Q: When does the program start and end?

A:  The program starts in January and ends in late December. The school year in Costa Rica runs from February through the end of December. Volunteers must commit to the full duration of the program (12 months). More information on exact dates of departure will be available 3-4 months prior to departure.

Q:  Do I need to speak Spanish?

A:  Knowledge of Spanish is not required for application or participation in the program. Volunteers with many different levels of Spanish speaking ability have successfully participated in the program in the past. However, some prior exposure to the language will help you adjust to life in Costa Rica more quickly. We recommend that our accepted volunteers start learning Spanish (or brush up if your Spanish is "rusty") before they leave, either through classes or practice with a Spanish speaker. Returned volunteers agree: the more you speak before you go, the easier it is to adjust once in-country. Once volunteers arrive in Costa Rica they will receive a month of intensive orientation training that will include language instruction. Volunteers in Costa Rica will speak Spanish on a daily basis with their host family, colleagues, and in the community, although they use mostly English in the classroom.

Q: Would I get any training in teaching?

A: Yes. WorldTeach volunteers spend their first month in country in an intensive orientation training program that includes orientation to the country and culture, language training and teacher training. Teacher training will focus on ESL teaching methods and techniques, lesson planning, teaching resources, practice teaching with Costa Rican elementary school students, and feedback from your peers and Orientation leaders. Before departing for Costa Rica, all accepted volunteers are required to gain at least 25 hours of TESOL teaching experience to give them some background experience for orientation.

Q: When would I find out where I'd be teaching?

A:  All year-long volunteers in Costa Rica teach English in public elementary schools. Teaching sites range from very small towns or farming communities to more urban settings, though almost all placements are rural. Volunteers may be placed in the central mountains, in the plains of Guanacaste, or on the Pacific coast. While there is no ‘typical’ placement, many volunteers will live in small towns that have a plaza (grassy areas about the size of a soccer field), a pulpería (small convenience store), church, and a school (or maybe even less). Most volunteers will be about an hour away from larger towns that will have more pulperías, some sodas (small restaurants) and maybe even internet. See the Sample Placements to read some volunteers' descriptions of their teaching site and host community.

Teaching placements are determined by the WorldTeach Field Staff in consultation with the Ministry of Education. Once accepted to the program, a volunteer may express general preferences with regard to their teaching or living situation. The Field Staff will take these preferences and the volunteer's background into account when matching them with a suitable school and host family. Since WorldTeach also has to take into account the needs of the host communities and the direction of the Ministry, we cannot guarantee any particular placement. This process of matching volunteers with placement sites is done once the Field Staff has received information on all the volunteers in the group. As such, volunteers can expect to receive detailed information about their placement sites, teaching assignments and host families about one month prior to departure.

Host communities have usually hosted WorldTeach volunteers before and are very welcoming. Volunteers find that with flexibility and an open, positive attitude they soon become very involved in and attached to their host communities.

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Q: What type of housing would I be staying in?

A: Volunteers live with Costa Rican host families whenever possible, either in the family's home or in a room or house nearby. Most volunteers have their own bedroom and share the bathroom and living space with their host family. They eat meals with the family and enjoy being a part of family life. Host families are paid a stipend (provided by the Ministry of Education and administered by WorldTeach) to cover the costs of hosting a volunteer. Volunteers will live with two host families during the course of the program: one during orientation and the other at their teaching site. Host families are eager to host a volunteer because they enjoy the cultural exchange and they treat the volunteer like one of the family. Volunteers find that while living with a family takes patience and flexibility, it enables them to integrate into the community, learn about the culture, and make lasting friendships.

Please keep in mind that housing accommodations in Costa Rica generally are not as comfortable as in the US. The WorldTeach Field Staff visits every site to ensure that volunteers will be housed safely; however, volunteers should not expect "all the comforts of home." If this is a concern for you, please contact WorldTeach. We can put you in touch with a former volunteer who can elaborate on what you can expect in Costa Rica.

Q: Does WorldTeach arrange travel to Costa Rica?

A: WorldTeach arranges travel for each group departing for Costa Rica from a departure city in the USA. The group will meet at the departure city airport and then travel together to San José, Costa Rica. The international flight from the departure city to San José is covered by the WorldTeach program fee, as is the return flight at the end of the program. WorldTeach purchases round-trip tickets valid for one year at a discounted group rate. Each volunteer is responsible for getting him/herself to the departure city (usually Miami, but this is subject to change). More details about the group flight arrangements are made available about 3 months prior to departure. Many volunteers are able to find discounted or teacher/student fare domestic connections from the internet or student travel agencies such as www.studentuniverse.com or www.statravel.com.

Q: Can volunteers make their own travel arrangements?

A:  Accepted volunteers may opt out of the WorldTeach group flight; however, if they do opt out of the group flight, they are responsible for arranging their own flights to Costa Rica. Additionally, volunteers that plan to leave from outside of the United States may be asked to arrange their own flights.

Volunteers that book their own travel to Costa Rica must plan to arrive in San José on or before the date of the group flight's arrival to ensure that they do not miss any orientation activities. Volunteers traveling independently must inform the program manager in writing of their travel plans. If you purchase your own air ticket, WorldTeach will deduct from your program fee the cost of one ticket on our group flight.

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Q: Can volunteers visit home during the year?

A: WorldTeach volunteers in Costa Rica are employees of the Ministry of Education and are responsible for teaching full time for the duration of each school term. Any travel, whether to visit home or elsewhere in Latin America, should take place during school vacations (usually the week before Easter, the first two weeks of July, and mid-December through February). Any trips home or other personal travel will be at the volunteer’s own expense.

