Job Discussion Forums

[Kimmer]

I am moving to Costa Rica in January and then searching for a job. I am interested in doing a home-stay and am not quite sure how to go about it if the school that employs me does not offer homestays. Does anyone know of any website that advertise homestays? People who have done homestays, how did you get hooked up with your family? Any reply to this will be helpful.

One more question: I have a wachovia bank account in the United States and I assume that there are no wachovias in Costa Rica. What is the best way to access your savings in Costa Rica? Can you set up a bank account if you do not have a visa? Clearly it would be difficult to use travelers checks while living there for a year. Any suggestions on the best way to handle your money in Costa Riva, please let me know.

I hope everyone is doing well.

[teachwrite]

This board moves very slow, so I thought I'd at least offer what I know.

Regulars have stated that homestays can offen be arranged by looking at the postings at local supermarkets. Apparently you will often find bulletin boards with host-family names/numbers. This is probably not true in all cities and all supermarkets, but as a general rule.

Last year, while living and teaching in Guatemala, I used my Wells Fargo debit card to withdraw money from local ATM's. I was charged $1.30 per transaction, and usually withdrew about $130 US. I went to a local bank once and withdrew about $500 US, and was charged $7. The fees seem worth the convenience/safety. I'm under the impression most latin american countries have the same type of service. Not sure about opening a local bank account.

Good luck!

[OleLarssen]

If you have a Visa or Mastercard you'll have no problem, it makes no difference what bank you have. If you have more obscure card brands, it might be more of an issue but somewhere in San Jose you'll find an ATM to cater to your needs.

It's possible to get a bank account without residential status, but you'll need help from someone with fluent Spanish, proof of residence and, er, some other things I can't remember right now. It's easier to get a bank account than it is to get a cell phone, ironically.

What is already said about homestays is correct as far as I know.

Hope this helps. :)

[Canatica]

i opened a bank account and here's what i needed:

1) a letter from my bank in canada stating that i'm a client of theirs
2) a bill or something with my address (but they didn't care that it didn't have my name on it)
3) a letter from my employer stating that i have a job in costa rica
4) the names and numbers of 3 people in costa rica who know me.

if you're still at home in the states, i would request the letter from your home bank just in case!

my bank account is at scotiabank because it's close to my work, but the banco de costa rica is the most reputable.

and yes, you can take out money from atms using your american bank card and i'm sure they charge you AT LEAST $5 per transaction

[Kimmer]

OleLarssen said: t's easier to get a bank account than it is to get a cell phone, ironically.

About that... So I am planning on getting a Skype phone to make most of my calls back home, but what about a cell phone. I assume it is easiest to just get a prepaid minute phone there, but again I'm not sure. I also would think it would be best to have a cell with a local number so it isn't long distance for everyone there to call you.
What do you guys think?

P.S. Thanks for the feedback on homestays and bank accounts. Es muy �til.

Kimmer

[teachwrite]

[OleLarssen]

I've wondered about the same thing - a black market, that is. I don't think so though, I'm sure I would have learned of it at one point or another. For example, I've a student who is an avid pirate with all things electronic and he would have set me up with a phone for sure, if he could.

[corr888]

this website has some good long term cell phone options
http://cellphonescr.com

[Tommy9500]

I'm also interested in a home stay in CR. Is it common to teach English during the day in exchange a room and food? Is it recommended to line something up first or do most people just show up and start looking?

[OleLarssen]

[OleLarssen]

[dannybigs]

I stayed at the infamous "Zeneida" homestay for some time, and although it wasan experience I cannot completely recommend it. As Doreen has said, she initially could only take one student at a time, but has since allowed more to come stay with her. The problem is she takes everyone she can because (as I've come to realize) she is really only doing it for the money. At one point, there were 12 people living there!!! Imagine trying to get any work done with 12 people in a small house (4 placed in one room)!! There have been several occasions where she actually came to me and asked for the rent sooner than the due date and when that happened I wasn�t too happy to say the least. Another example was when I finished a class at the school I�m currently working at and another one wasn�t going to open for a couple weeks, so this meant I would be out of work for 2 weeks. I told her that I might have to start looking for another job which meant I might have to switch locations. I found out later that she actually called my school and pleaded with the director to give me more hours because she needed/wanted the money.

When I left there were 6 of us there and we were all quite irritated with her. The day always began with her complaining about something we did the night before. And for those seeking independence or personal freedom, this is definitely not the place. I wanted to have a friend over (who just happened to be a female) only to watch a movie and she actually sat both me and my friend down to give us a lecture about why I can't have a girl at the house. Not cool. And she said things were going to get stricter.

Before I came, I was private messaging with another fellow Dave�s ESL�er who had stayed at this place recently before I arrived and he said that the general consensus was that she was losing it, and this does seems to be the case. For the price that you pay (which is now getting ridiculously high�on Doreen�s initial page it was $150, a few months before I arrived it was $175. $200 is what I was paying, and it is now up to $250 and likely to increase again soon�if you want dinner it�s $325 a month!!!) it is just not worth it and you could find your own place and be able to pay for 2 or 3 months at that rate and have your freedom.

I have also talked with some others who have passed through the house recently and they also have told me that things are not that great there and that the situation is not very pleasant. There are many other options available to find a suitable place to stay.

You should obviously take this with a grain of salt because it is just one person�s opinion, but I don�t want to have something like this sour anyone else�s experience like it did mine because I have really enjoyed everything else about Costa Rica. I just thought I would put in my two cents.