Study and Volunteer Costa Rica
PLEASE CHOOSE A PROGRAM :
DESCRIPTION :
Volunteering in Costa Rica is the best way for you to help other’s people while learning Spanish abroad. Take the opportunity to live a once in a lifetime experience that will let you full of unforgettable memories and with a better Spanish!
PROGRAM
Volunteer and learn Spanish in Costa Rica
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Our Volunteer and learn Spanish in Costa Rica program allow students to combine Spanish language courses with volunteering abroad.
Volunteers will first have four weeks Spanish courses in Coronado, a little town near San Jose, Costa Rica’s capital.
After these four-week Spanish courses, students will join the team of a local association in Osa Peninsula and work there as a volunteer, during at least one week. The aim of this association is to save the endangered sea turtles.
NACEL’S GUARANTEES
Nacel has always had strong values, one of which is not to charge any fees for the volunteering program in Costa Rica. After your booking, we will pre-book the volunteering part of your stay and put you directly in contact with the organization in Costa Rica. All volunteering fees are paid directly to the local association in Costa Rica.
ELIGIBILITY
- Volunteers must be 18+.
- Volunteers must be ready to work under sometimes difficult conditions
- Other requirements are detailed in the specific information sheet of each program. Do not hesitate to ask us!
DESTINATIONS
Costa Rica:
- language school in Coronado
- volunteering in Osa Peninsula
LANGUAGE COURSES
Before the voluntary work, volunteers will spend 4 weeks (shorter or longer stays on request) in our carefully selected language school in Coronado, near San José. Depending on their choice, they will receive 20 or 30 hours of Spanish classes each week, providing them with the necessary tools to be able to communicate with other volunteers and local workers during their voluntary work.
VOLUNTEERING
The voluntary opportunities are offered in a local non-profit association. Students will choose the length of their voluntary work (at least one week). Students will be integrated to the team of volunteers, and their work will be as important as anyone else’s inside the association. The volunteer will help the association in their daily tasks to save the sea turtles. We believe that every volunteer has something to bring to the non-profit organization in Costa Rica he will be working with as a volunteer, and we try as much as possible to encourage our volunteers to benefit from these exceptional volunteer opportunities. A description of the voluntary works is available on the specific page of each program.
ACCOMMODATION
During the language school program, volunteers will be hosted by a host family on a half-board basis.
The accommodation during the volunteering in Costa Rica depends on the destination; please ask us for the program’s information sheet. Volunteers can be lodged in host families, or in the association’s biological station. The association will provide you at least with half-board. When you will be in contact with the association, do not hesitate to ask any question you have regarding this matter.
WORK CONDITIONS
The non-profit association in Costa Rica will integrate you as a volunteer in its team as soon as you arrive. Depending on the destination and on the length of his/her stay, volunteer might be asked to lead a project, or to integrate himself/herself in an already existing one. The association will provide the volunteer with any training necessary for the accomplishment of the voluntary work during the volunteer program in Costa Rica. A more detailed description can be found on each program’s specific page. Volunteers will help the team to save the sea turtles by patrolling at night, taking care of the hatchlings…
VISA
Please ask to the nearest Costa Rican embassy in your country of origin.
Costa Rica is a republic in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica stands as the most visited nation in the Central American region, with 1.9 million foreign visitors in 2007. Ecotourism is extremely popular with the many tourists visiting the extensive national parks and protected areas around the country.
AREA: 51 100 sq km
CLIMATE: Tropical and subtropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season (May to November); cooler in highlands
POPULATION: 4.1 million
RELIGIONS: Christians (Catholic and Protestant)
LANGUAGES: Spanish
GOVERNMENT TYPE: Democratic Republic
CAPITAL: San José
CURRENCY: Costa Rican colón
NATIONAL HOLIDAY: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
GDP PER CAPITA (purchasing power parity): $13,500 (2007 est.)
France = $29,600 (2005 est.)
USA = $41,600 (2005 est.)
China = $6,800 (2005 est.)
Bresil = $8,300 (2005 est.)