Q: Will there be a chance to travel to other places?

A: There will be opportunities for volunteers to see different areas of Costa Rica. For the first four weeks, volunteers will be in orientation as a group in a small town located about an hour and a half from San José. After orientation, volunteers will travel to their individual teaching sites. The whole group reconvenes for a Mid-Service Conference and again at the end of the year for an End of Service debriefing meeting. Additionally, volunteers will have a regional meeting with all of the volunteers in their regions each semester. Travel to attend these program-related meetings will be covered by WorldTeach.

Any travel volunteers choose to do beyond these program activities will be at the volunteers’ own expense, and must take place during weekends or school vacations. Many volunteers visit each other on the weekends and explore other parts of the country.

Q: Will I need to get a visa?

A:  No visa is required for entry into Costa Rica if you are a US, Canadian, or EU passport holder. A tourist/visitor visa will be stamped into your passport upon arrival.

Once in Costa Rica, all volunteers will complete an application for a work permit during orientation. Accepted volunteers will need to bring six passport size photos and two photocopies of their passports with them to Costa Rica for this application process, and any additional supporting documentation required from their country of citizenship. The work visa will be valid for the duration of the program. If a volunteer leaves the WorldTeach program early for any reason, they will no longer have a valid visa to work in Costa Rica.

Non-US passport holders should contact the WorldTeach office to discuss their visa needs as citizens from some countries require an application for a tourist visa. Non-US passport holders may also require different supporting documentation for their work visa application.

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Q: What immunizations are required?

A:  No immunizations are required for entry to Costa Rica. However, accepted volunteers should consult their doctors or visit a travel clinic in order to learn more about the vaccinations that are recommended for travel to Latin America.

The best source of information on immunizations and travel health is the Center for Disease Control's website at http://www.cdc.gov/travel/. This site provides recommendations for travel to Central America as well as detailed information on specific diseases. You can also refer to the Staying Healthy in Asia, Africa, and Latin America book that WorldTeach will send you when you confirm your participation in the program. However, accepted volunteers must consult their doctor or a travel health specialist about immunizations and other health needs. Please understand that the WorldTeach staff is not qualified to give medical advice.

Q: What if I get sick? Are there doctors and hospitals?

A: Almost everyone experiences some discomfort or sickness as their bodies adjust to a new environment. Volunteers need to look after themselves and reach out to the people in their communities for help. There are public clinics in most major towns and a private hospital in San José. WorldTeach also is in contact with an English-speaking doctor at the private hospital who has been more than willing to help WorldTeach volunteers should they become ill.

All WorldTeach volunteers have supplementary overseas health and emergency evacuation insurance coverage. For medical expenses (such as doctors visits, prescribed medicines, etc.), volunteers pay up front, keep the receipt, and then file a claim to get reimbursed by the insurance company. All volunteers are covered under the WorldTeach group insurance policy; it is not optional. The policy has been designed specially with WorldTeach volunteers in mind.

Applicants with pre-existing conditions that may impact their experience in-country should ask to speak with the Program Manager to find out more about how they can manage their condition abroad.

Q: Is it safe?

A: While there is always some level of risk involved in traveling and living in a developing country, WorldTeach pays close attention to US State Department and Embassy advice and does not place volunteers in any area that is considered dangerous.

Costa Rica is a stable democratic country. Many people visit Costa Rica as tourists, students, or on business. Costa Rica is also a developing country with economic difficulties that give rise to social tensions. Theft is present and accepted volunteers will need to take sensible precautions to look after their personal belongings. WorldTeach encourages volunteers not take any belongings that they are not prepared to lose.

As in most countries, road accidents pose the greatest risk. Volunteers will need to use common sense and be responsible and aware of their surroundings, and travel with other people wherever possible. Your host family and community will know you and look out for your safety. Your Field Director will discuss safety and health during orientation, and you will each be registered with your Embassy in case of a national emergency.

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Q: Is there internet access at the placement sites?

A: Internet access is becoming more readily available in Costa Rica. It is unlikely that any placement sites will have internet- especially the more rural ones- but volunteers should have internet access in regional towns and cities a few hours from their sites. Overall, volunteers have found ways to stay in touch and make time for trips to internet on days off or weekends.

Q: What would I need to take with me?

A:  A suggested packing list will be included in the guide to Living and Teaching in Costa Rica (which accepted volunteer receive with their confirmation packet). Volunteers should not take too much baggage as they will need to be able to carry it easily. Past volunteers have found that most things are available in Costa Rica.

Q: Are volunteers paid?

A: Volunteers receive a stipend for the months that they teach. This stipend is paid in colones, is equivalent to about US$100 per month, and is provided by the Ministry of Education. Stipend payments have sometimes been very delayed due to slow bureaucracy. Costa Rica volunteers will receive the stipend for each month they teach, but they will probably not receive it regularly and they might not receive it until late in their teaching year.

Q: How much money would I have to take with me?

A:  The amount of spending money volunteers need is very subjective. It will depend on how much volunteers intend to travel and the lifestyle they intend to lead. Volunteers living in or frequenting urban areas will probably spend more money than volunteers in rural areas who spend most weekends in their host community. Costa Rica is not as inexpensive as some other countries in Central/South America. While volunteers’ room and board (daily meals) are provided by the host community, and WorldTeach reimburses program-related travel to meetings, volunteers will need some spending money for personal costs such as communications with home and social activities. Volunteers may also need to use their own money to cover daily living costs if stipend payments from the Ministry are delayed. Previous volunteers recommend taking or having access to about US$2500-$4000 in spending money, or more if one intends to do a lot of traveling.

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