Date posted:2006-11-27 | Writer: Centro de Idiomas, Intercultura | Email: [email protected]
Students: The student body is made up mostly of Costaricans as well as Nicaraguans, Salvadorians, Colombians and Ecuadorians, making up a rich mix of Latin culture. The age groups are anywhere from 13 to 50 yrs, students and professionals. The student body has grown to 850 students, while maintaining the minimum of 4, maximum of 9 students per class, which promotes an atmosphere in which all the students are given the opportunity to speak. Intercultura also offers bussines various classes to load companies.
Classes: The classes are held in the evenings and Saturdays and are from 1.5 to 3 hours each. The students sit face to face at tables, rather than in traditional desks, in order to promote conversation and more dynamic activities. We use the Communicative Approach, which is student centered, and upholds communication as the main objective. We use the Cambridge University texts and workbooks New Interchange and New Parade, which are communicative based.
Activities: Each month the English department holds "Intercambios" for the English and Spanish students which encourage the students to meet people from different cultures and practice the language they are studying. Each teacher also sponsors 4 excursions outside of school per term, to the local parks, discos, amusement parks, and cafes. Teachers and students have also formed an Intercultura soccer team which competes with other local leagues. All of these activities serve as another opportunity for the English students to practice their English. We also hold many cultural celebrations such as Thanksgiving, Christmas and Halloween in order to share some of our culture with them. Learning a language also means learning a culture.
Teachers: The English Department is staffed by native English speakers from the U.K, Canada, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the United States. The teachers are all college graduates, and hold TEFL /CELTA certificates and have teaching experience. The teachers are contracted for one year and teach on average 20 hours a week, which includes a weekly staff meeting in which the teachers share ideas and give supportive feedback regarding classes, problems, etc. Teachers may teach more hours if desired. The teachers are encouraged to take Spanish classes which are offered to them free of charge. We feel it is important that, while sharing their own culture and language, they immerse themselves into the Costa Rican culture and language.
Teachers who are qualified and interested in applying should send their resume/CV, letters of references, photo, and letter of interest to Barbara Miller, English Department Director: [email protected]
Qualifications: * At least 1 year teaching experience * Native English speaker * B.A./B.S. or higher, degree * TEFL or CELTA (or equivalent) certificate * Willing to make at least one year commitment
Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching.
