Costa Rica

For decades Costa Rica has stood out for its stability and has benefited from the most developed welfare system in the region. It has no standing army and its citizens enjoy one of the highest life expectancy levels in the Western hemisphere.

Tourism is one of Costa Rica's main sources of foreign exchange with a rich ecosystem with a highlights being its tropical forest, which is home to a profusion of flora and fauna including 1,000 species of orchids and 850 species of birds, and its coasts on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean. Costa Ricans are famously warm and welcoming, willing to share their customs and culture with people from other countries.

 

Placement Locations

Placements are in Bijagua; in northwest Costa Rica, in Las Juntas de Abangares; on the river Abangares, and in Monteverde; in the region of Puntarenas. The placements are located on the outskirts or within small towns, with transport links to major cities. Click here to view a map.

Is it for me?

If you are looking for a new cultural experience and can adapt to the Central American pace of life, then a rewarding time awaits. You will need to show flexibilty and initiative and in turn, you will have the chance to develop your Spanish and build strong ties with your host. 

Placements explained

In the community placements volunteers live and work with seniors in a care home. Costa Rica assumes elderly people have many interests and there is structured activity to stimulate the residents. This is a very valuable, hands-on experience. Residents are all treated as important individuals and staff value each resident. Volunteers are warmly welcomed.

In the School Assistant placements, volunteers will be involved with planning, preparation of teaching materials, class meetings, conversational practice sessions, tutoring, and help with extracurricular activities to be scheduled in consultation with the program director and teaching faculty. For these placements, the specific duties and the working hours will be arranged in consultation with supervisors. Often volunteers will have their own class. Private tuition may be arranged. 

The ecology/environmental placements volunteers work in the office of the Association of Guides in the Monteverde rain forest assisting with office duties, interacting with tourists and accompanying guides leading tour groups into the cloud forest.

Work is full time, average 5 1/2 days per week; schedule may be flexible; details to be arranged in consultation with staff at the host institution.  Flexibility of schedules can be arranged to facilitate occasional travel or other opportunities of interest to the volunteer.

Accommodation and Food

Volunteers will receive accommodation and food either in residential quarters for staff, or in home-stays and will receive meals with a host family.

Need to know

• Pre departure briefing: All volunteers will be invited to a group briefing before departure.

• ·Language requirement: Some placements require a good level of spoken Spanish, the more Spanish you know, the more your experience will be enriched.

• Teaching Skills Course: This is compulsory if required by placement. This is organised by Lattitude in Palmerston North, this is to be completed prior to your placement and at volunteers own expense.

• On arrival all volunteers will attend a orientation in the rural valley of San Luis de Monteverde.

• An intensive Spanish language immersion program can be taken for 1 or 2 weeks on arrival in Costa Rica.  Classes are held in Monteverde, during which time the volunteer stays with a local host family. (Optional)

Support provided

Before you go:

• We interview each volunteer in order to find out their strengths, skills and interests, as well as identifying what they are hoping to achieve while away. This helps us select the right people to be Lattitude volunteers and after a second interview with the In Country Programme Manager (often via Skype or e-mail), we match them to a placement that is right for them.
• Once you have been accepted by the in Country Programme Manager you will be looked after by a specialised Volunteer Coordinator based in the Palmerston North office, who is responsible for all volunteers going to a particular country. They provide briefing materials, support with logistics such as flights and visas and are there to answer any questions.
• Everyone attends a pre-departure briefing to meet other volunteers and Lattitude staff, and other professionals such as our travel agent, travel doctors and insurance company representatives as well as hearing from returned volunteers.
• All volunteers sign our Term and Conditions to ensure that Lattitude's expectations of each volunteer are agreed and clear from the outset.

When you're overseas:

• We have paid staff based in each country.  Our Country Managers oversee the program and work with a team of Local Representatives who provide support in the local areas and develop close relationships with placement hosts.
• Each volunteer attends orientation on arrival and where needed, other courses such as a local language or teaching skills course.
• Each volunteer is visited at their placement soon after arrival by an in-country staff member to check how things are and provide additional support if needed.
• We work with Embassies and High Commissions to ensure we can respond to any situation and provide 24/7 emergency support from the Lattitude office in Palmerston North.

When you're back:

• We recognise that coming home can be difficult and provide one-to-one support, with onward referrals for further professional support if needed.  Volunteers are invited to debriefing events and become part of our network of alumni.

Costs

These costs are for Lattitude placements in Costa Rica in 2013

Lattitude fees (exact costs):

Lattitude Application Fee	$150
Lattitude Contribution Fee	$3100
Lattitude Teaching Skills Course (if required)	$TBC
Lattitude In-country Orientation	$TBC

You will also need to budget for the following (approx costs):

Travel Insurance (4 months)	$700
Return Airfares (approx cost of group flight)	$2700-3200
Visa	$TBC
Total cost (approximate)	$

 

Travel

Both San Jose and Liberia have international airport facilities.  Public bus service is inexpensive and readily available to reach all parts of Costa Rica. Taxis are reasonably economical for short trips. Options for relaxation and enjoyment available in most parts of Costa Rica include hiking, river rafting, bird-watching, horseback riding, visits to national parks and reserves, and volcanoes.