Costa Rica Internship Abroad Projects

Waterfall - About Costa Rica, Volunteer Costa Rica, Gap Year Costa Rica The International Volunteer Travel offers a diverse array of overseas internships in Latin America. You can intern abroad in Costa Rica to polish your skills, for college study abroad credits, or for high school credits.

There are short-term, long-term and group international internship placements. Internship abroad projects are available in many areas including teaching; nature conservation; working with orphaned children and day care, eco-tourism, construction of houses for the poor with Habitat for Humanity.

To read more about each of the Costa Rica internship projects, click on the area of your choice or scroll down the page

Teaching Internships

Costa Rica has been known for its impressive educational reforms that have allowed it to boast about having more teachers than policemen and to have a 93% literacy rate. The internship teaching abroad program in Costa Rica is to bring diversity into the school system through English Teaching Programs.

Costa Rica teaching internship work includes; helping teachers in the class, reading, making materials, English class, arts and crafts, helping with kids choir, playing and leading activities and games, and helping kids with homework. You can also work in maintenance and painting.
Location: Santa Ana, Jose, Cartago, Puntaremas, Alajuela and Guanacaste

Internship work with Children

Overseas volunteer teachers The International Volunteer Travel partners with the Costa Rica government in the area of children?s learning, security and adoptions. International volunteers and interns will get the opportunity to work with these children at day cares and orphanages.

Interns working in the orphanages and day care will assist in leading games and activities, songs and reading, helping teachers with materials, arts and crafts, and also assist in teaching English classes.

Other duties include playing and helping kids with homework. International interns will also have the opportunity to assist with maintenance, gardening and painting.
Location: San Jose, Tres Rios, Santa Ana, San Pedro, Tib?s, Guadalupe, and San Sebastian, etc.

Costa Rica Tourism and Eco Tourism Internship
International interns interested in tourism and/or eco-tourism activities in will love these projects. Overseas interns will get a first hand experience of what eco-tourism entails. Activities for interns abroad in this project will include making signs and arts, translating materials, supervising children?s activities, and planting trees. Other duties include watching park entrance, receiving visitors, and guiding visitors into the park.

You can also intern in the office, answering phone calls, translating papers, and providing customer service.
Location: Santa Elena, Guapiles.

Costa Rica Wildlife Internship

International interns interested in wildlife activities in will love this project. Overseas interns will get a first hand experience of what eco-tourism entails. Activities for interns abroad in this project will include manning bio-digesters, patrolling water bodies and lagoons, watching and monitoring sea turtles, caimans, cetaceans, and various birds, welcoming tourists, answering phones, and making trails.
Location: 4 hours from San Jose, Cano Negro.

Habitat for Humanity Internships

Habitat for Humanity is an International Non-Profit Organization that assists in the construction of houses for the poor all over the world.

Overseas interns in Costa Rica will work with the local branch of the International Habitat for Humanity to help construct houses for poor families. This intern abroad project will also feature other community work activities under the supervision of International Habitat for Humanity Costa Rica staff.

Location: Cities about 2 to 3 hours drive from San Jose including Cartago, Esparza, Nicoya, San Ram?n, Alajuela, Sarapiqu?.

Other Costa Rica programs

In addition to Volunteer Abroad Programs in Costa Rica we also offer the Survival Spanish Program, the Spanish Study Abroad Program, or the Costa Rica Adventure Holidays programs.

Volunteer Application Process

To contact us, click here. To submit an application, click here. To read more about how to apply to the International Volunteer Travel program, click here.

International Volunteer Questions and Information

To access more information on any aspect of our Central American programs in Costa Rica please click on any link on the left or top links bars. For answers to your questions not provided on the link pages, please go to the page on Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ?s).

Costa Rica Internship Program Highlights

Length of Program: 2 weeks to 1 year.

Starting Dates: 2nd and 4th Monday of every Month

Airport Arrival: Day before starting date, preferably by 10:30AM

Age Limit: 18 and over if participating singly; 16 and above if part of a group.

Accommodation, Meals and Laundry: Accommodation with carefully selected Costa Rica host families (hostel or apartment can also be arranged). Two to three local Costa Rica meals a day. Laundry is provided for free.

Transport: Costa Rica internship are mostly within 5 to 20 minutes of walking distance from your local home. Bus return trip will normally not exceed USD 0.40.
Schedule of work: Mondays to Fridays. Costa Rica interns work for half or full day between 8 AM and 5 PM. In a few projects Costa Rica interns may be asked to work in the early evening up to 9PM.

Spanish Language Requirements
Working or basic knowledge of Spanish is recommended but not required. In Costa Rica. Skills can be acquired through our Survival Spanish Program for beginners or the Costa Rica Study Abroad Program.

Project Internship Fees: To view the fees for Costa Rica programs, please click here.

Free Volunteer Placement: If you are placed in San Jose and you sign up for this as well as the Spanish Study Abroad program, you will pay only for the Spanish language program; your volunteer or internship placement will be free.