Women’s Education Internships in Costa Rica

Helps vulnerable Costa Rican women overcome tough situations and empower themselves through education and psychological support. Interns support local organizations that work in the community to educate women, helping them to overcome individual challenges and boosting their employment opportunities.

Internship Highlights:

Make a genuine difference to the lives of underprivileged women
Learn from experienced women’s education professionals
Raise awareness of women’s issues through a range of content and campaign initiatives

Type of host organizations:

Women Empowerment NGOs

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Gain academic or course credit

Fully hosted experience from $1499

Includes accommodation & meals

Start dates every other Monday

Minimum duration 2 weeks, up to 24 weeks maximum

Spanish language lessons available

Get job-ready with our Experiential Learning Curriculum

Internships align with UN Sustainable Development Goals

Eligibility requirement

Suitable for interns who are pursuing an associated career path, with a demonstrated interest in education and social development, as well as interest in women’s empowerment, mentorship and leadership, or a desire to gain experience in the TEFL industry. High School graduates aged 18+ may be accepted, depending on the strength of their application (including any relevant experience, with a desire to learn and grow within this field).

Language requirements

Interns must be confident enough to verbally communicate in intermediate Spanish (both oral and written). Click here if you are seeking a comparable internship which is suitable for participants who do not speak Spanish.

Associated career paths

Psychologist, Social Worker, Primary/Secondary Teacher, English as a Foreign Language Teacher, Learning Mentor/Tutor, Careers Adviser, Family Support Worker

Internship details

This Women’s Education internship in Costa Rica helps vulnerable local women overcome tough situations and empower themselves through education and psychological support.

This is an in-country internship, with accommodation and meals provided. Click here to view remote Education internships that you can undertake from home.

Women’s Education interns are placed in local organizations that work directly with vulnerable women in the community, helping to provide dedicated and targeted support to their needs. Interns can expect to help to teach women income generating skills, assist in educational workshops, teach basic finance classes, and provide emotional support to women who have endured individual challenges.

Interns can also help local organizations to raise awareness of women’s issues by assisting with public relations, writing articles for websites or media publications, marketing, event planning or producing content for social media, as well as contributing to fundraising campaigns. Assisting these organizations with administrative tasks is also hugely beneficial as it enables staff to focus their time on providing support to vulnerable women.

Interns with a background in psychology and social work can make a valuable contribution, as can those able to help with the design of educational resources for women. It is important to be proactive and maintain an open mind and willingness to assist where it’s most needed - especially during your first two weeks, while you’re still establishing a rapport and routine.

In all cases, interns should expect that the first week of your experience will focus on settling in and gaining some introductory knowledge, as you will not “hit the ground running”. Rather, you should start with learning about the placement to gain an understanding of what you can build upon, develop, learn, and contribute. Ensure that you ask questions and provide feedback during the introductory period, so that your supervisor understands how you’re progressing. This will help them to better understand important details, such as how quickly you learn, what you find challenging, what you find interesting, etc.

Understand and expect that individual internship experiences vary, as the specific placement that you’re assigned will depend on review of your resume and your current level of studies and experience. Therefore, if you’re at a more introductory level, you should reasonably expect a more introductory internship. Likewise, if you’re interning for a shorter duration, you will have a different experience from someone who is interning for a longer duration. Placement preferences are considered but always subject to availability.

Typical Schedule

Monday to Friday, usually 6 hours per day

Career Benefits

Women's Education interns learn from a qualified and experienced supervisor, and can be involved in:

Teaching skills or English language lessons, that enable women to get jobs
Hosting finance classes
Providing emotional support to local women
Public relations, marketing and event planning to raise awareness of women’s issues
Producing social media content
Fundraising campaigns
General administration

Professional development opportunities:

Work in well established NGOS
Help women with a variety of backgrounds and problems
Contribute to workshops alongside experienced communicators
Gain an understanding of women’s issues
Gain practical skills and boost your employability, with guidance from Intern Abroad HQ’s Experiential Learning Curriculum to support your learning and cultural intelligence.

Recommended online TEFL course

For all interns with an interest in developing skills as an educator, we also recommend an interactive Online TEFL Certification Course. The training offers tools and techniques over a 100-hour program. Upon completion, you’ll have earned experience in planning, designing, and adapting diverse language activities and materials. No previous teaching experience or training is required. You can sign up for the Online TEFL Certification Course anytime and you’ll pay the discounted Intern Abroad HQ rate.

Get TEFL certified online

Costa Rica photo gallery

What recent interns said about their experience

Madison McBride

October 2021

I registered for this internship experience to improve my language and cultural skills. Both have already improved significantly as a result and have helped me become a more culturally respectful, mindful and open minded person. My experience has helped me to open my mind to new ideas, ways of doing things, cultural concepts and norms. I feel confident that I could travel to a different country and have the mindset to see, evaluate, notice and appreciate a new culture, things I didn’t think I was able to do before. I believe that these new skills have helped me to become a better world citizen and an even better employee.

