Job Discussion Forums

JAppleby · Joined: 03 Oct 2006 Posts: 32

I'm interested in going to Costa Rica to teach English around February and staying till December. I have read some of the threads and gotten some good information, but I still have a few questions:

Does anyone know of any schools in the city of Alajuela?

I have a place to stay for sure in Alajuela. Does anyone know whether it would be feasible to take the bus from Alajuela to San Jose every day if I get a job in Alajuela?

With money, is it easy to open a bank account in Costa Rica, or how do you go about managing money?

Thanks for any info!

JAppleby · Joined: 03 Oct 2006 Posts: 32

Oh, I thought of another question:

When looking around for schools, is there a phone directory that would list English language schools?

Also, the second question in the previous post should read, "Would it be feasible to take the bus from Alajuela to San Jose every day if I get a job in San Jose (not Alajuela)?"

Thanks!

pollitatica · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 82

On the bus question: Yes, it is most definitely feasible. It's not too far, really - and buses abound.

Teaching jobs in Alajuela? I don't know of any off hand, but I'm positive that there are jobs there. Heredia is also a good place to look.

JAppleby · Joined: 03 Oct 2006 Posts: 32

Thanks for the info! I'm just trying to get as much information as I can before I go. I would LOVE it if I could get something set up before I leave here, but it looks like that's pretty unlikely, so I'll just go and hope for the best! (I still got a little time...till February...)

CaPow · Joined: 09 May 2006 Posts: 17 Location: Budapest

It's not difficult for your company to open a bank account for you, but it takes a little time. (I don't know about opening one on your own.) You need a letter from your landlord stating where you're living, so try to find an apartment as soon as you can.
To cash a cheque you need your passport and if the signature(s) on it are not EXACTLY the same as the signatures on file, they will not cash it for you. Direct deposit is so much easier!

thombo · Joined: 05 Sep 2005 Posts: 38 Location: Winston-Salem, NC

Hey,

First of all, Alajuela is not all that far from either San Jose or Heredia and there are plenty of schools in both of those cities. In fact, a friend of mine and teacher at Butler Academy in Heredia commutes from Alajuela and it takes maybe an hour or so (which really isn't all that bad travelling by bus).

As for the bank account, the only thing I can tell you is that some schools set up accounts for you so that they can direct deposit your salary. Butler Academy does just that with Banco Nacional - which is great because it really isn't cheap to be using ATMs to withdraw money from your US accounts.

Anyway, I'd also like to direct you to my blog which should answer a lot of your questions leading up to the move (my girlfriend and I did it just under 2 months ago and we're living in Heredia). Anyway, check it out and feel free email us with more questions.

The Blog is here: http://costaricaclassroom.blogspot.com

Hope this all helps,
Bruce

JAppleby · Joined: 03 Oct 2006 Posts: 32

Yep, I've been checking out the blog, and even posted comments and received replies (I'm Joanne, by the way). It's great! Thanks so much for doing it!