Volunteer Teaching English in Costa Rica

If you’re pursuing a career in teaching or just love working with children, then our Teaching Project is for you. You’ll gain practical teaching work experience in Costa Rica and learn from qualified teachers. This is a great addition to your resume and will be a fascinating topic to talk about in future job interviews.

We’ll teach you everything you need to know to participate in this project. Your supervisor will talk you through everything. They will introduce you to our extensive list of teaching resources and invite you to regular workshops with other volunteers. You can discuss lesson planning suggestions and teaching advice.

If you’re interested in teaching other subjects, contact our Project Experts. They’ll advise you on what subjects you can teach in Costa Rica, and whether you can teach those subjects part-time or full time.

This project runs all year round so you can choose when you’d like to join. Our minimum stay is two weeks but the longer you stay, the bigger your impact will be.

The aim of this project is to develop the English conversational skills of young students in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica is a predominantly Spanish speaking country but English is the language of business. With the flourishing tourism industry, having strong English speaking skills has become increasingly important. This can lead to better job opportunities.

Another reason for this project is to improve the teaching techniques of local teachers. Insufficient teacher training means that they stick to the same method of teaching year in and year out. Mainly memorisation. This is an ineffective way of teaching and can become tedious for young students. By introducing new techniques, you’ll be able to improve the standards of teaching in local schools.

In Costa Rica, we have identified three long-term goals that you’ll work towards:

• Improve English
• Improve teaching techniques
• Encourage learning through creativity

If working with children and implementing new ways of teaching is something that interests you, then sign up for our Teaching Project in Costa Rica!

You’ll start your day with a light breakfast and a freshly brewed cup of Costa Rican coffee with your host family before heading off to work. Depending on how far you are from your placement, you’ll either catch a public bus or get some fresh air with a walk. Your supervisor will show you the way on your first day to ensure you are prepared.

Depending on the school you’re at, a typical day may start at 7 or 8.30am and end around mid afternoon, Monday to Friday. These hours might extend to 5.30pm if you choose to take part in extracurricular activities.

Each day, you’ll follow the schedule of the local teacher and assist during classroom activities. You’ll provide additional support to the children who are struggling and ensure they understand what is happening during the lessons. During the students’ break times and after classes, you can sit down with the teacher and share different teaching techniques. Alternatively, you can work together on future lesson plans.

At the end of the day, you are free to relax and explore the rest of Liberia. You might choose to visit the shops in the central town square, walk in the park, or sample the local cuisine. Over the weekends, be sure to organise a trip to one of the nearby national parks or sandy beaches.