The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry.

Yesterday, Instituto Britanico informed me that they were unable to fill their March CELTA course and thus had to cancel it. Their next course isn't until June. Quite frankly, I wouldn't hold my breath on that one, either. So I won't be getting CELTA certified in Costa Rica. The next SIT certification course isn't until late May. TEFL International has a month-long course starting on March 19th; however, I have heard mixed reviews of their classes. They certainly don't seem to have the reputation for high quality education that the other two courses have.

So, at this point, I think my best option is just to jump right in and start looking for work. Instead of aiming for a university position, I'll look at some of the private / business schools that don't necessarily require certification and may offer some teacher training themselves. It'll be a start, at least.

The nice thing is that now I won't be tied to San Jose for my first month. I can get out and explore some other parts of the country. And, if I can't find a suitable job without certification, I can attend the SIT or TEFL Int'l courses later on.

There is some good news, though!

One of my former students from Costa Rica is going to be visiting her home the day before I arrive. She's going to meet me at the airport to pick me up! I will have a friendly face to greet me as I arrive in the country. How nice is that?

Of course, I don't want to impose on her hospitality for longer than I have to. She has her own plans for her visit, and I don't want to interrupt them. I'm going to try to find other accommodations as soon as possible. I'm just happy I won't have to navigate my own way out of the airport!

Labels: costa rica