Why did you decide to get TEFL Certified with ITTT in Costa Rica?
Julia: My main reason for choosing Costa Rica was because I wanted to go to a country where the native language spoken is Spanish, as I am somewhat proficient with conversational Spanish and wanted to increase my Spanish speaking skills. I also chose Costa Rica because my boyfriend had been there twice and told me that I would love it. After reading what ITTT TEFL had up on their site about the Quepos class, I believed it would be a good fit.
Did you teach abroad? How did this TEFL Course impact your experience?
Julia: I did not teach abroad after completing the course, but it still might be an option for me someday. I really wanted to start a career in the States as a teacher. At the time, I had been thinking about moving to California and needed an ESL component to my teaching degree. When you go through the California teacher credential program they embed ESL training in your coursework. Coming out of a New York State teacher certification program, I did not have any ESL coursework completed. After researching what my options were I found that California recognizes an International TEFL Certificate as an ESL component of their teacher credential program. So, in an effort to be able to teach in multiple states across the US, I decided to take the TEFL course.
The TEFL course certainly helped me receive second looks when applying to teaching jobs in the United States. It was an excellent bullet to add to my teaching experience on my resume as it showed that I was interested in teaching in a different light and made for some great interview conversations. TEFL has helped me to be a better teacher in ways that I never could have imagined it would. In the TEFL course I learned so much about how people learn and communicate.
My certificate has helped me in my classroom to create lessons that really help students retain information. I have used techniques that I learned in TEFL and applied them in my classroom today to help students learn things such as difficult academic vocabulary and have had great success. I also employed techniques that I learned in TEFL when I was teaching 7th and 8th grade students, who had second to third grade reading levels, and had great success with them as well.
What was the highlight of your experience?
Julia: The highlight of my experience was getting to know the awesome staff and fellow students at TEFL, both the students in the TEFL class and the students we taught during our teaching practices. I also enjoyed the Costa Rican culture so much. The people in Costa Rica are extremely welcoming and open minded. Most people live by the motto "pura vida," which can mean so many great things among different contexts. If you think of it as living a pure life it really embodies the essence of Costa Rica and the every day mantra to slow down, notice the beautiful places you're blessed to explore, and really enjoy the company of those who are around you.
I was able to practice my Spanish speaking skills and became pretty proficient with speaking by the end of my stay. I really enjoyed practicing Spanish in the many great restaurants Costa Rica has to offer. I really enjoyed going to sodas, which are small family run restaurants that are set up like small cafeterias, in which the food is home made, super affordable, authentic, and delicious. Sodas offer a great medium to practice Spanish because most of the employees only know a little bit of English, so in order to effectively communicate, you had to speak Spanish. I always had a great time practicing and loved that when I would say something wrong or funny, the local Costa Ricans would jovially laugh it off as they would try to correct me the best they could.
I must also mention that Quepos and Manuel Antonio are an excellent setting to experience the wildlife and flora in the Costa Rican jungle. I will never forget when I spotted my first sloth or unidentified monkey-like creature while enjoying a drink at an outdoor beach bar with friends. The beaches (and sunsets) in Manuel Antonio are breathtaking and if I was ever in need of something to do I would take my camera with me and just explore.
What is one piece of advice you would offer someone considering this TEFL Course and teaching abroad?
Julia: As a young girl who embarked on this journey all on my lonesome, I would advise anyone to remember to stay calm and that you can do it. At times being lonely was a big hurdle I had to get over, but remember, you will create long lasting friendships even if it takes some time to do so.
Another piece of advice is be a hard worker and if you're not, plan on it! I love school and I love being a student so I did not mind the amount of coursework we had to complete for the TEFL course, but it is an intense, rigorous course. I had plenty of free time, but I did have a friend who had a hard time with it and endured much stress over getting the work done. You really need to have strong time management skills and the ability to not procrastinate.
Take my advice, it is much better to finish your coursework as satisfactory and efficiently as possible as soon as you get the assignment and have more time to go out with friends or hit up the beach than to put it off. You'll have much more fun knowing that all of your work is done and that you can just relax instead of going out and thinking, I have to get that assignment done, I have to get that assignment done. I was able to finish all of my coursework and study effectively while having Friday, Saturday and Sunday to play.
Also, be sure to check out Manuel Antonio Park, Nahomi Park and the local Farmer's market on Saturdays (just to name a few)!
In closing, I would like to say that I am so happy I had my experience with TEFL in Quepos, Costa Rica. It enriched my life and really helped me to realize how lucky I am to experience the life I live. The staff at TEFL Quepos made the course truly worthwhile and I will employ the techniques the I learned in TEFL in my classroom for years to come. I may not be teaching abroad right now, but it is certainly something I will think about for my future and I now have the means to do it if the urge strikes! I plan to return to Quepos one day as well, as it was one of the most fascinating and beautiful locations I have ever had the privilege to the explore.
