Volunteer Teaching English in Costa Rica

Improve the English language skills of primary school students and inspire local teachers with new teaching techniques

Destination

Costa Rica

Age

18+ y/o

Minimum Stay

2 weeks

Start Date

anytime

Accommodation

homestay

What’s Included

24/7 Support

Round-the-clock support on the ground and 24/7 back up from our global teams.

Accommodation & Amenities

Clean, safe, and welcoming accommodation. A home away from home with comfortable amenities.

Activities, Training & Equipment

All programme activities and equipment, including training and workshops from experienced professionals.

Certification

Certified record of service hours, workshops, and activities for your CV.

Request Info

Starting at £1,675 for 2 weeks

Flexible 0% Interest payments

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Trip Overview

Support local teachers

Provide extra support to teachers in Costa Rican classrooms, working with children in small groups to help them reach their full potential.

Share your knowledge

Learn from local teachers and share your ideas and experiences from your country, diversifying teaching methods and keeping students engaged.

Gain real teaching experience

Enjoy an unforgettable, international trip where you will learn practical teaching skills, boost your confidence, and develop a global mindset.

Enjoy the Costa Rican lifestyle

Relax on beautiful beaches, explore lush rainforests, and experience the Pura Vida lifestyle

Improve your Spanish

Develop your Spanish language skills through daily interactions with locals and language classes

What you need to know

Overview

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 CV 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. Remember, the longer you stay, the bigger your impact will be.

A Day in the Life

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 8.30 am and end around mid-afternoon, Monday to Friday. These hours might extend to 5.30 pm 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 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 Heredia. You might choose to visit the famous colonial-style church in the town square or sample the local cuisine. Over the weekends, be sure to organise a ziplining expedition or a hike up one of their famous volcanoes.

Aims & Impact

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: 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!

Activities

As a teaching volunteer, you’ll work alongside local teachers at a primary school in Heredia. You’ll get involved in the following activities:

Improve the English language skills of your students through fun and educational lessons
Run extracurricular activities such as music and sports
Improve the teaching techniques of local teachers to ensure more efficient learning

Improve the English levels of young students

As a teaching volunteer, you’ll work predominantly as a teaching assistant to the local teacher. In smaller groups, you’ll help each child learn English grammar rules, develop their vocabulary, and improve their conversational skills. You’ll also assist the teacher with marking and lesson planning.

If you stay for four weeks or longer, you’ll be given more responsibility. You may even be able to run your own classes by the end of your project.

Run extracurricular activities

If you are eager to do more, you can get involved in after-school murals. You can also organise lessons that focus on sport and music.

You may even be able to set up extra English lessons or a club if the school allows it. You can speak to your supervisors about the ideas you have.

Share teaching techniques from your home country with the local teachers

Many teachers continue to teach using the same methods in which they themselves were taught as students, focusing on simple memorisation.

You can share your experiences of different teaching methods from back home during discussion sessions. Together, you can share tips and ideas on activities that can make learning fun.

You’ll encourage the local teachers to introduce different techniques which will make lessons more fun for their students.

Map & Location

Thought to be one of the safest countries in Latin America, Costa Rica is a pioneer of sustainable tourism with a gorgeous coastline, incredible active volcanoes, and up-close wildlife encounters. Here, “Pura Vida” is more than just a saying — it’s a way of life.

More than one-quarter of Costa Rica is protected national parks or reserves and about half of it is covered in rainforest. It is also one of only a handful of countries with no army! It’s the perfect place for adventurers and nature lovers alike.

Heredia

Heredia, located just 20 minutes north of the capital San Jose, is known as the “City of Flowers.” This charming city of fewer than 20,000 residents has a relaxed atmosphere with beautiful parks and gardens, and enjoys a cool, spring-like climate year-round.

Wander through the historic streets lined with colourful colonial buildings or head further out to visit nearby coffee plantations, national parks, and volcanoes. It’s the perfect place for exploring the natural beauty of Costa Rica!

Food & Accommodation

You’ll stay with a caring, local, and vetted host family in Heredia who will make sure you have everything you need for an excellent experience. You’ll get a comfortable bed, three meals a day, fresh drinking water, and daily transport to your placement handled by our staff.

Your host family’s home will be clean, safe, and secure — the perfect base for your Costa Rican expedition. Develop your Spanish by speaking with them every day, live the local culture, and experience a true home away from home.

Enjoy excellent home-cooked food and find out why Costa Rica is the happiest country in the Americas. Whether you go it alone, with friends and family, or stay with other Projects Abroad participants — you’ll feel part of the family in no time.

Free Time and Leisure

With more than 25% of its land protected in national parks, Costa Rica is a nature lover’s paradise. It has everything from volcanoes to tropical rainforests, and magnificent waterfalls to beautiful sandy beaches. This tiny country is also renowned for its biodiversity and boasts an array of wildlife.

Our projects are based in Heredia, a laid-back city just 11km north of the capital, San José. Known as the City of Flowers, you’ll be surrounded by idyllic gardens.

You’re never far from the coast in Costa Rica. Spoilt for choice by the number of pristine beaches, you’ll have plenty of opportunities for water-based activities like surfing, swimming, or scuba diving.

There will likely be other volunteers in Costa Rica with you. So you can choose to explore on your own or as a group.

Your Arrival Made Easy

When volunteering in Costa Rica, you will be met at the airport by a Projects Abroad staff member. You can find more detailed information on flights, arrival airports, orientation, and visas, on our Costa Rica Arrival Procedures page.