When I was in college, I had the opportunity to study abroad in Costa Rica for a summer and it was one of my favorite experiences. Months after I was back in the United States, I felt this constant pull to come back and I knew that after graduation, I’d make it my personal mission to return to Costa Rica. Before I graduated, I successfully completed and obtained my TEFL (Teaching English as a Second Language) certificate because I knew that I wanted to teach English abroad. I originally wanted to find teaching opportunities in Heredia, my research ultimately led me to a teaching opportunity in the capital, San Jose. After finding Idioma Internacional, I didn’t need to continue my search. Idioma Internacional stood out to me, not only because it was a reputable language school, but because they valued their employees as well. There was a healthy balance between teaching at Idioma Internacional and being able to explore Costa Rica. I felt that I was genuinely supported by my colleagues and my supervisors. At Idioma Internacional, you are given professional development workshops throughout the year that not only helps you as a teacher, but as an individual. My week days were filled with teaching high schoolers and business professionals and during the weekends, I would go to the beaches, go hiking, or simply spend time outside. Living in Costa Rica and working at Idioma Internacional gave me some of my most memorable experiences which is why I stayed for two and a half years! Even though I was thousands of miles away from my family and friends back in Missouri, Costa Rica always felt like a second home to me. If you want an unforgettable year teaching abroad, come down to Costa Rica and work with Idioma Internacional. With Idioma Internacional, you will gain valuable skills and qualities that you can take wherever you go.

I wanted to work in a country that was beautiful and culturally interesting. Costa Rica was an easy choice, as was Idioma. I can’t say enough about my experience with Idioma! The company provided excellent teacher training, and my supervisors were always accessible, encouraging, and willing to help with any questions or problems. The work environment was team-like and we all went on company-sponsored team-building retreats to some really amazing places around San Jose. I felt supported not only in my teacher training, but also in all aspects of my move abroad – Idioma helped me find housing, learn how to get around on the buses, open a bank account, and even find a Spanish teacher. When I got to Costa Rica, I had never taught a class before. I was VERY nervous when I arrived. Through training, a mentor program for new teachers, an ongoing professional development, Idioma taught me how to be a teacher. I’ve heard about “trail-by-fire” first teaching jobs, and this was not one of them. I felt prepared and supported every step of the way. I was able to work with adults and high school students. The adults are of course are serious students, very dedicated to their studies. The younger students are a lot of fun, and teaching them allowed me to be really creative. It’s amazing how much you can teach while also playing games and having fun! I also taught several online classes, and this format gave me experience in a very modern instructional modality. You can go anywhere in Costa Rica on the buses, usually for just a few dollars, and whenever I had time off, I tried to go somewhere different. I loved the west coast – Playa Jaco is just a short bus ride away, perfect for a day trip, and the Osa Peninsula is magical and has ALL the animals. But Puerto Viejo on the east coast was my favorite. When you go there, you rent a bike and ride up and down the coast to the different beaches, stopping to snorkel, admire a sloth, eat some beans and rice with shaved coconut. It’s where I’m going to retire! When I came back to the U.S., I got a job teaching ESL at a university language institute. I’ve been teaching here for a few years now, and I’m also working on a master’s in TESOL. I’m excited to hurry up and finish and embark on my next adventure teaching abroad! Brendan was kind enough to write me a very detailed, personalized letter of recommendation to my graduate program – and I was accepted!

I have been teaching in a virtual environment for over a year. Yes, that is pre-pandemic! As a teacher who enjoys the company of students, teaching online may seem like a difficult adjustment. However, after a year, I have found that the close bond I enjoyed with students in a face to face environment can still be enjoyed virtually. Additionally, the environment also offers many unique benefits. The first of which is time management; gone are the days when we spent hours in traffic. Now, I have the time to help more students and they in turn can access the lesson from the privacy of their own home. Secondly, in the online environment, my students and I can quickly pull up online resources that can be incorporated into the lesson in the spur of the moment. This is great for adding extensions to the lesson or for demonstrating extra resources for students to use during their study time. Overall, I have discovered far more benefits to online learning than challenges and would recommend it to anyone with a desire for learning and improving their language skills.

