Teach at a School in a Village

Volunteers are placed in schools in villages across Costa Rica’s beautiful Pacific coast. The schools are typically very small, and usually only have around 15 students. There are some larger schools, however, with up to 150 students. Most of the schools you will work in only have 1-3 teachers and are for children between the ages of 6-12. The main subjects taught are math, Spanish, science and social studies. Some schools also teach English, as it is becoming more important in Costa Rica. 

In some schools, volunteers assist the teacher in class. Classes that are taught by volunteers typically happen outside of mandatory school hours for children, so sizes of the classes may vary and require your creativity. 

Since English is becoming increasingly important in Costa Rica, so there is large interest in teaching it to children. There is also an emphasis placed on other subjects, such as sports, art, music, dance, and theatre, all of which are very popular with the children.

Volunteering in a Costa Rican school comes with a large portion of responsibility because you will be a role model to the students.

There will be a volunteer coordinator who will help guide you through the activities according to the interests of the children, something that has worked well in the past. Even though there will be someone to help you, you should be able to plan and coordinate on your own with energy and creativity. Staying in close contact with teachers and parents is highly recommended so that you can gain as much knowledge as possible from your trip. 

While you are working in one of the schools, your tasks may include: 

• 2-4 hours per day of childcare, usually in the afternoon, but also some mornings
• Preparing and carrying out English workshops 
• Organizing sports and arts activities
• Supporting teachers during classes (not at all schools)
• Administrative tasks at school 
• Daily operational tasks at school
• Maintaining, preparing, and supplementing teaching materials
• Preparing and implementing school events
• Participating in the recycling projects
• Helping with playground construction and painting

Due to the project’s location on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, there are breathtaking views to enjoy, warm temperatures, and beautiful beaches. There are also water sports available, such as swimming, snorkel and surfing.

Weekends are the perfect time to enjoy an exciting hike through Costa Rican nature since the main attractions of Costa Rica is its system of national parks and protected areas, which cover around 25% of the national territory, in order to protect the rich variety of flora and fauna, which is estimated to contain 5% of the world's biodiversity in less than 0.1% of the planet's land mass.

Costa Rica is the perfect place to combine volunteer work with tourism, enjoy activities like:

- Adventure sport
- Dream beaches
- Ecotourism
- Local culture
- Bird / wildlife watching
- Visits to unique National Parks
- Rural tourism
- Sightseeing and history in San José