Costa Rica Internships — Intern Abroad in Costa Rica

This was my first time being out the country since I was 5 years old and it was super fun. There where a few things that was different and through me through a loop like cold showers, not being able to flush toliet paper, walkers not having the right away, and of corse not speaking spanish well enough to have a conversation. However, the food, attractions, businesses, people, etc. was super important and amazing. I learned a lot of about Costa Rica and even some things about myself that keep with me forever. My only critique would be to not have orientation right after scholars come off a flight and tour around. I was too tired and jet lagged to catch everything that was said.

My internship was overall an incredible experience and helped me accomplish the major goal I had for my gap year as well as prepare me for my future at University. My main goal was to become fluent in Spanish and throughout my internship, even though most of the staff and students who I worked with were able to speak English, I spent every day speaking only Spanish. It was difficult at first given the whole new set of technical vocabulary I had to become accustomed to, but everyone there was very patient and committed to my practice of Spanish. Additionally, the teachers at Maximo Nivel are truly great. From reviewing the basics at the beginning to correcting minute details later, the teaching staff has always supported me in and out of the classroom. So grateful to have had the teachers I did during my time at Maximo. This internship was also very helpful in terms of my growth and development in the career field I am most interested in. I was able to not only expand my knowldge but also apply it first hand. So, as an accepted and incoming freshman engineering student, this program was extremely beneficial. I learned and experienced so much, from working with the well-qualified and passionate staff to operating world-class machinery there. I am so grateful to Maximo Nivel for everything. From classes to my internship and everything else in between, my experience at Maximo as a whole has really impacted me.

I spent 6 weeks in Costa Rica learning about the culture and people while teaching at an English immersion school. The partnership between Maximo Nivel and the school was incredible! They provided me with the chance to work directly with Costa Rican students and the experience was life changing. My 7th and 8th graders were sweet, and taught me just as much as I taught them. Everyone here in Costa Rica has been welcoming, kind and always willing to help.

Maximo helped our group set up excursions to explore Costa Rica, so I visited Arenal Volcano, explored Tortuga Island, the beaches of Manuel Antonio, and much more! I highly recommed this experience and program for anyone and hope to come back again someday!

I stayed in Costa Rica for 2 weeks and volunteered with Maximo in the special needs project. The special needs project is located at casa esperanza. This was a very rewarding experience due to the fact that I was able to develop a close relationship with the adults. I could tell how much they appreciated having us there. If you are working in this project, I reccommend having some sort of game `plan for the time that you are there so that you can make the most of it. They love playing bingo, so make sure to never skip that as part of your schedule. Some things you can try is cognitive games such as matching, addition, and patterns. Overall great experience! Really enjoyed my time here!

Pura Vida!!!

The special needs project at Casa Esperanza is an incredible experience. The residents really enjoyed our company and we enjoyed theirs. Everyone loves to play bingo, and we spent the first hour or so everyday playing BINGO because it is their favorite activity. In addition to BINGO, they all love to color. We made a matching game with different shapes that they really enjoyed and we also did basic addition with some of them. They were always so excited to us, and sad to see us leave. Overall, the special needs project is a really rewarding opportunity and I would recommend it to everyone! I wish I had longer than two weeks with the residents, but the two weeks that I had with them were two of my favorite weeks in Costa Rica!

Maximo staff were amazing with my young teenage daughter and her friend. They were enthusiastic, helpful, encouraging, organized, accommodating. They made this an unforgettable experience for all of us. Anything we needed was taken care of. The Spanish lessons were the best I have ever taken. We were able to meet so many great ticans and representational volunteers. And the costs were so reasonable.

I spent 15 weeks doing an internship in San Jose through Maximo Nivel.

The internship was at a relatively small NGO in the centre of San Pedro called 'Fundacion Mujer' and I believe I have gained valuable experience during my stay here. Not only will my experience at Fundacion Mujer help me with any future employment but I was able to practice my Spanish on a day-to-day basis. The work was also very rewarding as I worked on a project that aimed to aid the integration of refugees in Costa Rica.

The internship providers, Maximo Nivel, played a big role in making my 15-week-stay stress-free and enjoyable. After each day of my internship, I would return to the Maximo Nivel centre where the kind staff would show genuine interest in my day and provide any necessary help. The help would extend beyond any internship or project enquires as they would also offer advice on how to make the most of my stay by suggesting places to visit during the evenings and weekends.

Maximo Nivel did an excellent job of organising my internship and visiting me several times to ensure everything was going well. I thoroughly enjoyed my stay and feel like I grew thanks to the internship and a lot of this came down to the work done at Maximo Nivel.

I spent 4 weeks taking Spanish classes and 4 weeks working with a Nutritionist.

The 4 weeks of classes were great and gave me an amazing opportunity to practice my Spanish. The classes were small, the teachers were experienced and genuinely interested in seeing you improve, and the materials provided were very useful. On top of being experienced, the teachers were very nice and kept classes interesting and fun.

Maximo Nivel was able to match me up with an internship with a Nutritionist, which was a perfect match for me as I am double majoring in Spanish and Dietetics. Being matched with an internship directly within my major was amazing because it advanced my career, and allowed me to practice Spanish within my career of interest, allowing me to improve my knowledge of both my areas of study. It was really hands-on and very enjoyable. I even got to take breaks to workout (for free!) at each of the gyms my boss worked at.

The biggest thing I learned was to keep an open-mind, ask a lot of questions, and never be embarrassed to make mistakes.