VOLUNTEER IN COSTA RICA
International Volunteer HQ’s partner NGO in Costa Rica requires volunteers NOW! IVHQ has a wide range of volunteering opportunities available in turtle conservation, teaching English, childcare work, healthcare and construction and renovation work in Costa Rica.
LOCATION OF COSTA RICA VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
IVHQ has volunteer placements in Costa Rica. Specific locations vary from project to project (for example some projects such as turtle projects are limited in their locality) but the program is based out of the capital of San Jose (this is where orientation and general administration is done). Costa Rica is a very popular destination for volunteers and has a lot of work available.
START AND DURATION OF COSTA RICA VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS
Volunteers can begin our Costa Rica placements on the first and third Monday of every month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods of one week to six months.
COSTA RICA VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS
Volunteers must be over 18 years of age at the beginning of the program and have at least a high school education. Volunteers participating in the health care must have appropriate training and certification (to be presented to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Costa Rica).
LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS
We recommend that all volunteers regardless of their Spanish language ability (unless they are extremely fluent), take advantage of the very affordable Spanish lessons offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers by our program staff in Costa Rica. Past volunteer feedback has shown us that volunteers feel they can contribute far more with some Spanish ability. Spanish is NOT a prerequisite for our Costa Rica program, however on certain placements (such as medical placements) the level of work a volunteer can do will be restricted with limited Spanish. Our local staff in Costa Rica offer hugely discounted Spanish lessons to our volunteers and a wide variety of options (one on one learning, group classes and a local student language exchange). More details on these options are provided when a volunteer registers.
COSTA RICA VOLUNTEER PLACEMENT DESCRIPTIONS
TEACHING ENGLISH
Teaching English to low-income communities in San Jose and surrounding areas is a rewarding project. Children, teenagers and young adults are very excited to practice their pronunciation and conversation skills with native speakers. Costa Rica is increasingly becoming the tourism capital of Central America, meaning English is a prerequisite for all people looking to make a career in the tourism industry and get above the poverty line. Volunteers will work in local schools, orphanages and community centers. Work varies but generally consists of providing tutoring to local students, setting up small workshops, assisting local teachers and organizing educational games and activities. NB Volunteers DO NOT need to be a qualified or experienced teacher.
CHILDCARE WORK
Costa Rica on the back of strong resources, a stable Government and increasing tourism is becoming one of the more affluent countries in Central America. However this is causing problems whereby citizens from neighboring countries (such as Nicaragua) are immigrating into Costa Rica, causing an increase in unemployment, homelessness and poverty. The aim of our childcare program is to provide individual attention and assistance to children from difficult backgrounds in Costa Rica. Many children at the projects we work with do not receive the level of affection and education that they deserve, and volunteers therefore play an important role in working alongside local staff to improve the educational, emotional, and hygiene conditions of the children. Volunteers will work in orphanages, community centers, daycare centers, schools, soup kitchens and kindergartens. Work varies but generally consists of providing individual attention, sharing affection with children, paying with children, organizing games and activities, educating children regarding hygiene and assisting with home work.
TURTLE CONSERVATION
At the turtle project, volunteers assist a Costa Rican biologist with their work at the beach. Volunteers help with studies and protection work of the sea turtles and with the sustainable egg harvesting programs residents. Volunteers live in one of three beach locations around Costa Rica and must be prepared to work hard. Living conditions are basic and volunteers work shifts (days and nights). Volunteer activities vary at different times of the year but general work includes; beach patrols, building greenhouses to keep eggs away from predators, beach cleaning, count and tag sea turtles, locating nesting females and work with local staff to harvest eggs.
CONSTRUCTION AND RENOVATION
One of the ways we provide support to the different projects we work with is through our construction and renovation projects. Many projects are under-funded and run-down, and are in need of renovation work. Volunteers usually work alongside a local construction worker who provides them with direction and motivation. Volunteers work on a variety of buildings such as schools, orphanages, community centers and clinics. Volunteer work varies but generally consists of renovating buildings, re-painting community centers, building required infrastructure such as orphanages and landscaping/gardening. You are not required to have experience with construction work but having good energy levels, a reasonable level of fitness and good dedication will go a long way to ensuring you get the most out of your volunteer project.
