Job Discussion Forums

[KTCAMP]

Here�s another option for teachers who are currently in Costa Rica or are looking to move here in the next few months: Check out Universidad Latina in San Pedro, one of the San Jose�s most happening and clean suburbs, and also home to a plethora of universities. The English Speaking Center at the university has core classes, intensive classes and conversation classes. The classes are small and you�re in a university setting, in fact it feels like a university in the States, there are plasma screen tvs in the classrooms and there�s a food court with Subway, coffee shops and a vegetarian restaurant.

I�ve been teaching here since October 2004 and it�s been a great experience. I�ve also worked at Interamericana in Heredia, which is also a good place to start out, but I moved to ULatina for the location and the teacher support and the pay, which is one of the highest for teaching jobs in Costa Rica. There are teaching workshops and support materials. People who work here tend to stay. Some teachers have been with the program for years. That said, the program is growing rapidly because there�s such a demand for English in Costa Rica so I expect jobs will be available as they seem to be in most of the schools here now.

For people looking to move to Costa Rica, between March and October is the best time, with April-May being optimal because that�s the start of the rainy season and when many of the teachers who have been here for a while decide to head for home. October, November and December are slower months because Costa Ricans are all saving money for Christmas, so they drop their English classes and as a result the need for teachers drops. But that�s shouldn�t discourage you, good teachers will always find jobs. Most of the English classes run on two-month bimesters, and intensives are monthly, so it's possible to get a job year round.

So again I�d recommend Universidad Latina. Check out their website at http://www.ulatina.ac.cr/ or email: [email protected]

Katie Campbell
[email protected]
San Pedro, Costa Rica

[woodersn]

you're so darn informative! thank you!

Brandon

[trilingual]

Thanks for the info Katie,

I agree with everything you said about ULATINA as I found in my interview with them this past February. The only thing that I found is that they want their teachers to be legal or be seeking legal status and seemed to be pretty strict on that. Did you find the same in your situation? Have their policies changed? Thanks

[KTCAMP]

Perhaps you interviewed with the ULatina English
Department. They have pretty strict requirements of
having to have your degree recognized and being a
resident. But we don't have the same requirements in
the English Speaking Center. In fact the programs are
completely different. The Engl. Dept. is only for
ULatina students, while the English Speaking Center is
for anyone. We have a mix of university students and
working professionals. Usually our students are much
more motivated because they're taking the classes for
a specific intrisic purpose instead of just filling
graduation requirements.

[mep3]

Are most of the uni jobs in CR part-time or full-time?

Thx Mep

[OleLarssen]

Universities, private and public, in CR only accept native speakers (preferably North American) as far as I know, and you're probably gonna need way more than a TESOL certificate (e.g. teaching experience). I might be wrong, though.

[mep3]

In addition to the certificate I have a PhD in English Lit and over 8 years teaching experience both writing & ESL. But I read on some of the other threads that it's hard for people from the U.S. to get the residency visa through their teaching at the unis in CR because the government figures there are enough native Costa Ricans who can teach English?

Mep

[OleLarssen]

Residency visa might be a mite difficult to get, but why on Earth would you want it? Are you planning on moving to CR permanently? Several people I know here lived in the country for years before getting a residency visa, but I've no idea what the process looks like. Marry a Tico, I guess.

With that kind of experience you'll get a job for sure.

[John Hall]

[OleLarssen]

Right you are, mr. Hall, I'm referring to these ESL schools within the university campus, not the actual English department. Sorry for not making that clear.

And I agree that San Pedro is ridiculously overrated.

[mep3]

OleLarssen wrote:

*Residency visa might be a mite difficult to get, but why on Earth would you want it? Are you planning on moving to CR permanently? Several people I know here lived in the country for years before getting a residency visa, but I've no idea what the process looks like. Marry a Tico, I guess.*

Sorry about that -- it is because I am not clear on what you need to teach legally in CR. I wasn't clear about it from what I found on the boards. Maybe I don't know the correct terms for a search. I just mean can you get some sort of work visa, and are there differences in the benefits that would entitle you to? Thanks ..... mep

[OleLarssen]

Ah. Well, most of us here work under tourist visas, technically illegal but no problem unless you get in conflict with the law. You need to leave the country regularly to renew it, every three months or so. That's the most common. Lots of places will promise you to get a job visa but they won't, usually. Unless you're intent on staying in CR for several years getting a work visa usually isn't worth the effort (time and money, can't remember the spesifics of either but it's something of a chore).