What inspired you to work for Idioma Internacional?
I initially moved to Costa Rica to improve my Spanish and to have the experience of living and working abroad to immerse myself in a different culture. I started working with Idioma Internacional because it offered that opportunity and the opportunity to teach adults in a corporate environment which I wanted to learn how to do.
Describe a typical day at work.
There is no typical day! Haha! But my day often involves meetings with teachers, other administrative staff, and occasionally clients. I also spend time planning and preparing curriculum and materials development and work with teacher training, development, and quality control.
Volcan Arenal
Why do you do what you do?
I love education and I love making an impact on people's lives. At Idioma Internacional, we make that impact on people's lives on a daily basis. I also love working with the people within Idioma Internacional and working with such an intelligent, dedicated, and caring group of people.
How do you use your education and international background in your current role?
Quite extensively: I use my degree in linguistics in applying concepts and ideas from that field to make sure our classes, lessons, and materials are effective and engaging. I use my degree in creative writing in both communicating internally, but also in trying to think of creative ideas and ways of solving problems. Having learned Spanish has played a key role in supporting both Spanish-speaking students and clients.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
Many challenges involve training teachers and helping them maximize their potential. We do this with a robust training and mentor program along with consistent teacher training and observations. Another challenge is keeping our program fresh and current and we do this by periodically reviewing and working on updates and innovations to what we are doing.
What are some current projects you are working on?
We are implementing an extensive soft skills program in many of our classes. We are also developing a Conversation Club to give students opportunities to speak outside of class.
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Be patient. Keep working on your Spanish. Understand that cultural differences can be frustrating, but also teach one a lot about oneself and where one comes from.
Red eyed tree frog
Why should someone choose Idioma Internacional over competitors?
Many reasons. We offer top notch customer service to all clients and are able to provide personalized service to our clients on both an administrative and classroom level. We also have great teachers and an effective program that will deliver results as has been proven again and again. We also offer the BELT test which can place students before their classes and then certify students in their classes.
What hopes do you have for the future for your organization?
I hope that we continue to grow and provide our classes and services to clients throughout Costa Rica, but also throughout Latin America. I also hope that we continue to grow and expand the services that we offer.
Are there any developments with your organization that you would like to share with us?
We have many new offerings for prospective clients. There is a Conversation Club to support students and there is also a new soft skills program for students working in our MTSS classes. We are also expanding our French and Portuguese versions of our BELT test which is exciting.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
I hope that they learn English first and foremost! I am hopeful that in growing in English that they are able to either find work if unemployed or grow within their current positions. But I also hope that they take away a feeling that they were supported, nurtured, and that they really received great individual attention from our teachers.
How do you help support participants?
We start with synchronous virtual classes and those classes are the meat and potatoes of our program. In addition, our VEC LMS offers students many opportunities to practice their English using a variety of exercises and activities. We also support participants by allowing them various channels to ask for and receive help from teachers and administration if they run into questions or problems.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
It broadens one's perspective and allows one to get outside of a myopic way of viewing the world. It also allows one to reevaluate one's own values and see what are really your core beliefs and what are simply learned and "window dressing." But most importantly is the fact that you get to meet so many interesting and new people that you might not ever get to meet otherwise.
Sunset outside of Jaco
What issues do you see in the world of international education that don’t line up with your values and expectations for mutually beneficial & educational relationships between providers/programs and the communities in which they are located within?
This is a tough question and I'm not sure my answer addresses it fully, but one issue that I often struggle with in the field of EFL/ESL is the fact that English plays such a powerful role in the world and in business. This means people without that ability are at an economic disadvantage often and that is fundamentally unfair.
Educating people in English is an empowering act which allows them to participate and level the playing field, but at the same time it reinforces English's place on the world stage. A tough dynamic to be sure.
What hopes do you have for the future of international education?
I am a product of (and believer in) a liberal arts background. I see a lot of emphasis now on skills development which are incredibly important, but often not an emphasis on creativity, divergent thinking, problem solving, and critical thinking which I think a liberal arts background fosters. In general, I'd love to see more of an emphasis on that around the world.
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
It means that you travel with some intentionality. In other words, you aren't just heading to Cancun to get drunk, but rather that you are going to do something that is going to feed you intellectually, emotionally, creatively, spiritually. What that looks like will vary from person to person, but that's what meaningful travel means to me.
