Job Discussion Forums

[epiclady]

I just quit my job at a school called Intercultura, in Heredia, and it was the single worst month of my entire teaching career (which has spanned six years). Not only that, but it was a smashing disappointment, as like many people, I did some research on the internet and the school had a really good reputation, and previous teachers seemed to have really positive experiences.

I campaigned for a job there before coming to Costa Rica, and got one. Little did I know that there was new management / a new director, and this person is the single most incompetent, unreasonable person I have ever worked with. Not only that, but the owners don't seem to have much regard for new teachers, or take experienced teachers into account. Our three-day "orientation" was disorganized, and consisted of two head teachers asking us if we had any questions. The director and owners were entirely absent. Second of all, it apparently boasted the biggest staff yet this January with us new and old teachers...but the photocopier was broken, remains broken, and we were told there were no plans to fix or repair it. 24 of us had to go to the internet cafe next door, where the machine broke down many times because of overuse.

Oh, and they wanted a single lesson plan written for every lesson--amounting to a minimum of twelve separate lesson plans at least, which is absolutely absurd. So in essence, they required a paper trail, but provided us with no photocopier, nor did they go to a print shop to at least have hundreds of hard copies on hand for the teachers.

I was put in the tiniest, most airless classroom in the school, teaching all Intro classes, all on the same unit of their book, meaning I was teaching the same lesson to every single class, robotically, with no variation. The teachers who had been there longer (6 months longer) got the better schedule, despite this being their first teaching job ever. My six years of experience--including three years of teaching TEFL--amounted to nothing when it came to scheduling.

Atrocity after atrocity could be detailed here (roaches in the cramped staffroom...the director screwing up my first-ever pay...no guarantee of those Spanish classes offered...no cooking classes, since they conflict with teachers' schedules), and when I gave my respectful two weeks' notice after finding a better job, the director became enraged and threatened my next day's pay and my bank account. Crying, I had to appeal to the owners to actually receive my owed pay, since the director refused to approve it.

It's a crying shame how terrible the place is; some long-timers have said that is has been steadily sliding downhill in the last few months. Many teachers there don't really care--it's kind of populated by a lot of partiers and people who just want to be able to surf on weekends--but I certainly did. Until it is run by someone who knows what they are doing, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. It has devolved into the epitome of unprofessionalism.

[OleLarssen]

If you need to go for a drink, PM me your number. :) I know all about working under incompetent management and/or crappy conditions in every way. Also, my girlfriend teaches public high school in Costa Rica! That's hardcore..

[yankeechemist]

[quote="epiclady"]I just quit my job at a school called Intercultura, in Heredia, and it was the single worst month of my entire teaching career (which has spanned six years). Not only that, but it was a smashing disappointment, as like many people, I did some research on the internet and the school had a really good reputation, and previous teachers seemed to have really positive experiences.

I campaigned for a job there before coming to Costa Rica, and got one. Little did I know that there was new management / a new director, and this person is the single most incompetent, unreasonable person I have ever worked with. Not only that, but the owners don't seem to have much regard for new teachers, or take experienced teachers into account. Our three-day "orientation" was disorganized, and consisted of two head teachers asking us if we had any questions. The director and owners were entirely absent. Second of all, it apparently boasted the biggest staff yet this January with us new and old teachers...but the photocopier was broken, remains broken, and we were told there were no plans to fix or repair it. 24 of us had to go to the internet cafe next door, where the machine broke down many times because of overuse.

Oh, and they wanted a single lesson plan written for every lesson--amounting to a minimum of twelve separate lesson plans at least, which is absolutely absurd. So in essence, they required a paper trail, but provided us with no photocopier, nor did they go to a print shop to at least have hundreds of hard copies on hand for the teachers.

I was put in the tiniest, most airless classroom in the school, teaching all Intro classes, all on the same unit of their book, meaning I was teaching the same lesson to every single class, robotically, with no variation. The teachers who had been there longer (6 months longer) got the better schedule, despite this being their first teaching job ever. My six years of experience--including three years of teaching TEFL--amounted to nothing when it came to scheduling.

Atrocity after atrocity could be detailed here (roaches in the cramped staffroom...the director screwing up my first-ever pay...no guarantee of those Spanish classes offered...no cooking classes, since they conflict with teachers' schedules), and when I gave my respectful two weeks' notice after finding a better job, the director became enraged and threatened my next day's pay and my bank account. Crying, I had to appeal to the owners to actually receive my owed pay, since the director refused to approve it.