...

Kelsie Gronauer

August 2018

I spent 6 weeks interning at an NGO in San Ramón, Costa Rica. The work was challenging yet very rewarding and fostered spiritual, professional, and personal growth. I am so appreciative to have had this amazing opportunity and to have met such fantastic people. The memories made and the life lessons that I acquired will remain with me forever. I really enjoyed staying with a host family. This helped me to work more on my Spanish and become further acquainted with the culture. By the end of my time in Costa Rica, my host family became a second family to me. I would make the decision to intern through Intern Abroad HQ a million times over. Signing up is a very easy and organized process and the organization provides amazing support before, during and even after your time interning.

...

To read all reviews, visit our reviews page.

Our commitment to providing safe internship experiences

Academic credit available for all internships

Gain course credit from your college or university and meet your academic requirements when completing an internship abroad or remote internship program with Intern Abroad HQ.

Learn about course credit

Program fees

It’s free to apply for this internship. Once we have reviewed your suitability and accepted you onto this program, you’ll need to pay a deposit of US$499 to confirm your place. The remaining balance of your Program Fee (less your initial US$499 deposit payment) will be due no less than 60 days before your internship start date.

Duration	Program Fee (USD)
2 weeks	$1,499 Equivalent to $107 /day
3 weeks	$1,794 Equivalent to $85 /day
4 weeks	$2,139 Equivalent to $76 /day
5 weeks	$2,253 Equivalent to $64 /day
6 weeks	$2,394 Equivalent to $57 /day
8 weeks	$2,626 Equivalent to $46 /day
10 weeks	$2,864 Equivalent to $40 /day
12 weeks	$3,048 Equivalent to $36 /day
16 weeks	$3,525 Equivalent to $31 /day
20 weeks	$3,893 Equivalent to $27 /day
24 weeks	$4,260 Equivalent to $25 /day

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Airport pick-up
Daily breakfast and dinner
Accommodation
24/7 in-country support
Program orientation
Dedicated support before, during, and after your internship
In-country guidance for social and tourist activities
Sourcing and securing your internship placement
Personalization of your internship plan
Coaching from your supervisor
Documented portfolio of your experiential learnings
Academic credit facilitation
International reference letter
Certificate of Internship Completion

Lunches
All in-country transportation
Visa (if required), flights, travel insurance (mandatory), vaccinations, criminal background check
Transfer back to the airport at the end of your internship program
Personal spending money for snacks, drinks, public transport, laundry, and leisure activities during your free time.

A deposit of $499 (approximately 499) is required to secure your internship
Balance of your Program Fee is due 60 days before your internship start date.
All payments attract a 5% transaction fee to cover international banking fees and currency charges.
Terms and Conditions apply.

Spanish lessons

Internships in Costa Rica require interns to have varying levels of Spanish language proficiency, from either a confident level of basic Spanish to a more developed grasp of intermediate language skills. The definition of having basic Spanish skills (Level A2) includes the ability to exchange brief information with questions and answers, use and understand simple language in daily situations and cultural aspects.

Keep in mind that despite you level of proficiency, a language barrier can still be encountered to a certain extent. Interns should be prepared for the very natural and normal frustration of not always understanding what is being said around them. Most interns are able to have a successful internship experience and it is essential to come prepared and willing to surmount a language barrier, as opposed to being intimidated by it.

We strongly recommend that all interns take advantage of the affordable language lessons offered exclusively to Intern Abroad HQ participants by our host organization in Costa Rica. These can be arranged directly with the local team once registered for the program (ask about online Skype lessons) or at the orientation in-country. Language lessons are tailored to each individual’s current level of Spanish and classes run from Monday through to Friday.

Weekends and travel

During the weekends, free time is available to relax, engage in tourism activities and explore other parts of Costa Rica. The program is based in the canton of San Ramon, in Alajuela Province. This is 55 km/34 mi northeast of Puntarenas (the nearest coastal town), 58 km/36 mi from the capital city of San Jose, and 31 km/19 mi from Juan Santamaría International Airport. The Pan-American Highway is easily accessible to the south and a northern route provides direct access to the popular tourism destination of Volcan Arenal.

Popular tourist attractions in and around the Alajuela Province include visiting Poás Volcano National Park, Arenal Volcano National Park, Los Ángeles Cloud Forest and La Paz Waterfall Gardens. Within the city of San Jose, there are various museums and galleries, such as the Precolumbian Gold Museum, Jade Museum, National Museum, Museum of Contemporary Art and Design - just to name a few!

