Volunteer In Latin America

Bio Diverse
Pura Vida
Teach English
Eco Adventure
Conservation

Trip Highlights

Volunteering

Help Children Learn English

In this Humanitarian Program, you’ll be volunteering to help children learn English (you’ll spend about a half day on volunteering). There’s no experience required and we’ll be training you on how to teach with our specific teaching methodology!

Costa Rica is heavily supported by tourism and a large expat community. The education system here reflects that; there are public schools that cater towards lower to mid-income families and private schools that cater to the upper end of the income scale. The students you will be teaching in Costa Rica might be local kids or children of expats whose parents can’t afford the expensive tuition of the private schools; they don’t typically come from the same level of poverty as children in other ILP Humanitarian locations.

However, that doesn’t change the service you’ll be providing. Since Costa Rica depends so heavily on tourism, being able to speak English naturally is an invaluable skill for any child once they grow and seek job opportunities.

Costa Rica might be nestled right in the middle of Central America, but due to the tourism and expat life, the economic lifestyle in Costa Rica overall is higher here than neighboring countries. However, there are still pockets where locals deal with stark humanitarian issues, like small homes with basic amenities (if any). Because of booming tourism, activities in Costa Rica are typically more expensive than the next-door-neighbor ILP program in Nicaragua.

“This semester hasn’t been easy, but there are still so many ‘pura vida’ moments.”

Embrace The Culture

Pura Vida may be the biggest piece of advice we can give someone thinking about volunteering in Costa Rica.

This phrase is a huge part of the culture here — it means embracing the pure and simple things in life. You’ll get to cross off major things like zip lining, surfing, and volcano hikes (plus more!), but there’s a lot to be said about the little day to day things that make up the majority of the semester, too.

Hanging out in hammocks after class, watching the sunset, finding a bunch of bananas on your walk, and sitting and listening to the rainstorms. Costa Rica is the ideal spot for volunteers who want a little more ‘pura vida’ in their life.

Help Children Learn English

In this Humanitarian Program, you’ll be volunteering to help children learn English (you’ll spend about a half day on volunteering). There’s no experience required and we’ll be training you on how to teach with our specific teaching methodology!

Read More

“This semester hasn’t been easy, but there are still so many ‘pura vida’ moments.”

Embrace The Culture

Pura Vida may be the biggest piece of advice we can give someone thinking about volunteering in Costa Rica. Read More

Experiences In + Around Costa Rica

You have every weekend off plus vacation time throughout the semester so that you can travel over Costa Rica! There is more than enough to see in Costa Rica — you can barely scratch the surface even after living there for 3-4 months. Volunteers also love visiting other countries, too, which we totally get because you have some amazing neighbors. Groups love checking out vacations in Nicaragua, Panama, and Peru.

Hike Deep In The Forest To Dip In Blue Falls

Snorkeling + Dolphins In This national park

View The Cloud Forest From Hanging Bridges

Start Your ILP Adventure

This summer was the best time of my life it gave me so many amazing memories, 11 new best friends, the cutest students and the experience of a lifetime!

Amberly

while traveling to so many cool places is a big part of being an ilp volunteer, my favorite part has been connecting with my roomies & sweet kids! being teacher abbey is definitely a challenge some days but it has been the most rewarding experience ever.

Abbey
i am so beyond grateful for the experience i had to teach kids english for the summer. i learned a lot about teaching and patience, made friends with strangers, and learned what it is actually like living like a local.

Sierra