It's a crying shame how terrible the place is; some long-timers have said that is has been steadily sliding downhill in the last few months. Many teachers there don't really care--it's kind of populated by a lot of partiers and people who just want to be able to surf on weekends--but I certainly did. Until it is run by someone who knows what they are doing, I strongly recommend looking elsewhere. It has devolved into the epitome of unprofessionalism.[/quote]

The sign of a bad school system is if they require the long long style of lesson plans

[augrad]

[quote="OleLarssen"]. Also, my girlfriend teaches public high school in Costa Rica! That's hardcore..[/quote]

Ole, is she a Tica? I am a teacher from the US and was wondering if it is possible to get a job in the Public school system in CR, rather than at an English teaching school. How much do they pay teachers in CR?
thanks!

[OleLarssen]

Yeah, she's Tica.

Unless you are ideologically motivated (and very much so), forget public schools in Costa Rica. The teachers are underpaid, overworked and underappreciated (think how Intercultura is pictured here and you will get the idea of how every day is like for my girlfriend, except for the *beep* manager). Your best bet is to find a Tico-run, Spanish-centered private school which will give you quite a decent stack of money per month ($600-900 is my guesstimate). But I'm not sure what your motivations are - if you really want to contribute to the education level of Costa Rica, don't go to San Jose, go to one of the Indian reserves or the countryside where the public schools are either nonexistent or 10x worse off than in San Jose.

[Chiller]

I want to comment on this post from the perspective of a current Intercultura employee:

First of all, some the facts in the above post are incorrect. The current director of the English department has been at the school for 5 years and started as director of the English department about a year ago, not �a few months ago�.

The staff has become quite large the past few semesters. We are now a staff of about 30 teachers. The supposedly �single most incompetent, unreasonable person I have ever worked with� has grown the English department from about 700 English students and 15-20 teaches to over 1000 students and about 30 teachers. Many of the growing pains are quite evident as we grow into a bigger department. Some of the old policies are changes to accommodate a larger staff and student body. These kinks are being worked out over time and many of the complaints above have been resolved.

The copy machine broke at the beginning of the semester. It has since been replaced with a different system of copying. Lesson plans are required. There have been many instances where teachers get sick at the last minute or get stuck somewhere and can�t make it to class. The lesson plans are designed to help in these instances and ensure that teachers are using the communicative approach that the school uses. One class�s lesson plans take approximately 20 minutes to write, even less if you are an experienced teacher. You are paid for your lesson planning time.

The school building itself is actually 3 older houses that have been purchased and converted to be the school. Many of the rooms don�t have a lot of extra space, but there is plenty of patio and communal areas for group games and activities.

Teaching �robotically, with no variation� sounds like a personal style not a fault of the school.

As with any teaching job, teachers who have been at a school for longer than you have more seniority. That�s just the way teaching is. Once you stay for the first semester, you have more seniority than the new teachers. Because most teachers only stay for a year, 6 months is half your stay and thus a long time at this school.

The staffroom has hundreds of books on a variety of topics including, teaching children, methodology, conversation ideas, business class ideas, etc. Yes, it is a bit cramped, and yes it has cockroaches. Cockroaches are very common in Costa Rica. If you don�t want to see them, don�t come to Costa Rica.

Yes, cooking classes usually conflict with English teacher�s schedules. If you really want to take cooking classes, and that�s a priority, then Intercultura is not for you. The cooking classes are designed for students taking Spanish classes and I have never known an English teacher to complain about not having the opportunity to take cooking class. When you live here you can learn to cook from your home stay family, Tico friends or students. You have access to the kitchen to use with your English class and that�s actually a great way to share your culture with students and learn about Costa Rican food.


When you work at Intercultura you usually sign a year-long contract. This is a binding contract according to Costa Rican law. When a person breaks a contract, the school can legally garnish their wages. This is Costa Rican law, not �the director becoming enraged and threatening my next day's pay and my bank account�. Intercultura sponsors its teachers to get a bank account at a local bank. They do this so your paychecks can be directly deposited to your account. A foreign citizen cannot just walk into the bank and get an account.

I want to address the comment that �Many teachers there don't really care--it's kind of populated by a lot of partiers and people who just want to be able to surf on weekends�. I take personal offense to this comment. I am a certified teacher from the United States. I have 3 years teaching experience and I take my job very seriously. I give all that I can to my students and I enjoy my job. Our staff is a diverse group of teachers ranging in age, experience, and education level. Its one of the most drama-free jobs I�ve ever had because the teachers. We care about our jobs and our students. I can�t think of a single person on staff who is only here to party or surf.