HEALTHCARE
The healthcare system in Costa Rica is relatively well developed. However, the projects we work with always appreciate the extra assistance that volunteers bring through supporting local nurses and doctors. Our projects work with a number of local institutions such as The Red Cross, hospice, ambulance services and AIDS home. It is important that healthcare volunteers have realistic expectations with regard to the activities that they will get involved in (see below). Medical students should understand that independence in medical projects will always be determined by: - level of training and demonstrated expertise - Spanish level - age - personality and ability to take initiative - duration of program NB All healthcare volunteers must bring evidence of their level of education, their white coat and their stethoscope.
COSTA RICA PROGRAM COSTS
One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. CLICK HERE to see the program cost to volunteer in Costa Rica and what you receive in exchange for your fees.
ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS
Volunteers are accommodated in a home-stay where they will live with a local family. We give that family money from your fee for support, food and board. It is exciting to stay with a family; that way you will learn the Costa Rican way of life, meet local people, eat local food, speak the local language (Spanish) and engage in local customs and traditions. Living is comfortable and all home stays have electricity and running water. Volunteers can expect to share a room with one or two other volunteers but in some home stays volunteers get their own rooms. Costa Rican food is tasty, diverse and volunteers can expect to experience a myriad of flavours and meals during their home stay experience. If volunteers wish to eat out, there are a large numbers of restaurants and diners in both cities to suit all tastes and budgets. If you have special eating needs, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible.
ORIENTATION
Orientation will begin on the first and third Monday of each month and last for approximately one day. Orientation will be conducted by staff in San Jose and cover everything you need to know for your volunteering placement in Costa Rica – Introduction to Costa Rica, Costa Rican Customs, Rules and Expectations, Safety, Travel Opportunities in Costa Rica and Introduction to your project and placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once orientation is complete, volunteers will be transported to their home stay and introduced to all relevant parties – home stay family members and program placement staff.
LANGUAGE COURSE
Spanish language courses are available for all volunteers regardless of their ability. IVHQ strongly recommends these for all volunteers unless they are extremely fluent. If a volunteer's Spanish is none to basic and they are staying for a period of longer than two weeks then volunteers should strongly consider these courses as they will allow them to work and communicate with all parties a lot more efficiently during their stay. These language courses are organised on your arrival in Costa Rica at the program orientation. The language course is tailored to each volunteer's current level of Spanish (program staff are also professional Spanish teachers, so volunteers find these lessons very effective and worthwhile). The cost is very affordable and offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers.
VOLUNTEER WEEK
First Day: On the first day of the volunteering placement, the volunteers will be escorted to the project and introduced to the staff at the project you will be working with.
Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, an example of a typical day is as follows.
7.30AM Breakfast with the host family.
8.00AM Volunteer leaves home and travels to the project.
The volunteer joins with the local staff. You will be given a duty roster and a plan for your work. There is usually a tea break and a lunch break. Work and hours is dependent on the project and location that the volunteer is participating in.
2.00PM-5.00PM Work at the project usually ends. The volunteer at this point is free to visit and see places or do shopping. Usually we will have a guide to take you around. You may also want to hang out with the kids up to around 6.00PM.
8.30PM Dinner with the host family.
NB If a volunteer is taking advantage of the Spanish language course (most do) they will usually volunteer for half the day and spend the other half of the day (3-4) hours taking Spanish lessons.
Weekends: During the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore other parts of their local town and Costa Rica. Long weekends can be taken to travel further afield such as Manuel Antonio and discover other areas of Costa Rica. If volunteers wish to volunteer over the weekends they can join local teams and visit other orphanages (or other children helping organizations) to spend time simply playing with and entertaining the children.
COSTA RICA INFORMATION
Capital: San José
Population: 4,133,884
Official language: Spanish
Currency: colón (CRC)
Time zone: UTC/GMT -6 hours
Climate: The climate of Costa Rica. Costa Rica is unequivocally a tropical country, situated between 8° and 11° North latitude, fairly close to the equator. Although in the mountains above 2000 meters you get much cooler temperatures, the average annual temperature for most of the country lies between 21.7°C (71°F) and 27°C (81°F). The coolest months are from November through January, and the warmest from March through May. San José, the capital, where over a third of the population lives, stands at approximately 1170 meters altitude and has a mean annual temperature of 20.6°C (69°F).