UNIQUE BRITANICO BENEFITS

IH Costa Rica Instituto Britanico has a unique status in Central America which not only reflects the quality of its work but also offers CELTA candidates an attractive alternative for getting qualified.

International pedigree

Established for over 20 years, IH Costa Rica Instituto Britanico, in its capacity as a school of English , has for a long time been the only school in the region to be accredited as an open centre for Cambridge ESOL Examinations. It has had notable success, with a pass rate consistently well over the world average.

Since its inception, IELTS, which is recognised around the world as the leading test of communicative English language ability, has also had an exam centre at IH Costa Rica Instituto Britanico and has received candidates there from all over Central America.

More recently, with its establishment as the world authority for Spanish as a second language, the Instituto Cervantes in Spain has appointed the Instituto Britanico, in its role as a school of Spanish , to be one of its official examination centres.

No other independent language school in this part of the world can offer even one of these seals of quality.

In addition, in establishing a worldwide network of Spanish language schools that are recognised for the quality of their teaching and administration, the Instituto Cervantes has made IH Costa Rica Instituto Britanico one of its first Centro Asociado appointments. The idea of this recognition is to help students who are planning to study Spanish in other countries choose a school that has quality assured.

Attractive alternative

For CELTA students, the possibility of taking the course in another country is also a realistic option.

IH Costa Rica Instituto Britanico is the only accredited CELTA training centre in Central America. The CELTA course is offered two or three times a year and, needless to say, meets all the criteria required by Cambridge ESOL Examinations to fulfil this role.

This option becomes increasingly attractive when it includes savings to be made, the chance to study in a different environment and the added benefit of visiting one of today's most notable travel destinations.

For CELTA students coming from Europe, North America and Australasia, Costa Rica can offer an economical alternative, even when the cost of flights and accommodation are added in.

Many people use the CELTA qualification as a means of working in foreign parts. The idea of taking the course abroad offers candidates a first-hand taste of working overseas and teaching local students while qualifying. Arguably this provides a valuable asset on the CV and also makes students better prepared for their first teaching job after qualifying.

Although the intensity of the CELTA course is very demanding and does not allow for much social life during its four week span, many students find that some time spent relaxing in Costa Rica afterwards makes a very worthwhile package. Some of our students coming from abroad have even found teaching jobs and settled here.

Further information about the country, with links to tourist board websites, is given in this section of our website.

If a tropical Spanish-speaking environment appeals as a place to do a CELTA course and teaching practice, IH Costa Rica Instituto Britanico combines all that with a quality usually associated with more developed places. That's the benefit it uniquely offers.