www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Does anyone know about any very cheap Spanish schools in San Jose, San Pedro, or Zapote?

I want to take about two months of Spanish lessons, but some of the schools charge from $200 to $400 per week. I'm looking for a school that will charge less than $150 per week, excluding homestay, and 4 hour classes for five days a week. I know a family I can stay with in Zapote already.

You're in the wrong country if you want cheap. Try Antigua Guatemala where you can get 20hrs/wk of PRIVATE lessons WITH homestay and 3 meals/day for less than $150. Quito Ecuador is another place with lots of cheap immersions programs. Of course, you've already got the homestay covered. About the best you can do in SJ with one of the formally established schools is at Universal de Idiomas (www.universal-edu.com) where you can get 20hrs/wk of GROUP lessons for 4 weeks for $580. You also might do better contracting directly with a private tutor since you'll cut out the middleman, but you won't get all the bells and whistles you'll get with the schools.

Agree with Prolijo that the Spanish schools in Costa Rica are a bit pricey, and beyond that I haven't heard of any whose instruction anybody has raved about.

Occasionally a tutor puts an ad in the Tico times, and you might consider calling or corresponding with such a person and explaining what kind of lessons you're looking for and offering them $6-$8/hour for them.

It might be a little hit and miss, but gringos who've gotten one to one tutoring have generally been pleased. Also it will force you to decide what you want to learn so that you can tell the tutor, and sussing out a curriculum for yourself will help you stay away from the burnout that often catches people enrolled in brief courses.

You can also check out the Del Rey, lots of chicas speak fluent spanish. Immerse yourself in the sights and smells of the place. You will have to negotiate prices though.

Don't forget "No Cien."

Seriously, I speak fluent spanish and would like to know what you guys think about maybe offering private lessons to the gringos. I am thinking about charging $20 an hour. Would I have a problem doing so?

The University of CR in San Pedro offers spanish classes. They are about two month programs. You can look it up on the internet. I have not taken any there. But read in a moving to CR book that they are very cost effective. And the author said that there are many students there who are trying to learn english. So in studying at the libaray and stuff she devoloped a network to help each other.

And Prolijo is right that Ecudor is really cheap now.

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That's pretty pricey TP, I can go to CRLA by the day for 3-5 hrs., book provided and have a hot Tica profesora for half of that...

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TP ... very pricey

I was going to hire a guy who worked days at a sport book. He was about 27, and had taught spanish at purdue before moving to CR (gringo with mixed parents)

$10/hr - discounts for multiple hours

I think you would serious problems trying to charge that. Many tutors in and around San Jose are in the $7.00 to $10.00 range.

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