Teaching English in Costa Rica

When, Where, and How to Land a Job

By Laura Dulin

Waterfall in a forest of Costa Rica.

I lived and taught English in Costa Rica for almost three years. Costa Rica is largely a lush, tropical country known for its hospitable people. In Costa Rica you can experience their own unique version of traditional Latino culture, dance to salsa music, and escape the big city of San Jose where many jobs are located to the tropical beaches.

For most Costa Ricans, speaking English is a way to get hired or move up the ladder in their jobs or careers. This means that many people need to know English, and there are many ESL jobs available.

If you are considering teaching English in Costa Rica, here are a few tips that might help you along the way:

Search for the Job While in Costa Rica

First of all, there are not many schools that will hire you from overseas. However, many will hire you on the spot if you walk into their office, speak English, have a college degree (in anything), a TEFL certificate, and an agreeable personality. Many companies will hire you during the period in which you are on your tourist visa.

Proper Appearance for an Interview

Costa Ricans place a high value on appearance, and a neat, professional appearance will make a good first impression during an interview. Men should wear slacks and a nice shirt to an interview, and women should wear nice pants or a skirt. The laid-back, “I just got back from the beach” appearance turns Costa Ricans off. They even have a special derogatory name for the way gringos look when they are traveling, “gringos cucinos,” which means “dirty gringos.” Editor's note: We believe it is a matter of respect and good manners to adapt to the way of living in traditional cultures such as Costa Rica and elsewhere, of course.

TEFL Certification Generally Necessary

As for TEFL certification, it is generally necessary as years go by. Some schools here do not require certification, but it is a huge plus, and likely will result in a slightly higher starting salary. Most language schools in Costa Rica do not provide enough TEFL training to develop a comfortable feel for teaching English to natives. Therefore, getting some sort of TEFL training before you arrive in Costa Rica, or while in the country, is highly recommended.

When hiring, some schools make no differentiation between a TESOL degree that was earned in two weeks on the web and cost $200, and a course that cost $4000 and was completed in six months. Again, the teaching environment is becoming more competitive with so many wishing to work in the idyllic surrounds, so having a certificate from a recognized institution is always a plus. Having a Master's in TESOL will impress the employer and improves your chances of landing a job, but you will not necessarily be paid extra for your expertise.

Teaching Income in Costa Rica

On average teachers make about $800-2000 dollars per month. You may supplement your income by teaching private classes to businessmen. While teaching around 20-25 hours per week for a private language school, I usually made about six hundred dollars a month. Although this sounds low, I actually got by on that income just fine. In Costa Rica, this represented enough money to live in a basic apartment, go out for a beer after work, travel to the ocean a few times a month, and generally enjoy life. Your income will not enough to save money or pay off big student loans. Most people come here with a few thousand US dollars to spend, which is recommended both for start-up costs and to enable travel to the many fascinating and often less expensive nearby countries during available free time.

When to Look for a Job

It is also important to look for a job at the appropriate time of the year. In Costa Rica, the school year begins at the end of January and ends in early December. The best time to be looking for work is at the beginning of January through February and there is another hiring season starting in July. For the first season, It does not hurt to get a resume in at the beginning of December such that employers have you in mind when they are hiring. Teachers are often hired at the last minute.

The tendency for last-minute hires is due to the fact that schools do not wish to offer jobs until they know how many students are actually enrolling for the new year. After the beginning of the year, the next big opening for jobs usually comes in April, when some North American teachers quit and head back to the states for the summer. A few jobs become available in September, but after September, it is difficult to get hired until the following January.

Types of Schools in Costa Rica

Other important factors to consider are the type of school that would be the best fit for you, your length of commitment, and where you want to live. Most paid teaching jobs in Costa Rica are located in the Central Valley. San Jose, the capital city, has many schools, but it is noisy, polluted, and can be a little dangerous until you know your way around the city. There are some schools located in smaller surrounding cities such as Heredia, Alajuela, and Cartago. I consider these areas more livable, but it all depends on where you feel most comfortable and what is most important to you.

I worked for three schools after I arrived in Costa Rica.

The first school for which I worked, The Sarapiqui Conservation Learning Center, offered a volunteer position teaching English and environmental education to children in the northern, rain-forested region of Costa Rica.

Pro-English in San Jose was the second school for which I worked, and there I was able to travel around the city and give private English classes to businessmen. This job was the most lucrative, but it was stressful to travel downtown all day, and the noise and car exhaust could soon drive anyone crazy.

I then worked for Intercultura in Heredia. The school was well run and had a supportive community of teachers to rely upon. It is now a Spanish language school.

In sum, Costa Rica is a great place to teach. The students are laid back and friendly. Weekends it is easy to jump on a bus and lay on a tropical beach with warm water while drinking the cold, relatively cheap beer. Costa Rica’s most famous saying says it all: “Pura Vida” or "life is good".

Laura Dulin taught English for over three years in Costa Rica and holds TESOL Certification and a B.A. in Anthropology and Literature. She has traveled throughout Central America and Europe.