Teach English in Costa Rica with uVolunteer

  Costa Rica

• North Western Region: 
Samara

Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months, 7-12 months and 1-2 years
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: Throughout the Year

Description: Program Summary

The English teaching projects available in Costa Rica are for those volunteers who are interested in working with children and teaching basic English language skills. Projects are available in Guanacaste province north east of Costa Rica; schools in this area are severely under-funded and lack the staff or finances to have adequate English language education.

Why The Project Needs Your Help

The majority of the schools in the Samara area do not have English teachers and therefore some students never have the opportunity to learn English. Although there are English teachers at some of the schools, they are often poorly resourced and welcome the support of assistant volunteer teachers in order to provide better opportunities for advancement to their students. Many schools also lack the financial resources to hire full-time staff so volunteers play a crucial role in filling out vacant positions.

Your Role As A Volunteer

You will have the choice of either leading your own class or assisting another teacher in their daily lessons. Your placement is completely dependent upon your level of comfort within the classroom. Depending on your level of Spanish and educational background, you may also want to teach other subjects such as Math, History, Science, Music and Art.

Highlights: Where The Placements Are Based

The English teaching projects are based in schools in Samara and the in rural communities that surround the town. Playa Samara is considered to be one of Costa Rica's most beautiful beaches. The town is located on the edge of 7km stretch of pristine white sand beach. There are many rural villages surrounding the horse shoe shaped cove with many small islands that rise out of the turquoise ocean.

The town's life revolves around the soccer field that lies in the middle of Samara, which is how traditional Costa Rican towns are typically laid out. The Guanacaste province is home to farming communities and villages that have managed to escape over-development and retain traditional Costa Rican culture and traditions. As a result, Guanacaste is one of best the places to be if you want to experience traditional Costa Rica's culture first-hand.

Activities and Excursions Around Playa Samara

Samara offers a wide range of attractions and activities. A guided tour of the town is included in your orientation. This tour will allow you to become familiar with the layout of the town and give you chance to see some of the major attractions in Samara. During your spare time, you can relax on the beach, get great discounted volunteer rates on surf board rentals, lessons, and gym memberships at Jessie's Surf Camp & Gym, ride horses along the coastline, mountain bike through the surrounding hills, try your hand at spear fishing and catching lobster or go on a canopy tour.

Qualifications: Volunteers participating in the English teaching projects should enjoy working with children. They should also be creative and self-motivated as even the most basic resources can be limited and require you to use your imagination to compensate for the lack of materials.

Minimum Education: High School

Cost in US$: From $750 for 4 weeks

Includes:
- Project Placement
- Accommodation
- 2-3 Meals per day
- Airport Pick up
- Language Lessons
- Host Country Orientation
- 24 Hour Emergency Assistance
- Cultural Immersion Session
- Weekend Excursions

Experience Required: no

Age Range: 17 - 100 years old

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Application Process Involves:

• Resume
• Written Application

Post Services Include:

• Exit DebriefingAbroad
• Alumni Network
• Job and Internship Network

uVolunteer Service Agency's Mission Statement: uVolunteer's mission is to provide meaningful and affordable volunteering placements to our volunteers without sacrificing neither service nor quality; and the capacity to deliver this volunteer resource and funding directly to grass root projects, local non-governmental and public organisations in rural and urban communities in need worldwide.

Year Founded: 2005