The past two weeks I have spent in San Ramon, Costa Rica have been incredible. Upon my arrival, I was nervous and unsure of what to expect as a new volunteer but I quickly felt at home in the dorm
Project Overview
- Region: Latin America
- Program: Volunteer Costa Rica
- Location: San Ramon
- Base Price: $1105 for 4 Weeks
- Price for Extra Weeks: $154
- Groups & Family: No
- Language Required: Adv. English
- Minimum Duration: 4 Week
- Minimum Age: 18 Years
- Accommodation Type: Dorm
- Meals Included: 2 Meals
- Start Dates: Friday, Every 2 weeks
- Airport Pick-up: Included in price
- Travel Insurance Included: Yes
What's not included: Flight, Visa Costs, In-country Transportation
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Project Start Dates, Dutations and Fees
Project Details
Project Overview: Through this program, you'll help various members of the San Ramon community learn English. Costa Rica has made English language learning a top priority. English lessons are now a typical part of Costa Rican schooling, but most of the public school teachers are not native speakers. This means that there is a great need for English speaking volunteers.
No teaching credentials or experience is needed to volunteer in this project. It is only required that you are fluent in the English language. You will not be responsible for creating your own classes. Instead, you will follow a set curriculum with the institution. If you demonstrate a high level of competency and confidence in your teaching abilities, you may be given the privilege of being the main teacher of your own classroom. As your students progress in their learning, you'll see the effects of your hard work. It is common for students to become more interested in learning the language when there is a new English speaking volunteer who is there for encouragement and practice.
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What will I be doing? As a volunteer, you'll assist English teachers in helping students with their pronunciation, vocabulary, conversational skills, and other classroom activities. Your skills and aid are in high demand, and will be very appreciated by both the teachers and pupils. You'll teach students of various grade levels, including kindergarten, elementary, high school, and adults. In the adult community classes, the format is more conversational, like that of an English Club.
Where will I be volunteering? You will be based in San Ramon, Alajuela. San Ramon is one of the larger Central Valley coffee towns and is set in a scenic basin enclosed by rolling mountains. It is a very traditional, unique and close knit town. National Geographic Magazine referred to San Ramon as having the best climate in the world.
San Ramon is about an hour drive north of the capital San Jose. It has the central Pacific Coast beaches located a couple of hours to the west and is located just south of Costa Rica's cloud forest belt and west of Lake Arenal.
San Ramon central location makes it an ideal base for travel around Costa Rica. Apart from its weather and central location, the people of San Ramon are some of the friendliest people you will meet in Costa Rica. They are genuinely welcoming to travelers, and are eager to make everyone feel welcome. The town has campuses of the 3 main Costa Rican universities; this ensures that San Ramon has a vibrant social life.
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What will be my schedule? The project schedule requires that you work 4 days a week, Monday to Thursday, for a maximum of 6 hours per day. This time will be spilt into a 4 hour shift in the morning in a school and 2 hours in the early evening in the Adult Community Classes.
Read This Project's Testimonials
Below are testimonials of previous volunteers on this project. Click though to their full reports where you can view their video reports, photos and you can also contact them directly by email to ask about their experiences with us in Costa Rica.
The past two weeks I have spent in San Ramon, Costa Rica have been incredible. Upon my arrival, I was nervous and unsure of what to expect as a new volunteer but I quickly felt at home in the dorm
I was able to experience a whole new culture and I met people that I will never forget.
Brenna C. - Age 19
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I would recommend uVolunteer programs in Costa Rica to anyone. Everyone can learn something and enjoy their time here if they are flexible and have a sense of adventure.
Christina F. - Age 23
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Before arriving in Costa Rica, the focus of my attention had been on the other volunteers: what they would be like, how many there would be, their backgrounds, etc.
Brian C. - Age 25
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I wasn't sure what to expect when I signed up for this 2 week volunteer vacation, but I know I wanted something completely different from my routine at home.
Lori S. - Age 53
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I wasn't quite sure what to expect when I first touched down at Juan Santamaria Airport after catching the red eye out of Boston.
Christopher S. - Age 25
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I enjoyed teaching English there as it gave me a real sense of accomplishment...
Lizzie F. - Age 19
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I know we've both had such an amazing experience here and we're going to miss San Ramon...
Phoebe V. - Age 16
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I made a difference in two different communities, I traveled through an entire country and back, and I had a great time every step of the way. As cliche as it sounds, my life will never be the same!
Nykkiesha S. - Age 22
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Volunteering in a different country opened doors in my world that were previously closed. I experienced and participated in a different way of life. I slowly molded into the Costa Rican culture and sincerely feel that I am a different, better person back in the United States.
Brett M. - Age 20
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I loved Camaronal so much I decided to stay an extra month. Apart from the incredible sea turtle visits, all of the people there are lovely people with remarkable life stories. I realized, with so many amazing people coming in and out of Camaronal to volunteer, that bad people just don't volunteer with turtles.
Kendra W. - Age 18
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Volunteer in Costa Rica, would I do it again? Yes I would!
Karen T. - Age 40
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I had such a great experience with all of my classes. Working as a teaching assistant was amazing. The teacher and the small staff made me feel so welcome and the kids were so adorable. I often left school with flowers, stickers and notes from the kids and ended up becoming friends with the English teacher.
Sara R. - Age 32
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It's difficult to summarise the best time of my life on one page. Although I had some expectations from the trip, little did I know then that they would all be exceeded!
Moritz K. - Age 23
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Volunteering in Costa Rica has been one of the most significant and rewarding experiences in my life.
Leonie H. - Age 24
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Although I was nervous to travel alone to a new country, I couldn't have chosen better.
Kristin M. - Age 23
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When I planned to come to Costa Rica I had no idea what to expect, but as soon as I arrived I felt at home, especially in the dorm.
Louise L. - Age 18
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From Kentucky to Costa Rica: It's a Long, Long Way
Robert C. - Age 54
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My 5 weeks in Costa Rica have gone beyond my expectations.
Helena C. - Age 18
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My experience with uVolunteer totally surpassed my expectations!
Jennifer P. - Age 30
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Everybody's job was different. All volunteers were of all different personalities and ages, however we all shared a crucial common interest.
Matthew C. - Age 31
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I chose to come to Costa Rica to volunteer for a number of reasons.
Madeline J. - Age 28
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We arrived in Costa Rica after 17 hours of travelling from Alaska. Neither my wife, nor I, had ever been to Costa Rica and we were both very excited.
Debi a. - Age 34
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One of my most memorable moments at the school was when a bunch of children kept giving me stickers.
Diane D. - Age 21
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One our favorite parts of San Ramon was our daily meetings in the park with Jessie, our volunteer sister, for chocolate covered bananas!
Lindsey a. - Age 23
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Every volunteers story here will be different, but it's what you make of your time here, and I know I have made a difference in my two months for the kids in my classes.
Molly D. - Age 18
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This was a great way to see what life was like for Ticos and not just tourists.
Elsa S. - Age 22
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The students were greatful for my assistance and my only work is that I had been able to absorb and learn more of the language.
Sara R. - Age 27
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It was a great opportunity to get to know how other people view the United States and see things from other people's perspectives.
Daniel S. - Age 21
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Tico families are big so there are always families and friends in the house, talking, laughing, and of course eating!
Allison C. - Age 23
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I instantly felt at home when I arrived to the uVolunteer Dorm. It was clean, people were happy, and Dona Isabel was very welcoming.