Contents

• The city of San Jose
• The EBC TEFL course training centre
• TEFL jobs in Costa Rica
• Visas and flights
• Accommodation and cultural packages

The city of San Jose

San José is the capital city of Costa Rica and is the gateway to both the Pacific and Caribbean coasts as well as Costa Rica's rainforests. The City is located in the Central Valley and has a population of 1.2 million people. Situated at 1,150 meters (3,773 feet) above sea level the city lies between three volcanoes.

San Jose is a modern city and benefits from the most developed economy in all of Central America. The city is an eclectic mix of modern and colonial architecture and is interestingly both fast-paced and laid-back. Being a cosmopolitan city, San Jose offers visitors great nightlife, theater, shopping, and tourism.

Costa Rica is located in Central America and borders Nicaragua to the north and Panama to the south. A chain of volcanoes and mountains - part of the Andean-Sierra Madre chain - runs the length of the country and separates the Caribbean Sea on the east coast from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast.

Of all of the places on earth, Costa Rica is by far one of the most exotic. The country offers unparalleled natural beauty, active volcanoes, rainforests, and a wide range of national parks and eco-tourism. In addition, Costa Rica has over 1,000 miles of gorgeous white-and-black sand beaches, copious amounts of sunshine, world-class sport fishing, snorkeling and surfing!

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The EBC TEFL course training centre

EBC's training centre in San Jose, Costa Rica is located in the district of San Pedro, just 5-10 minutes by taxi from the center of San Jose, and just a 5-minute walk from two of San Jose's major universities.

Located east of downtown San José, San Pedro is the site of the University of Costa Rica. There are numerous college-type bars and restaurants all around the edge of the campus, and several good restaurants and small hotels in both neighborhoods.

The training centre has been designed with the your needs in mind. The centre has modern computers running Windows XP, high-speed Internet connections including office-wide WIFI access, a small library, and a snack bar where every morning the coffee and tea are piping hot and FREE.

Every classroom is equipped with comfortable chairs, an oversized whiteboard, and a cassette and CD player. The main teaching rooms have a surround sound system, DVD player, cassette player, and TV.

In addition to the teaching rooms, The EBC TEFL course training centre also has a study room where you can do your course work. The centre is equipped with WIFI so, if you bring your WIFI ready PC, you can work in the study room with free internet access.

Click here for a map and directions

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TEFL jobs in Costa Rica

It is easy to find teaching jobs if you have an accredited certificate.

Anyone looking for work in Costa Rica specifically will find the vast majority of employment opportunities at language institutes in and around the San Jose area.

These schools are looking for accredited English teachers and pay between 5 to 10 US$ an hour.

For most Costa Ricans, speaking English is a way to get hired or move forward in their career. As a major tourism destination as well as active business sectors such as electronics and a large call center industry, English is a modern necessity for all Costa Ricans. This means that there is a high demand for accredited English teachers in San Jose and the Pacific coastal areas.

There are more than 25 official language schools in San Jose itself, and countless public and private schools, as well as NGOs that offer English classes. There are also excellent teaching opportunities in other cities especially along the Pacific coast.

Experience to-date shows that you can usually find teaching positions within 0 to 30 days after finishing the course. In addition, our sister language school in San Jose makes 3-5 job offers to our course graduates every month.

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Visas and flights

Visas

If you have a European Union, USA, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport IGNORE THIS SECTION because you DO NOT need to get a tourist visa before travelling to Costa Rica.

If you DO NOT have a passport from a European Union country, the USA, Canada, Australia or New Zealand then please make sure that you do the following:

1. Check with your country's Costa Rican embassy or consulate to find out what your specific entry requirements are to cover the 28 day TESOL TEFL course period.
2. Before you send a deposit you must check with your nearest Costa Rican embassy or consulate as to exactly what you need to do in order to apply for a tourist visa to enter Costa Rica. In order to take the course you must have a tourist visa that will allow you to stay in Costa Rica for 5 weeks. Make sure you have your visa BEFORE you send your deposit.

If you need a letter to apply for a visa, contact us.

Flights

You will have to arrange your own transportation from your home country. Click here for a list of student and discount travel services. We would also advise that before traveling to San Jose you look at our travel advisory page.

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Accommodation and cultural packages

EBC has negotiated some great rates for you with reputable local accommodation and other service providers.

FREE extras included in your course fee

• Airport pick-up;
• Graduation party with open bar and dancing;
• Salsa lessons every Friday;
• City tour of San Jose;
• Two great textbooks:
   
  • The Practice of English Language Teaching, by Jeremy Harmer
  • Understanding & Using English Grammar, by Betty Schrampfer Azar.

Accommodation packages available starting from US$400/month

• Stay with a selected local family with daily breakfast, lunch and dinner;
  
  - OR -
  
  Private, self-catering apartment;
  
  - OR -
  
  Shared, self-catering apartment.

EBC is providing this service to help you get reliable accommodation without the additional cost of a middle-man. EBC is not responsible for any aspect of any accommodation arranged using these or other services. EBC does not arrange your accommodation for you but we will offer help and advice as and when we can. All Prices are subject to change without notice. Please ensure that you are fully aware of all fees, deposits, payment terms etc. prior to contracting one of these services.

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"I was very satisfied with the entire course. It gave me the necessary knowledge and experience to start teaching independently and I would not hesitate to recommend EBC to others wishing to take a TEFL course."

Emma Simpson (UK)