinator
• School Advancement (Fundraising) Coordinator 
  

Send your CV, a letter of interest, and contact info of 3 references to: jobs@delmaracademy.com

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We accept a limited number of resident artists or scientist fellows, for 1 to 10 month-long periods. Fellows work on their own scientific or creative projects, are involved in the academic and social life of the school, and give regular expositions of their work to our students and to the community at large.  If you are interested, please email a letter of interest with a specific proposal of activities, dates, a CV and 2 letters of reference, and sample of your work (images, papers, videos, etc)

Student-teachers are welcome to apply for teaching internships under the tutelage of one of our experienced teachers in Montessori (Casa and Lower Primary), STEM, Language Arts, PE and Creative Arts. 

Send CV, letter of intent with scope of requirements to jobs@delmaracademy.com