Teaching English in Costa Rica
| country: | Costa Rica |
| departures: | 2009: 25 Oct |
| price: | From £595 (4 weeks) excluding flights, £100 per additional week up to a maximum of 12. We can help arrange flights from the UK. |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
You can help bring English language skills to affectionate school children in villages on the tropical Nicoya Peninsula or in the mountains of the Central Valley. Most of these rural schools don‘t have the resources to hire a permanent English teacher, so you might play a very worthwhile role as the sole English teacher. Lots of enthusiasm and creativity are needed at this project. And since you may be the only English speaker in the area, we recommend you have at least some basic knowledge of Spanish. For the city-types, there are also teaching placements on offer in urban schools.
If you want to see the world, experience new cultures and give something back as you go, then volunteer travel is for you. Whatever your age, whatever your background, if you have a ‘can-do’ attitude and a desire to make a difference, there are a wealth of worthwhile projects that could do with your help, from conservation to community development, from teaching to tourism.
Volunteers most of all for these projects must have a love of children and be committed to the project. You will need to be flexible and be willing to get involved in anything that is asked of you. You must also be aware that the children you are working with are very lively and also disruptive and will need perseverance and tolerance when working with them. You will need to be able to think on your feet so that you are able to tailor your lessons to the different needs of the children if necessary. Volunteers who are independent and do not mind being one of the only volunteers in the area would be ideally suited. The schools have limited resources and so ideally you would need to be able to be creative with limited facilities.
The rural teaching volunteers are needed to teach English and can also get involved in other lessons depending on your skills. You may also be able to play sports with the children. You will need to work with limited resources and be able to think on your feet. The projects are based in a number of locations, you would be staying with a local family for all these schools where you can immerse yourself in the culture. You would need to be prepared to be the only English speaking person in the location which will be fantastic if you are looking for emersion in the culture and also to greatly improve your Spanish.
Paquera area is on the southern tip of the Nicoya peninsular where there are a number of primary schools. San Francisco is a small community on the Nicoya peninsular with both primary and secondary schools. San Francisco de San Carlos and El Tanque are small villages near to La Fortuna and Arenal volcano. Lepanto is on the Northern tip of the Nicoya Peninsular and is a rural agricultural community. Jicaral is near to Lepanto and volunteers would be based at a large high school. Montezuma is a popular tourist village but the school is quite small.
If you want to see the world, experience new cultures and give something back as you go, then volunteer travel is for you. Whatever your age, whatever your background, if you have a ‘can-do’ attitude and a desire to make a difference, there are a wealth of worthwhile projects that could do with your help, from conservation to community development, from teaching to tourism.
Volunteers most of all for these projects must have a love of children and be committed to the project. You will need to be flexible and be willing to get involved in anything that is asked of you. You must also be aware that the children you are working with are very lively and also disruptive and will need perseverance and tolerance when working with them. You will need to be able to think on your feet so that you are able to tailor your lessons to the different needs of the children if necessary. Volunteers who are independent and do not mind being one of the only volunteers in the area would be ideally suited. The schools have limited resources and so ideally you would need to be able to be creative with limited facilities.
The rural teaching volunteers are needed to teach English and can also get involved in other lessons depending on your skills. You may also be able to play sports with the children. You will need to work with limited resources and be able to think on your feet. The projects are based in a number of locations, you would be staying with a local family for all these schools where you can immerse yourself in the culture. You would need to be prepared to be the only English speaking person in the location which will be fantastic if you are looking for emersion in the culture and also to greatly improve your Spanish.
Paquera area is on the southern tip of the Nicoya peninsular where there are a number of primary schools. San Francisco is a small community on the Nicoya peninsular with both primary and secondary schools. San Francisco de San Carlos and El Tanque are small villages near to La Fortuna and Arenal volcano. Lepanto is on the Northern tip of the Nicoya Peninsular and is a rural agricultural community. Jicaral is near to Lepanto and volunteers would be based at a large high school. Montezuma is a popular tourist village but the school is quite small.
volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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Costa Rica, literally ‘the rich coast’ is a tropical paradise. Costa Rica attracts thousands of migrating birds and many rare species of sea turtle. However, despite being one of the most developed countries in the region, many rural and urban schools do not have the resources to hire permanent English teachers.
Rural schools in Costa Rica do not have any English teachers or a EFL curriculum to work from, therefore only when they receive volunteers do they receive any language tuition. By teaching young people English you will be able to make a positive impact on their lives and make more opportunities available to them, for example by going to university, getting jobs in tourism and business and commerce. |
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