Heading to Costa Rica to teach??

Question

I am a certified ESL Elementary Ed teacher in the states & I am very interested in teaching in Mexico / South America for a year. I am married with 1 child (7) and they'd be along for the adventure as well. Where in the world do I begin planning this? My husband would (hopefully) be employed while we are there. We are choosing to do this for the adventure, love of children and new experiences. How much money would we need to take to start? Could we live off what we make?

Answer 1

As an Elementary English teacher you could get A LOT of jobs in private schools in Costa Rica. Consider looking up Panamerican School, Lincoln School, British School, SEK, etc.. These I think would be the best paid ones, and I´ve seen their ads in the newspapers looking for English Teachers. Though if youre looking for adventures you might want to try to go to more rural areas.

For you and your husband, you might want to put up your resumes in  http://www.elempleo.co.cr/clientes/index... if you do settle for Costa Rica.

To start I think youd need $2000-3000 at the very least if you have jobs there for sure, and maybe more if you dont. You could live off what you make depending on where youre gonna be living, your lifestyle and well, how much youll earn.

Answer 2

I recommend you get your jobs set up before going to Costa Rica. There are many restrictions on non-citizens working in Costa Rica. Generally, it is not allowed.

At the very least, I recommend you bring enough money for your travel there, you first months expenses, and your travel back. Remember that you may need to put a security deposit down for where ever you are staying.

You can look up places to stay on craigslist. You can also find jobs on there.

Answer 3

English teachers make about $3.50-$7 an hour in Costa Rica and only the larger schools can offer enough hours a week to make a livable wage. You would not have a problem obtaining a work permit to teach english but your husband probably would find it difficult to find any work.