High School Program in Costa Rica

  Costa Rica

• San Jose: 
San Jose
• North Western Region: 
Heredia
• Central Pacific Coast: 
Cartago

Durations of Program: 3-6 months, 7-12 months, 1-2 years and over 2 years

Description: International students will discover this beautiful country, its rich biodiversity and its incredible national parks. Costa Rica is a republic in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the east-southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, and the Caribbean Sea to the east. Costa Rica stands as the most visited nation in the Central American region, with 1.9 million foreign visitors in 2007. Ecotourism is extremely popular with the many tourists visiting the extensive national parks and protected areas of the country.

The country has a population of 4,1 million inhabitants. The climate is tropical and subtropical with a dry season from December to April and a rainy season from May to November. It may be cooler in highlands.

Students will be hosted in Costa Rican host families, wishing to share their everyday life with a foreign student. They will attend classes in a local school.

Requirements:
- Students must be interviewed in their home country before being accepted (if possible in Spanish).
- A minimum of 2 years of Spanish study and good academic results are required.

Age: 14 to 18 years old.

Location
We place our students in different parts of the country around the capital San José, like in Heredia, Alajuela and Cartago. It may be possible to choose a location among available families and schools.

Type of Schools
- Public, private and semi private schools.
- Most of the schools are located in San Jose and surroundings. All schools have security services, school bus services,   cafeteria, some of them sale lunches to students, all of them offer Orientation or Psychology services. Schools teach English as second language and French as third language.

- Some private and semiprivate high schools also have swimming pool. Most of them have soccer teams, basket ball teams as well as other sports and activities`clubs. All high schools offer extracurricular activities for their students; these activities may be different in each high school.

Terms and Dates:
- The academic year in Costa Rica begins in February and finishes in late November or early December.
- Academic year: February 8th to December 15th
- Semester: February 8th to June 30th
- Term: could be organized any time.

Accommodation
- Host family, on a full board basis. Host families are carefully selected, visited and interviewed. We check out their residence and living conditions (security, environment). International students will attend classes in the high school, where the host sister or brother also go.
- Students would need between 10 and 15 USD pocket money per day, depending on their personal expenses.

Highlights: Typical Day at School in Costa Rica
Classes start at 7am in public schools, at 7.30am in semiprivate and private schools. Students go directly to their classroom. All of the schools have their own schedule but there are two short and one long breaks on mornings and a break of 45 to 60 minutes for lunch.

There are generally 5 lessons on mornings and 3 or 4 on afternoons. The school day includes academic and special classes (Maths, Spanish, Civic course, etc, and sports, music, arts, etc.). On Fridays there are classes on mornings only, afternoons are free.

Cost in US$: From 2595EUR (term), 3490EUR (sem), 5595EUR(year)

This Program is open to American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Costa Rica Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Other
• Phone Interview
• Written Application

Post-Program Services Include:

• Job and Internship Network

Nacel International's Mission Statement: No one learns the same way. No one has the same level. No one has the same goal. Nacel International proposes a large variety of stays abroad, which will help you to develop your personality. Their goal was to provide opportunities for students to extend language learning and knowledge of another culture through a well-organized and affordable summer program. These programs bring people together enhancing cultural and linguistic awareness and to promote international friendship and harmony.

Year Founded: 1957