Cabrera Christian Teaching Internship | Dominican Republic
Teach a Semester in the Caribbean — and Find Out What God Made You For
Spend a semester or a full school year teaching children on the Caribbean coast of the Dominican Republic. Lead a real classroom, grow in your faith, and come home with experience no office internship can give you.
A WORD TO STUDENTS AND RECENT GRADS
Stephanie and I spent our careers as university professors, and we watched hundreds of students try to figure out what God made them for. In 2022, He brought us to the small town of Cabrera, on the north coast of the Dominican Republic, to open Cabrera Christian Classical Academy.
Here is what we’ve learned: you discover your calling by doing real work that matters, alongside people who believe in you. That is exactly what a C3A Teaching Internship offers.
Our nearly fifty students need teachers who will sit beside them with a book, listen patiently, and say, “Try it again — you’ve got this.” You’ll lead real lessons, gain cross-cultural experience, and be mentored by two career educators. Interns who complete their term receive a personal letter of reference from both of us.
You may be exactly the person they've been praying for.
YOUR SEMESTER IN CABRERA
Our internships follow the school calendar: a Spring term from January 5 to June 5, a Fall term from August 20 to December 20, or a full academic year. Many interns come during a gap semester or right after graduation.
Picture your days: mornings in the classroom, afternoons by the sea, and evenings with a community of fellow believers who are grateful you came.
You can come for the semester that suits you, or for the whole school year:
THE SPRING INTERNSHIP
January 5 to June 5
Trade winter for the Caribbean
THE FALL INTERNSHIP
August 20 to December 20
Home in time for Christmas
THE FULL ACADEMIC YEAR INTERNSHIP
August 20 to June 5
The deepest roots and relationships
Each term begins with a week of orientation & training.
Classes run Monday through Thursday, 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., and Fridays are for planning. That leaves long weekends to rest, explore the coast, and worship with the local church. School lunch is provided on teaching days, so you'll share a table with our students.
As a Teaching Intern, you won't be a visitor watching from the back of the room. You'll be a real member of our faculty: planning lessons, leading a classroom, reading with children, and becoming, in every way that matters, part of the family.
Do you need to speak Spanish? No. C3A is an English-based school, and our students are learning from you.
Do you need a teaching degree? No, that isn’t required. What you need is a love for Jesus, a love for children, and a teachable heart. Any major is welcome.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
"My life was forever changed when I answered God's tugging at my heart and came to C3A. I was in my late 70s, hadn't taught in a classroom for over 40 years, didn't speak Spanish, and had no idea what living in a Caribbean country would be like. But quickly the school became 'my school' and the kids 'my kids.' Oh, there were plenty of challenges, but I soon learned that God would give me insight into a student or a creative way to teach exactly when I needed it. I left part of my heart in Cabrera."
— Irene, volunteer teacher in her late 70s
"My recent experience at Cabrera was one of my most challenging, and most rewarding, teaching assignments! God stretched my faith and made me realize how much I depended on His direction. This school is doing amazing work through rigorous academics and God-focused instruction. The teachers and staff model God's love to the students and strive to help them succeed. Please prayerfully consider a teaching assignment at this awesome school. You will be amazed at how God can use you too!"
— Dave, retired teacher
Would you like to talk with a past volunteer before you decide? Just ask, and we'll gladly put you in touch.
— Headmaster, Cabrera Christian
WORK THAT LASTS
So much of what we spend our days on simply… disappears. Not this.
When you teach a child to read, she reads for the rest of her life. When you help a young man learn to think clearly, speak honestly, and choose what is right, you are shaping the father, the neighbor, and the church leader he will become.
Our mission is to raise up local children to be wise and virtuous leaders who love Christ and will serve this country for decades to come. Your name may not be on the building — but your fingerprints will be on the future.
Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm.
Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully
to the work of the Lord, because you know that your
labor in the Lord is not in vain.
— 1 Corinthians 15:58 (NIV)
WHY A C3A TEACHING INTERNSHIP?
REAL EXPERIENCE. REAL IMPACT.
You're standing at the edge of what comes next — a career, graduate school, a calling you're still trying to name. Before you take that step, spend a semester or a year as a C3A Teaching Intern.
You'll gain genuine classroom leadership, cross-cultural experience, and mentoring from two career educators — the kind of internship that makes a résumé and a graduate school application stand out. Many colleges can award internship or field-experience credit; ask your advisor, and we'll gladly provide whatever documentation your program needs. Most of all, you'll learn who God made you to be, and no office cubicle can teach you that.
THE PRACTICAL DETAILS
HOUSING
Our shared, donor-subsidized Teaching Fellows House is ready and waiting: air-conditioned, safe, and a short walk from grocery stores and the school bus stop, with rent of about $350 a month. If you’d prefer a place of your own, we’ll gladly help you find one; private apartments nearby typically run from $500 to $1,200 a month.
