Internship in Costa Rica
 Intern in Costa Rica - Central America 's jewel. While smaller than West Virginia , Costa Rica offers fascinating opportunities at every turn. Whatever your interests - eco-tourism, bird watching, adventure, rafting, golf, or just relaxing on the white sands of an unspoiled tropical beach - you'll find thrilling pastimes in this tropical and secure paradise. Playful monkeys, somnolent sloths, crocodiles, countless lizards, poison-dart frogs and a mind-boggling assortment of exotic birds and insects make Costa Rica a travel wonder of the world.
Costa Rica 's internship programs are highly organized and respected, offering benefits beyond just professional development . We invite you to join the Costa Rica internship Program, get free Spanish lessons, and a rich internship abroad experience.
Spanish Language and Cultural Immersion
In Costa Rica , IFRE offers free Spanish language classes. However, you can choose to take the Spanish classes or work only in an internship project. Language classes will start at 8:00 a.m. and run until 10:00 a.m. for beginners or 10:00am to 12:00 noon for intermediate speakers each day. The project times depend on the projects. Some begin around 8:00 or 9:00am, and some may have more hours in the afternoon. Most homestays will be located within walking distance to the language school and projects. However, buses are available for neighborhoods that are farther out or for projects that may not be directly in Atenas. Buses charge between 150-600 colones (500 colones to the dollar) depending if it is a bus within the local area or to San Jose . Taxis are also available from 5:00am to midnight and are relatively inexpensive so most neighborhoods can be reached for under $3. Weekends will normally be open for free time exploration and relaxation. On the weekend, the interns can travel anywhere they want. Buses are available throughout the country.
Work in Internship Projects
 This is the heart part of your internship experience in Costa Rica . IFRE presently collaborates with different organizations working in the areas of education, medical/healthcare, women's issues, and rural development to offer meaningful internship opportunities for interns. The selected internship projects/organizations are established, reputed, and all have a history of working with interns in the past. Internship projects in Costa Rica are available in Atenas, Barrio Santa Eulalia, Barrio Fatima, Barrio Jesus, Barrio Alto de Naranjo, La Garita , and San Jose. Interns can work in any of these internship projects in Costa Rica while sharing their experience and compassion with local kids, women's groups, and communities. You can help in any of these internship projects in Costa Rica :
Internship in Costa Rica : Internship Project and Role of Supervisor
One of the distinguished features of IFRE internship program in Costa Rica is the continuous support and guidance of your supervisor. Whatever project you choose to intern, IFRE will assign a qualified supervisor to help and guide you throughout your stay. Usually the supervisor will be the director or qualified project staff for your internship project. As an intern, you will be involved in all activities that volunteers are involved in (in this sense there is no difference between a volunteer and internship project). But internship projects will go further. In an internship, you will select a particular area of your interest (if you are working in women's issues, women trafficking can be your area of interest and/or internship) and explore the issue further with the help of a supervisor. Your project director DOES NOT develop an internship project for you. The local host organization also runs a variety of activities or programs. For example, the women's project can run programs in areas such as education, vocational training, stopping women trafficking, skill development, human rights, etc. Therefore, you need to be very proactive to ensure the success of your internship. Your supervisor will give you at least 5 hours of time each week to guide you. However, you can contact him/her at any time for any help you may need.
INTERNSHIP IN Costa Rica: COLLEGE CREDIT
You can earn academic credit for nearly every type of internship work in Costa Rica. The best way to receive academic credit is through your college/university. Therefore, please contact your respective faculty/academic advisor about receiving college credit for your internship work. Your college/university may need additional information about the program prior to approval, as well as require you to submit a research paper or other requirements. Alternatively, you can earn academic credit through Seattle Central Community College (SCCC). SCCC offers college credit for international programs such as: study abroad, volunteer abroad, intern abroad, language studies and even cultural-exchanging home-stays. IFRE suggests contacting Professor Steve Tash (please ask us for pertinent contact information) to further explore the option of receiving course credit for your international internship. IFRE is not associated with SCCC; so please make sure that you can transfer SCCC credit to your home university.
INTERNSHIP IN COSTA RICA : ARRANGEMENT FOR ROOM/FOOD
 Interns in Costa Rica reside in a homestay. You will have a private room and be fed three meals of Costa Rican fare each day. Our host families have experience working with international interns. Except vegetarian, we do not accommodate special diets. If you will be out of the house during lunch hour, you can request a lunch "to go" that you can take with you or eat out on your own. The homestay families provide typical meals that are traditional to Costa Rica . They try to do their best with vegetarian options, but you must clarify any special needs ahead of placement.
For extra-ordinary requests, you are welcome to buy your own food and prepare it yourselves. Please do not just use the food in the kitchen for your own use. Your host family is responsible to prepare three meals for you each day. If you have other needs for food outside of these meals, you can buy snacks and meals at local restaurants and grocery shops. You will be sharing the house, kitchen, and bathrooms with the family members. Many houses in Costa Rica do not have hot water. You will have the ability to do your laundry in the house or the host family may offer to do it for you.
Once the internship program starts, our local staff stays in touch with interns. We usually see our interns daily when they come for the Spanish lessons, if not taking the Spanish lessons, we visit our interns every 2 weeks (if possible) and you are always welcome at the office. We recommend that the interns stop by the office once a week if they are in the local area just to let us know how they are doing with their homestay and project. If your project is very far, then our local staff maintains communication by Email and phone.
Costa Rica Internship Program Fee & Dates:
Start Dates: Internship program starts on the following (first and third Monday of each month)
IFRE is proud to offer all of the services that our competitors offer at a very special economical price (nearly 50-175% less). We here at IFRE do not make 6-figured salaries; and we work very hard and smart to keep costs down especially for you the intern where it counts the most. We remain devoted to maintaining both the quality of the program and the safety of all interns involved. Here is a brief summary of the program fee and services that IFRE offers:
IFRE is a 501 (C) 3 organization so your program fee will be tax deductible as provided by law.
IFRE application fee: US $349. The application fee covers advertising, program promotion, and office expenses (rent, utilities, and staff salaries).
Internship program fee |
What's Included in Program Fee |
- 4 days: US$529
- 1 week: US$704
- 2 weeks: US$823
- 3 weeks: US$950
- 4 weeks: US$1076
- 5 weeks: US$1353
- 6 weeks: US$1454
- 7 weeks: US$1556
- 8 weeks: US$1657
- 9 weeks: US$1834
- 10 weeks: US$1935
- 11 weeks: US$2037
- 12 weeks: US$2136
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Program fee covers comprehensive insurance, room and food ( 3 local meals a day) for the entire project period, a donation to the project, Costa Rican office expenses (rent, utilities, salaries), communication, and project coordination.
Costa Rica language program fee:
No fee for Spanish language classes. Costa Rica program fee covers 2 hours per day of free Spanish lessons (for up to 12 weeks for Beginner and Intermediate level students).
Additional costs for Interns
Airport drop-off and pick-up/reception services ($75), internal transportation ($1-4 each day depending up on location of project and language school or host family), international and domestic flights, visa extensions, personal expenses on water/soft drinks/entertainment ($1-3 per day), telephone, exit tax at the airport ($26), tourism activities in the country, and immunizations.
Costa Rica Internship Program Free Time
There are free times for interns during weekends, and during the internship period. Institute for Field Research Expeditions does not offer any program for interns during their free time. This free period is a time for self-discovery and learning. However, IFRE local staff will give you free advice, travel tips, and help to book your travel. Costa Rica is one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It offers you tremendous opportunities for travel and exploration.
Major FAQ-Costa Rica |
