Teach in an Elementary School

During this volunteer project, you will help provide education for children between the ages of 5-12 in a Costa Rican school. Some schools also have younger children that are in kindergarten or pre-kindergarten. Depending on the school, there could be between 100-650 children. 

As a volunteer, you can decide whether you would like to work full or part-time, as the schools are flexible with their work schedules. Although no teaching experience or special skills are needed for this project, volunteers should be patient, willing to work independently, proactive, and creative.

At the schools, children are taught regular school subjects, such as science, math, and geography. Lessons in art, music, computing, and physical education are also offered. English is taught as their foreign language class.

Usually, the children at the schools come from low-income families. The schools are financed by an annual budget from the government, and parents only have to pay a small tuition fee and for some school materials.

As a volunteer you may carry out the following tasks and responsibilities:

• Teaching arts and crafts
• Teaching languages (English)
• Preparing materials for the lessons
• Organizing activities and games
• Playing sports and outdoor games
• Helping out with light chores necessary for the day-to-day operation of the schools
• Helping with the improvement and elaboration of the facilities and projects
• Providing warm and caring attention to the children
• Assisting the teachers in charge of the children with different tasks

Volunteers are encouraged to be creative and are encouraged to showcase their own personal skills, ideas, and suggestions. They are always welcome, and can be further discussed with your in-country volunteer coordinator.

Note: The tasks may vary. They depend on factors such as number of volunteers, weather, season, current needs of the project, as well as self-motivation. Not every volunteer may be fully involved in all these tasks.

Being in the vibrant city of San Jose, there are many activities to do in your spare time. There are regular concerts, and a wide range of sports to participate in. 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. In addition, Costa Rica has countless amazing beaches on both the Pacific and the Caribbean Ocean. 

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