GETTING AROUND
Interns are welcome to ride our school bus to and from campus. For anything beyond that, you'll arrange your own local transportation.
COST
Interns are volunteers who raise support from family, friends, and their home church, or cover their costs from their own savings. Thanks to donor-subsidized housing, an internship costs far less than most people expect. We’ll gladly help you share your story with your church and supporters, and gifts made through C3A are tax-deductible.
Plan on about $850 a month for rent, food, and personal expenses. Add round-trip airfare to Santo Domingo (SDQ), usually about $700, and your own health and travel insurance. Private housing will add to these figures. Here is what each term comes to before airfare:
THE SPRING INTERNSHIP
January 5 to June 5 (5 months)
About $4,250
THE FALL INTERNSHIP
August 20 to December 20 (4 months)
About $3,400
THE FULL ACADEMIC YEAR INTERNSHIP
August 20 to June 5 (about 9½ months)
About $8,350
WHO WE'RE LOOKING FOR
— A committed follower of Jesus Christ
— Willing to sign our Statement of Faith and Christian Lifestyle Commitment
— At least 19 years old, in good health, with a heart for children
— A native or fluent English speaker
— Able to carry health and travel insurance for your stay
— Teachable, flexible, and ready for adventure
TRAINING AND SUPPORT
Every cohort begins with an orientation and teacher training covering our classical curriculum, classroom life, Dominican culture, and safety. Throughout your internship you’ll be mentored by our Headmaster, Dr. Tim Slater, and our Principal, Dr. Stephanie Slater — two retired university professors who have spent their lives helping young teachers flourish. When you complete your term, you’ll leave with a personal letter of reference from both of them.
YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
WILL THIS HELP MY CAREER?
Yes. You’ll gain real classroom leadership and cross-cultural experience, the kind that makes a résumé and a graduate school application stand out. Interns who complete their term also receive a personal letter of reference from Dr. Tim Slater and Dr. Stephanie Slater.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
— 1 Timothy 4:12 (NIV)
I’VE NEVER TAUGHT BEFORE. IS THAT A PROBLEM?
Not at all. You don’t need a teaching degree, and any major is welcome. Every intern begins with a thorough orientation, and Stephanie and I mentor you throughout.
WHAT WILL I DO OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM?
Long weekends leave time to rest, explore the coast, and worship with the local church. Many volunteers also help in our school library, at the women’s vocational center, or with the stray dogs of Cabrera. And on a slow afternoon, there’s always sea glass waiting to be found on the beach.
WHAT ABOUT HEALTH CARE?
Cabrera is a small town with its own hospital and several medical clinics close at hand, and many expatriates find care here both good and affordable. Every intern carries their own health and travel insurance, and we're glad to point you toward options.
WHAT IF I'M NEEDED AT HOME?
Life doesn’t stop while you’re away. Flights to the U.S. leave daily from Santo Domingo (SDQ), the airport we recommend, and we’ll work with you if a family need calls you home.
CAN I EARN COLLEGE CREDIT?
Many colleges award internship or field-experience credit for a semester like this. Ask your advisor, and we'll gladly provide whatever documentation your program needs.
WHAT IF IT ISN'T THE RIGHT FIT?
The first 90 days are a trial period for both of us. If either of us senses it isn't the right fit, we'll talk it through together, with no hard feelings either way.
CAN I VISIT FIRST?
Yes. If you'd like to see the school before committing to a full term, ask us about joining one of the church mission teams that serve with us for a week throughout the year or schedule a time to come visit our site.
ABOUT C3A
Cabrera Christian Classical Academy is an English-based K–12 classical Christian school founded in 2022 in Cabrera, on the beautiful north coast of the Dominican Republic. Now in our fifth year, we serve nearly fifty local children with fourteen teachers, volunteer missionaries alongside a dedicated Dominican staff. C3A is fully-accredited in the United States and partnered with the Dominican Ministry of Education (MINERD). Our families are hard-working, our students are bright and joyful, and our mission is simple: to raise up wise and virtuous leaders who love Jesus — and to change lives along the way.
THE NEXT STEP
Perhaps you've been asking God, "What now, Lord?" Perhaps this page is part of His answer.
We'd love to talk with you, with no pressure and no obligation. Tell us a little about yourself, and we'll set up a friendly phone or video call to answer your questions, share more about life in Cabrera, and pray together about whether this is your season to come.
We review applications on a rolling basis, and spaces in each cohort are limited, so we encourage you to reach out early.
With warmest regards,
Dr. Tim Slater, Headmaster, Cabrera Christian Classical Academy