Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica
Hybrid TEFL Course

Once you’ve enrolled, you’ll gain access to our Learning Management System (LMS) to begin the online part of the course. You’ll complete seven modules through guided self-study, at your own pace, and receive 10 hours of live tutoring via Zoom with your TEFL trainer.

At the same time, we’ll liaise with our partner centre to review your application and confirm your spot on the practical part of the course.

(If for any reason we or the partner centre are unable to offer you a place, you’ll receive a full refund of your deposit payment.)

We recommend allowing 2 to 8 weeks for the online study, but you’ll have up to 6 months if needed. You’ll then have up to 6 months between finishing the online training and starting the practical part of the course in Costa Rica, and we recommend keeping this interval as short as possible. You can either choose your Costa Rica start date when you enrol or decide later.

While you’re studying online, the School of TEFL team and partner centre will stay in touch, helping you prepare for your trip to Costa Rica with advice on visas, documentation, accommodation, and other practicalities, while answering any questions you might have.

You’ll make the balance payment for the course directly to our partner centre around 60 days before the practical part of the course starts. (If you enrol closer to the start date though, that’s no problem).

When you travel to Costa Rica, our partner centre will meet you at the airport (or bus station) and take you to your accommodation. Then your TEFL trainer will see you on the first morning of your practical training, ready to pick up right where you left off in the online modules!

During your two weeks in Costa Rica, you’ll cover the Teaching Methodology and Practical Teaching modules. You can expect to be at the training centre for 7-8 hours a day, Monday to Friday, typically from 9am to 4/5pm, with a break for lunch.

Teaching Practice
The practical teaching component is the heart of your TEFL course, giving you invaluable hands-on experience. You’ll teach lessons to both your peer group and real English learners, all observed by your trainer. In the first week, you’ll start with two mini-lessons, along with short workshops designed to help you practise specific teaching techniques and strategies. You’ll also have the opportunity to observe two hours of real classes taught by experienced teachers. In the final week of the hybrid course, you’ll take over a live English class with real, non-native students, and teach 60-minute lessons for 5 days. You’ll have plenty of feedback, guidance and coaching from your trainer throughout this process, allowing you to reflect on your teaching, increase your self-awareness and improve your techniques.

Coursework and assessment
You’ll complete coursework and assessments throughout the course. You’ll be assessed on your overall progress and growth as a teacher. The assessment process is designed to prepare you for real-life teaching scenarios you’ll encounter when you start paid employment.

You can expect to spend time outside the classroom on assignments, observations and lesson planning. The course challenges you to think creatively and analytically, both in input sessions and during your teaching practice and assignments. By the end, you’ll be well-prepared with the knowledge, skills, and practical experience to confidently pursue a career in English language teaching.

You’ll learn everything you need to start teaching English: skills and methodology, how to manage a class, teaching theory and much more. Here’s a summary of the main areas you’ll cover on the course:

Online:

• Approaches to learning and teaching
• Critical teaching techniques
• Classroom management
• Lesson planning and lesson structure
• English grammar and language awareness
• How to teach grammar

On-site in Costa Rica:

• Critical teaching techniques (continued)
• Classroom management (continued)
• Lesson planning and lesson structure (continued)
• How to teach grammar (continued)
• How to teach vocabulary and phonology
• Teaching English with games
• How to teach speaking and writing
• How to teach reading and listening
• Testing and assessment of learners

For your time in Costa Rica there are a number of accommodation options:

Host Family
Most participants stay with a pre-approved Costa Rican family in the Quepos area of Manuel Antonio. Our families live 10-25 minutes walking or by bus from the training centre. You can choose a shared or private room. For shared rooms, you are placed with 1-3 other people of the same gender and age group. Breakfast and dinner are included seven days a week. You’ll have a key to the house and are free to come and go as you please, but you must respect the routine and house rules of the family.

Student residence
Shared or private rooms are available, with breakfast and dinner included seven days a week. For shared rooms, you are placed with other people of the same gender.

Hostel / Hotel
Hostel and hotel rooms are within a 10-60 minute walk or bus/taxi ride from the training centre. Hotel rooms are private; hostel rooms can be shared or private. For shared rooms, you are placed with other people of the same gender. Please note that breakfast is included with hostel and hotel rooms, but not other meals. Most hostels have a kitchen.

Typical accommodation costs per week *
Host family – Shared room: $200
Host family – Private room: $250
Student residence – Shared room: $265
Student residence – Private room: $345
Hostel – Shared room: $210-245
Hostel – Private room: $360-420
Hotel: $570

* Prices are representative and may vary slightly.

A bus ride to the training centre costs around $0.60. Taxis are more expensive. We recommend budgeting about $5 per day for transport.

Whichever accommodation option you choose, you’ll receive detailed instructions on how to get from your accommodation to the training centre on the first day!

What can I do with my TEFL certificate from School of TEFL in Costa Rica?

The School of TEFL course trains you to teach in Costa Rica or anywhere in the world. If you decide to stay in Costa Rica, you’ll find opportunities teaching all age groups, in private language institutes and public schools.

Our partner centre’s job support includes a specialist job-finding workshop, CV preparation, and introduction to their Latin American contacts and network of recruitment partners. They also hire two to three of their TEFL graduates each month to work at their language institute in San Jose.

Where can I teach?

Most teaching opportunities are in San Jose, teaching business and tourism professionals, students, kids and teens. Private language institutes recruit year-round and ask for a commitment of 6-12 months, whereas public schools follow the North American academic year, and hire mainly in June and July, asking for a commitment of 1-2 years.

Costa Rican students tend to take their studies seriously, while maintaining their “pura vida” outlook, and they place high importance on friendliness and appearance. This makes for an enjoyable and professional location to start your teaching career.

If you decide to leave Costa Rica, there is quite literally a whole world of possibilities open to you, with teaching jobs in just about every country on every continent.

Again, the School of TEFL team and the specialist staff at our partner centre will provide you with advice and support, and we take this commitment to you very seriously. We’ll help you create a CV tailored to the job market’s requirements and work with you to explore prospects with language schools and other potential employers.