I decided to pursue an ESL position in a Spanish speaking country because I wanted to improve my second language while gaining professional teaching experience. Idioma Internacional, located in the heart of Costa Rica, was a great match! The company is committed to providing opportunities for professional development and growth, and that's exactly what I needed as a fresh college graduate! During my time at Idioma Internacional, I have become a confident teacher. I’ve also gained and nourished many transferable skills by working in different areas within the company: evaluating national and international clients in our Business English Level Test, contributing to administrative efforts to improve our lesson plans and online portal, leading team building activities during our staff retreat, and even giving back to the local community by participating in our social initiative. Most importantly, I‘ve formed lasting friendships with my students and the great team of teachers!

For the past ten years of my life, I had been wanting to teach English abroad. The decision was tough for me because I had built an amazing life, living and working in New York City. I was proud of the life I had created and how far I had come since my arrival to The Big Apple in 2006. Over the past decade, I researched both countries and institutions all over Central America, South America, and Europe. Costa Rica stood out immediately as a place I knew I could call home. The modern convenience of public transportation, food culture, festivals and nightlife found in San Jose were a perfect fit. This coupled with the extreme natural beauty of national parks, beaches and mountains, a simple and affordable bus ride away, confirmed that Costa Rica was a place I could call home. Next, I needed a job! I had never taught in a language school before so it was important that my future employer offer training, career development and mentoring. These requirements were extremely helpful in the task of narrowing down my job search. Idioma immediately emerged as my top choice. Not only did they offer these key elements but it was clear that they cared about life outside the classroom as well. With their group outings, workshops and cultural immersion program, Idioma Internacional helps their teachers to experience everything Costa Rica has to offer. I worked for Idioma Internacional for one year and my time with them was incredible. They were there every step of the way to make sure that I felt prepared and confident in and out of the classroom. The life and professional skills I developed in my time there are invaluable and I am confident that whatever steps I take next, I will be beyond prepared.

I came to Costa Rica to experience a new culture, to work on my Spanish, and to enjoy the beach and the rainforest. I enjoyed working at the office and collaborating with my co-workers. The academic directors and veteran teachers were always helpful and supportive. We had various company retreats, training sessions, and workshops throughout the year. These activities really helped us all become better teachers, and brought us closer to become a better team and good friends. I learned how to plan a well crafted lesson, how to teach effectively, how to create a positive learning atmosphere, and how to motivate my students. I learned how to incorporate media into the classroom and how to make class fun. I learned what it takes to really be a good teacher, and became a good teacher during my time with Idioma. I enjoyed living and exploring San José. I also studied and practiced Spanish. I performed music in “el centro” and played a few gigs. Once or twice a month, I got on a bus and went to the beach for the day or sometimes for the weekend. I was able to visit many different parts of Costa Rica. I got to explore beaches, rainforests, and volcanoes. I even made a few trips to Nicaragua and one to Panama. After my time at Idioma, I went on to work for Westgate in Japan. I taught English to university students for 2 years. I’m currently back in the U.S. now, and have just recently led three week-long ESL programs with GPI US, a program for Japanese students visiting the U.S. Idioma has helped me get numerous jobs after my time working with them. Thanks in part to my experience with Idioma, I have been able to get good paying, teaching jobs both abroad and in the U.S.. They have been great when it comes to writing recommendations for me on several different occasions. People are always impressed when I tell them about my experience in Costa Rica working with Idioma.

I came to work at Idioma because I was really enticed by the mentor program. I didn’t have much teaching experience and the idea of someone there guiding me really appealed to me. Aside from that, Costa Rica really appealed to me because it didn’t have an army and was huge into ecotourism. It also was a quick and relatively inexpensive flight home in case I needed to get home for anything important I thought that working at Idioma was challenging at first, but came to be a very rewarding experience by the end. I also think the challenges I faced were not so much a fault of Idioma, but rather an adjustment to teaching itself. They helped me get settled into daily life in Costa Rica, which I think would have been more difficult without the support of the staff there. I really learned a lot about English from a technical perspective, which I enjoyed being a language nerd. I also learned a lot about Costa Rica through my interactions with my students and the staff. The teaching, like I mentioned before, was difficult at first, but I got the hang of it after a few months. The students, however, were awesome from the start. My students were excited to learn and to get to know me and my experiences, and I was in turn excited to teach and to get to know them. I traveled A LOT in my free time. I would say I spent at least two weekends a month somewhere outside of San Jose. Traveling in your free time makes the entire experience, no matter how difficult, rewarding. I also participated in an exchange, which I am thankful I did to this day. After Idioma, I have gone on to be a member of Teach For America. I am currently a high school Spanish teacher through the program. I would say a large factor in my acceptance into Teach For America was my time at Idioma. Thanks for the recommendations!