If you are looking for a school that is highly test-oriented and academic with only English classes, Intercultura is not for you. We are a school of people from many countries sharing culture and language. The whole idea of the school is sharing culture, hence the name Intercultura. In order to enjoy your time here you need to be a flexible person who is open to learning new things about yourself and other cultures.

[epiclady]

I respect your point of view, and I know it is shared by many people at that school.

And to the "partiers and surfers" I mentioned, I do owe an apology, as such a term was crass and demeaning. I was trying to point out that many of the things I found questionable about the school were shared by some other staff members, but they were content to make money so long as they could have a good time on the weekends--nothing is wrong with that. Partying and surfing is a part of being here in Costa Rica, and the way I phrased it sounded incredibly snooty. I am actually quite glad I was called on that, because some of those fun-lovers were friends of mine. To them, I say sorry.

I wrote this post in quite an upset state, though I will still maintain that my personal experience was troubling to me, and I wanted to share it, since I did sacrifice quite a bit to come work there. I was perhaps not there long enough to really aquire the flavour of the school, but it was not for me, and some of the treatment I received upon leaving was very unreasonable (which was acknowledged). I know many people wanted to work there because it has such a great online reputation, and I hope it continues to evolve.

[thebigguy]

I�m sure your ex-coworkers will happily accept your apology. They are all still here have adjusted nicely and once again we are working like a well-oiled machine. Some things for others who may have an interest in working in Costa Rica or perhaps even at our institution.
� First, remember you are coming to a foreign country and things will be different. If you come with the standards of the U.S, Canada, or England you may be disappointed. Ticos work on Tico time. We start all our classes on time yet students have to learn the �gringo� concept of time and it is different. That means that if a copier breaks it may not be fixed in what some may find a timely manner. We have always and will always adapt and deal with any challenges that may come up.
� Also, though our school is very beautiful it does sit in an old Costa Rican building that has been expanded into a school. Thus some of the classrooms may be small.
� Remember, you are coming to the tropics thus there will be more insects (yes including roaches) and its hotter than say Canada.
� The hallmark of Intercultura has always been rugged, adventurous, and adaptable professionals. When people of this like mind get together it is always a good time.
We are not a place to stop by and work for a few months while you are in town. All of our teachers make at least a year commitement (and as long as they care to stay) Our hiring process is detailed and very selective. As a result none of our teachers are easily replaced.
� Under current management we have grown to the largest student population we have ever had and have raised the level of instruction while doing it. On registration day students begin to line up at 6 am. By 9 am the line snakes around the block. Our reputation in the Heredia community is well known.

We have always had a family atmosphere and any of the many teachers who have taught here, and are now located in every corner of the globe, know they will always have a home here in Costa Rica at Intercultura. For a true perspective of our institution it would be best to contact someone who actually spent more than 5 weeks here. Pura Vida.

[gracermama]

I have to agree with ALL of the positive things that have been said about Intercultura on this message board, as simple as that!

[e&p]

We are two trained and experienced English teachers who would like to work at Intercultura. We have read comments both good and bad here and would like to know the current situation there. Can anyone who taught in fall 09 help? Thanks!

[poser wannabe]

I am an ex teacher at intercultura. I left there 6 months sgo, so while I dont have first hand knowledge of the current situation I do hear a steady stream of complaints coming from my friends who are still there. Basically they say the school is much colder and buisness-like than it used to be, and not as fun and friendly as before. Also the new director is very strict, and is more interested in grammar based classes than interesting, fun activities. The photo copier still isnt fixed, and probably never will be, and I know first hand that that is a major pain, and takes away from the quality of the class. They are jamming 12 or 13 students in classrooms that were not made for 13 students and its uncomfortable for both students and teachers. Its not a terrible school but there are better ones out there. Im teaching at a school called Conversa in san jose, and it is much better, Although Heredia is a much nicer city than San Jose

[Beast]

I took four months ofSpanish classes at Conversa in 1979. I enjoyed my classes there and learned quite a bit of Spanish. They didn't have any English classes then. If they run their English like they ran their Spanish, it should be a great place to work.

[ls650]

I know a fellow who worked there for a year, admittedly back in 2004-05. He had a great time and enjoyed working there. It sounds like it's gone downhill quite a bit...