Overview of the Project
Global Crossroad's volunteer opportunities to teach English in Costa Rica offer many opportunities to explore day-to-day Costa Rican life while helping young students improve their Basic English or conversational skills. Work includes teaching English (grammar, vocabulary, pronunciation, speaking, writing, listening, etc.) to students from pre-school to high school for 2-4 hours per day. At these projects, volunteers work with and assist the fulltime teacher. You will help teach regular English classes and also tutor the children and help them with their homework.
Role of Volunteer
While teaching English in Costa Rica, you will teach from 3 to 5 hours each day, 5 days a week. In Costa Rica, each school has its own on staff English teacher who assists our volunteers with teaching methods, offers advice on solving communication barriers and provides suitable curricula for the classrooms. English teaching volunteers do not have to be native English speakers. Volunteers interested in teaching other subjects like math, science can also do so, but please let us know this before you start your project. The schools in Costa Rica are closed during the holidays and exam periods. During these times, Global Crossroad will organize alternative tasks for our volunteers, such as assisting in an orphanage.
- Program: Volunteer in Costa Rica
- Project: Teaching English in Costa Rica
- Start dates: 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month
- Location: San Miguel de Sarapiqui
- Departure and End Point: San Jose International Airport (Juan Santamaria)
- Language Need: Fluency in English and basic/intermediate Spanish fluency
- Accommodation and meals: Host Family and Costa Rican meals three times daily
- Activities: Teach English to elementary school children
- Working hours: 20-35 hours per week
Skills/Qualification Needed
There are no specific qualifications needed to join our volunteer English teaching in Costa Rica project beyond a fluency in English and a preferred basic/intermediate fluency in Spanish. If you cannot speak Spanish, we recommend enrolling in our Spanish Language Studies program. Volunteer teachers should have strong English fluency, both written and verbal, yet no previous teaching experience is required. Volunteers should have a love for teaching, English and conversation. Volunteers should be enthusiastic, reliable, flexible, patient and strive to be good role models for the children.
Volunteer in Costa Rica : Project Locations and Free Time Options
The town of San Miguel de Sarapiqui, where our teaching project is located, is surrounded by rainforest and lies at an altitude of over 1 thousand feet. There are many things to do and see in the town including hiking, rafting and bird watching. The town also has a farmer's market every Friday where locals from nearby villages sell vegetables, coffee and many other items produced locally. There are also hot spring and gardens in and around San Miguel for our volunteers to visit.