Our local team in Costa Rica are also able to assist interns with trip bookings, to experience more of the country. These can be coordinated directly once you’ve registered to confirm your internship program. Options include:

Tortuga Island: This sightseeing full-day trip includes return transportation from local pick-up points, guides, snacks and entertainment, catamaran tour, and lunch in Tortuga Island. Located within the Gulf of Nicoya, Tortuga Island is a paradise archipelago which has maintained the Ecological Blue Flag status for more than twelve years. The turquoise waters are beautiful to swim in and the trip is not to be missed while you’re exploring the coasts!
Poás Volcano National Park, Doka Coffee Tour and La Paz Waterfall Garden: This full day excursion covers some of the region’s highlights. You’ll want to bring your camera and comfortable walking shoes for the three adventures, all across different eco-systems. Within La Paz Waterfall Garden, you’ll have a great opportunity to check out some of the amazing wildlife. There’s a hummingbird garden, serpentarium, aviaries, butterfly garden and tropical frog exhibit.
San Luis Canopy Tour: This tour departs from San Ramon and only takes half a day. Enjoy views of the Cataraticas River, bring comfortable clothing and a sense of adventure! There are 12 cables on this zip-line tour, with lengths from 56 to 550 meters, connected across 18 platforms. You’ll also get to experience the Tarzan swing and Superman cable - woohoo!

Arrival and Orientation

Internships in Costa Rica begin every Monday. Exceptions may be made to this when start dates are shifted to avoid public holiday disruptions or closed when the program has already reached capacity. The minimum duration requirement is 2 weeks up to a maximum duration of 24 weeks.

Airport pick up and accommodation are included in the Program Fee. The accommodation is covered from the Sunday night before the Monday start date - interns are required to arrive no later than the Sunday before their Monday start date, as all orientations are held on Mondays. If arriving earlier than this date, interns will be required to cover the cost of an “out of hours” airport pick up.

The typical port of entry is the Juan Santamaría International Airport (SJO). If you are planning to spend time independently in Costa Rica prior to your internship and will not require an airport pick up, we can discuss alternative arrival logistics with you.

Upon arrival, interns will be met, greeted, and transferred to the accommodation. The last night of the accommodation is the Saturday night of the final week, leaving interns free to depart on Sunday. Extra nights of accommodation can be arranged in advance, if requested, and are subject to availability.

Orientation covers important details for your internship, including introductions, information about culture, customs, rules, expectations, safety, language lessons, cultural excursions, and more. Your specific internship placement orientation will follow the general orientation, as you’ll be shown how to travel to and from your internship and be introduced to the team you’ll be joining.

Please note that all participants are advised not to book flights until they have first registered to confirm their internship placement.

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Accommodation and WiFi

All interns in Costa Rica are accommodated in various homestay accommodations. Interns are matched to an appropriate host family, taking into consideration convenient proximity to their internship placement. Typical host families in Costa Rica usually comprise of two parents and children or a single parent with children (the ages of a host family’s children can range from young and still living at home, to adults living independently). There are usually 1 - 2 bedrooms in most home-stays and everyone has their own bedroom (unless special requests are made in advance to share with a friend or partner). Bathrooms are shared. Living is comfortable and home-stays offer electricity, running water and western bathrooms. However, showers can be low pressure and unheated/tepid. WiFi is provided in most of the home-stays but it is important to note that it is not guaranteed.

Accommodation upgrades are available at an additional cost, for those who would prefer more independent accommodation and social interaction with other travelers. Interns who have confirmed their participation may opt to arrange hostel accommodation, in either a dorm (sharing a room with 4-8 beds) or a private room. Dormitories provide lockers, so that guests may securely store their personal items. Bathrooms are typically shared. Amenities include WiFi and a common area for guest use. Please note that hostel accommodation is subject to availability (depending on the location of your internship) and includes daily breakfast only. Interns who are interested in arranging an accommodation upgrade are welcome to speak with their Internship Program Manager for more information.

Please note that the accommodation pictured in the photo gallery of this webpage is provided as an example. Since we work with more than one option for homestay accommodation, the exact accommodation that you’re assigned may differ from the photos. However, you can expect a similar standard and similar amenities, to what is shown.

Meals

Internships in Costa Rica include two meals per day, served at the home stay. A typical Costa Rican breakfast is provided and may consist of bread, spreads, fruit and eggs accompanied with tea or coffee. Dinner commonly consists of meat (often chicken), soups, pastas, starches and vegetables. Please be sure to let us know of any specific dietary requirements that you have in advance, so that we may ensure your hosts are aware and make recommendations accordingly.

How to obtain course credit and meet your academic requirements on Intern Abroad HQ internships

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Essential country information

Capital	San Jose
Population	5.094 million
Languages	Spanish
Currency	Costa Rican Colón (CRC)
Time zone	UTC−06:00

Weather and climate:

Costa Rica is unequivocally a tropical country, situated between 8° and 11° north latitude, fairly close to the equator. Although you get much cooler temperatures in the mountains above 2000 meters, the average annual temperature for most of the country lies between 21.7°C (71°F) and 27°C (81°F). The coolest months are from November through to January, and the warmest months are from March through to May. San Jose stands at approximately 1170 meters altitude and has a mean annual temperature of 20.6°C (69°F).