Paid Teaching Program in Costa Rica with TravelBud

Living and teaching in Costa Rica was a very unique and fulfilling experience. It gives you a chance to learn a lot about the culture in a different way than just traveling, because you are part of the work force and after a while just start to feel like a regular person. I was placed with a host family in San Ramon who took really good care of me, and was able to easily make friends with the other teachers and even some students so I had a little community. I think overall, the cost of the program is too high for what they actually can do, and they need to improve some organizational aspects. Here’s some stuff I wish someone had told me! Advice: - have at least 1.5 years on your passport. Travelbud recommended me 1, but with border runs it’s much better to have 1.5 if you plan to stay for a full year because you often need at least 6 months to enter some countries. - use Natives Way for border runs - it’s very affordable and organized! - ask lots of questions about your placement. What did previous participants say? Or are you the first one? What does it mean for your taxes? - be proactive about making friends and ask them for advice! I found I learned a lot more from my local friends and host family than I did from TravelBud, which honestly makes complete sense. - learn Spanish before you come, it’ll help you make friends and honestly without Spanish I would’ve felt pretty lost and unsafe. Some people can get by, but I always felt thankful to have it! - practice logical safety. I think some people create this image in their minds that Costa Rica is 100% pura vida 24/7, but you need to be mindful of your surroundings. - take a photo of your passport and the stamp you got. - use YouTube to help you understand how to teach (I like the channel PapaTeachMe) - try different foods, travel lots, learn as much as you can, and just take it all in! Pros -orientation the first month is fun and helpful - you are guaranteed to get a job - offers you an added level of safety, and some helpful connections to get started - lots of opportunities for traveling Cons - they don’t always vet the placements like they promise (one of my friends had quite a negative experience with his) and they focus on jobs that are easy to get, not necessarily helping you find the best one for you. For me personally, I had one amazing school, one school that I had various issues with including weird hesitance to send me my paystubs, strange comments from my boss about the personal appearance of employees, lack of basic materials like markers, and one online job where I had a different student every class and felt like a robot reading off slides. I found a different online job on my own, which I absolutely love and I’m still working with them. All to say - Ask questions!! Push to find the job that’s right for you, or at least to know what you’re signing up for. You don’t have to stick with the first/easiest option. You can also find jobs yourself just on google, Facebook, etc, I was able to get 3 interviews on my own and took the online offer. - don’t offer consistent advice about taxes, so you kind of have to figure it out on your own. - expensive cost that doesn’t align with qualify/level of support - some inaccurate information (usually better to ask on-site team) - jobs have low pay I think if you choose to sign up for this program, you will learn a lot no matter what. Be proactive in creating a positive experience for yourself, and enjoy this unique time in your life!