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Costa Rica Teaching Abroad

Costa Rica is indeed a wonderful spot in the world. People are known to be kind and helpful. Among the many gorgeous features besides people, Costa Rica is blessed with impressive rain forests, mountains and beaches. The culture is rich and unique and there is always something interesting to discover in this wonderful land. For all these reasons a lot of people consider to teach English in Costa Rica as a way to expand their horizons without losing a chance to earn some money. Teaching jobs in Costa Rica are quite easy to find for a North American, although you can find a lot of classified ads on specialized websites, some companies prefer you see you in person before they hire you. One of the mayor economic sources in Costa Rica is tourism, along with multinational companies, so Costa Ricans do get ahead if they speak another language, especially English. The requirements are low: Good English, any college degree to prove you are a graduate and a warm personality is what schools look for regarding English teaching jobs. Costa Ricans are well educated and very good learners. English teachers are needed all over the country, but don’t expect to find a position teaching biology, Costa Rica has enough teachers regarding other subjects; unless you are looking to work for a bilingual private school, that sometimes do hire English speaking teachers for their subjects are taught both in English and Spanish, but they do have to be education majors.

Teaching English in Costa Rica can certainly be a fulfilling experience. When arriving to your interviews keep in mind that though they are aware that you come from a different country and culture, they expect you to be polite and dressed properly for your interviews, just like you would on any interview back home. Teaching in Costa Rica sometimes has a few perks: some schools provide spanish lessons for their teacher either for free or for a very low rate. You will certainly not need a TESOL certification unless you want to land a position at a University or a Bilingual School. However if you do have one it would make a slight difference in your salary in most schools. The salary is about $600 a month, teaching an average of 25 classes a week. It sounds too little but it is just enough to get by in a decent apartment near your workplace and basic needs, even for a few beers after work and have a couple of weekend trips to a nearby beach monthly, with no luxuries though, just enough to have fun. You can easily find a roommate and cut expenses by half and have a little more partying maybe. Nothing fancy, but quite a lovely experience.

In Costa Rica, you can teach as volunteering work on a secluded area or in the cities. Students could be little 7 yeared olds or senior citizens and you can usually make friends with anyone in Costa Rica. Teach English in a rural area and you will always find places to go hiking, sun tanning or get a wide view if Costa Rica traditions. Some companies offered the opportunity to come here and stay at a sponsor’s house for small periods of time; this could be a choice if you wish to try the waters before you take the big dip. Some well known English schools that hire North American teachers are: Intercultura, the Sarapiqui Conservation Learning Center, Academia Europea and the Centro Cultural Costarricense Norteamericano. Once you have made the decision of coming to teach in Costa Rica, consult our travel advisors about accommodations and tips while you settle down and do have fun on your wonderful experience teaching in Costa Rica. Take a quick look to our safety guide and the Costa Rica culture and traditions so can start embracing everything Costa Rica has to offer.