Job Discussion Forums

jmhagen04 · Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 4

I am thinking of teaching in Costa Rica in september, and i was wondering what sort of school is required for most jobs there. I am a certified teacher and have a bachelors, but the person I am travelling with will have only a TESOL certificate. Is there a lot of work there for people with only TESOL certificates? I was also wondering about if living comfortably on a teacher wage there would be plausable.
Thanks!

OleLarssen · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 337

I've only a TESOL certificate and I got a job. He'll be able to get a job easily if he's a native speaker, less so if he's not, but still quite possible.

Living 'comfortable' is a matter of opinion. You get somewhere between 500 and 800 bucks a month doing 20-25 hours a week, depending on the school, which is enough to cover your living expenses but far from enough to live in any kind of luxury.

jmhagen04 · Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 4

thanks! I was also wondering when the school years starts and ends there...in other words, when is the best time to get a job? Would september be a good time to come?

OleLarssen · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 337

September is a bad idea. School break issssss... well, can't remember exactly, but it's around xmas somewhere, and even before xmas people stop taking classes to save money. I don't have personal experience with this though, just word of mouth. Best time to come is mid Jan-Feb as far as I know, because that's when school break is over and things start picking up. Maybe mr. Hall can answer this a bit more clearly since he's been living here for longer than I.

snorklequeen · Posted: Fri Mar 23, 2007 2:29 am Post subject: degree to teach English in CR

does it matter what your degree is in? or does it have to be in English or in Education? for teaching at a CR uni. for CR, does tutoring count as work experience or does it need to be paid experience?

cheers,

Queenie

OleLarssen · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 337

Everything counts as experience, but what you get paid extra for depends from place to place. Degrees is the same thing - its impact on your work situation varies from place to place. Obviously, if you've a BA in teaching or English or whatever language you're gonna be teaching in, that's gonna be a plus. But a BA in general is a good thing to have.

Hope that answered your questions.

Mickey Nutz · Joined: 23 Mar 2007 Posts: 6 Location: New Jersey

Are you working legally? I read a previous post that talked about some ridiculous red tape in order to work legally. I have years of teaching experience, including a MA in education, have TEFL certification and speak some Spanish. I'd like to think I'm a good candidate for a private HS or Uni, but wonder if you have to be 100% legal to get these types of jobs.

John Hall · Posted: Thu Mar 29, 2007 11:19 pm Post subject:

OleLarssen · Joined: 26 Apr 2006 Posts: 337

jmhagen04 · Joined: 17 Mar 2007 Posts: 4

thanks for all the replys...that answers my question