Learn Spanish in Costa Rica - Spanish Courses in Latin America

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Learn Spanish in San José, Costa Rica

San José, the capital city of Costa Rica, has close to 1,000,000 inhabitants and at 4000 feet above sea level it boasts a pleasant springtime climate all year round. The city constantly surprises visitors with its authentic Latin American vitality despite its cosmopolitan atmosphere, with Central, South and North Americans as well as Europeans all mixing on its busy downtown streets. San José 's residents are well known for displaying an unmatched friendliness and warmth towards visitors, with tourists as well as visiting businessmen happy to testify to this. Every year the country attracts a large number of people who, having visited Costa Rica once, decide to return to settle here.

Spanish Courses in San Jose, Costa Rica - Fees

Accommodation Fees

Our Spanish Language School in San José, Costa Rica

Our Spanish school in San José, Costa Rica is located between San Pedro and Zapote, in a safe, quiet suburb of the city. The school is only about a ten minute bus ride from the downtown area.

In San José there are public buses that link virtually every part of the city. From our Spanish language school there are buses that run to the downtown area every ten minutes from 5 am to 11 pm . It is also easy to take a taxi from the school, with a trip to downtown costing around US 2.00.

All the teachers at our Spanish school San Jose, Costa Rica are highly trained to provide classes that are relaxing, fun filled and effective. All have studied at university level and many of them also have degrees in linguistics as well as teaching certifications. The main role of the teacher at our Spanish language school is to be a motivator and a facilitator rather than a lecturer, so that the student is able to express his or her individuality while relating to others in the Spanish language

Learning Spanish in San Jose, Costa Rica is an exciting, efficient and very relaxed experience. Our Spanish Language school's methodology is based on the modern communicative approach emphasizing the need for conversation; however, we are flexible and recognize each student's particular learning needs. Students will learn the language by using it in practical situations, facilitating their ability to think in Spanish. The classes are well organized and follow daily lesson plans. All teachers plan their day's classes in advance, in order to incorporate each student's particular needs.

Over the years our Spanish school has developed its own grammar books, workbooks and teaching materials to reinforce what is being taught in the classroom. The books and materials to be used in class are included in the course fee.

Our classes normally consist of two or three students. It is rare that a class size reaches the schools stated maximum of eight students. In the event that there are no students to make up a group in your particular level, we will provide private tutoring for 3 hours per day for the same price as the group program.

At our Spanish school we have a group of teachers who are experts at teaching the language to students whose language ability ranges from beginners to those with near native competence. We also sometimes work with visiting Spanish teachers who want to refresh their language skills.

Students at our school are able to send faxes, send and receive mail, make phone calls and surf the internet at a minimal cost. For international calls, we can provide you with a list of numbers to call collect or calls can be paid directly to the school. Students should note that the Costa Rican cellular telephone system does now allow the use of USA cellular phones, but you should be aware that 1-800 numbers are charged in Costa Rica as an international phone call.

Our school offers students the option of taking part in a wide range of cultural activities, with Merengue and Salsa dance lessons on offer once a week. There are also visits to museums, presentations of movies and other cultural activities which change on a weekly basis. Students can also participate in cooking classes once a month, which involves students bringing typical dishes from their home country for all to share.

Through our Spanish school students can receive a discount on tours to some of Costa Rica 's main attractions, with many options available for traveling on the weekends or after classes. Our staff will be pleased to help you with hotel bookings, tour or car rental reservations and transportation arrangements. From the school it is easy to reach most of the national parks by bus, with schedules and tickets available from us at no extra cost.

Our Spanish Courses in San Jose, Costa Rica

At our Spanish school in San José, Costa Rica we offer a variety of courses to suit all individual requirements, with mini group classes, private tutoring, or a combination of both being the most popular choices.

All our classes place particular emphasis on oral communication to achieve your specific goals, while our teachers are regularly rotated to ensure that the student is exposed to a variety of Spanish accents. Most importantly for the student, the pace of each class is set according to the student's language skill development progress.

Standard Mini Group

Our most popular course consists of four hours of lessons a day from Monday to Friday, with each class consisting of a group of eight students or fewer. The Mini Group classes usually take place in the mornings from 8.00 am to 12.00 pm . During the busiest times of the year some students may be assigned classes in the afternoon from 1.00 pm to 5.00 pm .

Individual

Our one to one instruction is designed especially for people who want to advance at their own pace, work on specific vocabulary, have special needs or who simply have limited time. We recommend this program for students who are taking classes for only one week. Our one to one classes take place according to the student's preference, either in the morning from 8.00 am to 12.00 pm or in the afternoon from 1.00 pm to 5.00 pm . However, during our busiest times class times sometimes have to be set according to the availability of classrooms and teachers.

Combined

Our combination courses are designed especially for people who want to reinforce what is being learned in the group classes or who want to work on specific vocabulary. The schedule for our combination courses consists of a four hour mini group class in the morning from 8.00 am to 12.00 pm, followed by a private one to one session in the afternoon from 1.15 pm to 3.15 pm .

Length of stay

Students are free to attend classes for as long as they wish, although the minimum duration of lessons at our school is one week. For students who are participating for only one week, we recommend taking private tutoring which will let us give them more personalized attention during their brief stay with us. Students who are looking to build on their knowledge significantly are free to stay with us as long as they wish.

Our school in San Jose also offers volunteer and work internship programs. Please contact us for further details.

Learn Spanish in San José, Costa Rica - Accommodation

Our Spanish school in San José, Costa Rica is happy to assist our students with their accommodation arrangements. We offer a wide choice of options including the opportunity to live with a Costa Rican host family, a shared or private apartment and a choice of hotels.

Host Family

Our host family option is very popular with our students as it offers you the opportunity of staying with a local Costa Rican family in San José, where you can practice your Spanish skills while learning more about the culture and traditions of the people. All our host families are screened very carefully to ensure your stay will be enjoyable and productive, while the feedback we receive is carefully monitored to ensure a continuing high standard. The host family option places the student with a family that is usually located within walking distance of the Spanish school in San Jose, Costa Rica . During your stay with a host family you will receive a private room with house keys, breakfast, dinner and a laundry service.

Apartments

Another popular accommodation option is to rent one of our fully furnished apartments which are located just one block from our school in San José . All our apartments are well equipped with everything you will need to enjoy your stay with us, with each individual apartment having an internet connection, oven, refrigerator, microwave oven, cooking utensils and television. Students can choose to rent an entire apartment or share with others as each has three double bedrooms. A room cleaning service is also provided in all our apartments. Please contact us for prices

Hotels

For students who do not wish to stay with a host family or in an apartment, we also offer a choice of hotel accommodation. As San José has a wide choice of hotels to suit all preferences and budgets we recommend that interested students contact us in advance so we can organize the correct choice for your personal needs. Please contact us for prices.

Transport and Transfers

No matter what time students arrive in San José, we will be happy to arrange a pick up service from the airport and then deliver you to your host family's house, apartment or hotel at no extra cost. The airport in San José is located around thirty minutes drive by car from the houses of most of our host families. When departing, students are required to make their own transportation arrangements.

Please note: All prices are quoted in $US. For the equivalent in your currency, please visit www.xe.com/ucc.