Great experience with an organization that cares

EVOLC has diverse partners all over Costa Rica so you are guaranteed to find the program and place for you. Also, they have programs with different levels of responsibility from assisting other teachers to running the English program very independently.

Your stay in Costa Rica will depend on the local community and the local partner, because they are very different. EVOLC is based in San Jose and will provide support via phone and email. No matter the challenges or issues, EVOLC is there for you literally 24/7 and ready to help you with any professional or personal issues. They are a small organization and able to focus on the individual volunteer.

My only criticism would be that there isn't always fluent communication between the organization and the local partners and some things do not get done and it may be frustrating for the volunteer. For me it was the case of not having Internet access at home, which I had different information about from EVOLC, my host family and my local partner. Also, we were told that there were many activities and trips during our stay in Costa Rica which never happened. ALso, there was a big typo in our contracts about program fee and deposit.

Examples of how EVOLC did help: My housing situation was not satisfying in the first weeks, and EVOLC took it very seriously and found new housing for me almost immediately. Also, they followed up to make sure I was comfortable in the new housing. They also relocated another volunteer when it was too hot for her in the city she was living in.

All in all it's a good organization that really wants to make a difference in the works. I can recommend it.