Staff Interview with Amanda Picado VanderVeen

What inspired you to work for Instituto Estelar Bilingue?

Estelar is such an incredible organization. The Founding Director, Bethany, not only has a strong academic background in education, but many years of experience directing language programs in various schools in Costa Rica. She is so knowledgeable, and is the hardest working woman that I have ever met.

As if that weren't enough to get me on board, she constantly amazes me with her volunteer work and commitment to giving back to the community. She runs a lot of programs for the benefit of the underprivileged and even gives out scholarships to help those without monetary resources to have the chance to learn and improve their job prospects.

I really believe in the way that the school is set up, where native English speakers teach local Spanish speakers and local Costa Rican teachers teach Spanish to students from around the globe. It makes for a diverse, international dynamic, and provides for lots of free practice opportunities in the learners' target language.

I also love how every single student is treated as an individual instead of as a number, and how classes and programs are tailored to fit their needs. I really can't say enough about the school, the work environment, and how much respect that I have for the Founding Director. I love seeing how all of her hard work has paid off to make a remarkable and unique community and international place of learning, and I am so excited to be a part of such a wonderful organization.

What is your favorite part of your job?

I absolutely love being able to work with a diverse population. I get to practice Spanish and English on a regular basis, and recently even got a chance to practice a bit of the German that I am currently learning. Not only do I get to practice different languages, but I get to work with ideas from people from all over the world. It is a really eye-opening and humbling experience, and I love that it means that I am always learning something new and am never bored.

How do you use your education and international background in your current role?

I have degrees in Marketing and Spanish and both academic and work experience in teaching both English and Spanish as second languages. As the Marketing Director for the school, my Marketing degree and work experience obviously help me to direct my efforts to enhance the school's global visibility and online presence.

Being fluent in both English and Spanish makes it very easy to work with both the Costa Rican personnel and the international teachers. My teaching background really helps me to understand Estelar's vision and logistics and to better market that to potential students.

What are some current projects you are working on?

I am currently working on improving the website, and trying to do search engine optimization on all of the pages. I am also trying to help Estelar gain an even more global presence, and make it easier to find for prospective students.

What makes Instituto Estelar special?

There are so many things that make Estelar special and really stand out from other language schools. Estelar has a fantastic curriculum, which is constantly revamped and improved year after year, to make students' learning experiences even better. The communicative method is used in classes, meaning that in just one week, students can carry on conversations in their target language.

The classes are very student-focused, and instead of a teacher standing at a whiteboard lecturing the whole time, students participate in their own learning, and do fun and interesting activities that help them not only master the language, but also learn about the culture. Our homestay families are wonderful, and really care about providing an enriching cultural experience and plenty of language practice.

We have native English speakers from around the world teach all of the English classes and native Spanish speakers from Costa Rica teach all of the Spanish classes, so not only are students taught by native speakers, but they are surrounded by a diverse and international staff and student population. There are lots of free activities for students to practice and develop their language skills, such as Costa Rican cooking classes, Latin dance classes, artisan classes, film nights, game nights, language exchanges, volunteer opportunities, social outings, and so on.

In addition to taking students on fun trips and tours, Estelar also provides free travel advice so that students can use their Spanish to get around and to immerse themselves fully in the cultural experience. Last, but definitely not least, the school is always impeccably neat and clean, with a cheery vibe, and the staff are so helpful and sweet that you feel right at home from the moment you walk in the door.

Why should someone choose Instituto Estelar Bilingue over competitors?

Estelar is a medium-sized school, which allows us to provide a fantastic student experience. We are big enough to have the resources in place to sustain lots of different programs and activities, but small enough to give each and every student individual attention and to be able to tailor our classes to suit students' individual needs.

Furthermore, our workplace culture, given that we are comprised of staff members from all over the world, is very open, inviting, and understanding. Everyone on Estelar's staff has been, or is currently, a language learner, so we are really able to anticipate students' needs and give them a great experience and lots of language and cultural support as they navigate taking classes, living in a homestay, traveling, and participating in cultural activities.

What is Institute Estelar's mission and how do you continue to work toward it?

Instituto Estelar Bilingüe is committed to providing high-quality language classes, performing community service, and offering volunteer opportunities to all students, in a friendly, family-like school environment. We seek to not only give our Spanish students exceptional language classes and cultural experiences, but to also give back to the community through scholarships and weekly volunteer work.

All of our staff members and students are encouraged to give back to the local community, as well as to aid other students in their language learning journey. We provide family-friendly classes and extracurricular activities, and request detailed feedback from all of our students in order to continue working to improve our offerings and the student experience.

What do you hope participants take away from your programs?

Obviously, as a language school, we hope that students walk away feeling empowered and able to converse in their language of study. However, in addition to that, we really want them to take away a true sense of the Costa Rican culture.

We offer full immersion opportunities, such as homestays with local families, trips, tours, volunteer opportunities in the local community, outings, and culturally focused extracurricular activities, because we really want our students to get to know and fall in love with all that Costa Rica has to offer; the music, dances, biodiversity, landscapes, food, and incredible people.

How do you help support participants?

Every student that participates in our program is treated as an individual, not as a number. We ask students for detailed information prior to starting our program so that we can tailor the classes to their needs, arrange for any special accommodations that might be necessary, provide additional support as needed, and ensure that students will enjoy their homestay.

We offer airport pickup and drop-off so that students never feel lost or alone upon arrival. We meet with each student before they start their classes so that we can not only confirm their level and put them in the correct class, but also ensure that they have everything they need to succeed and have a great experience.

We have small class sizes so that students are given lots of individual attention and have the ability to ask questions freely. In addition, we offer many free cultural and language practice opportunities, and students can choose to go on a school sponsored trip or tour, or to talk with our very knowledgeable staff for free travel advice. There is always at least one director present while the school is open, and students have 24/7 access to a director should they face an emergency or need support or guidance during their stay.

If you could participate on one of Instituto Estelar's programs, where would you go and what would you do?

Estelar supports an organization called Club A, which provides free English classes and educational activities for underprivileged local children. Every week, Estelar helps locals and students to volunteer for Club A, and to really help the children learn and grow through the program. This particular volunteer opportunity gives students the chance to experience a part of Costa Rica that very few others get to see. Plus, not only are students helping and making a difference, but are forever changed themselves by the experience.

What does meaningful travel mean to you?

To me, meaningful travel encompasses two important aspects. On the one hand, it enriches your own life, and the other, it enriches the people and/or places that you visit. I think that to travel in a meaningful way, you should learn about your surroundings, the local people, cultural traditions, etc. so that you become a more open and aware person. I also believe that to be truly meaningful, you should not only achieve a benefit for yourself, but rather leave a positive footprint by helping the people and environments that you come in contact with during your travels.