It’s been decades since Spanish has gained popularity through TV flicks and popular culture. Yet nowadays, it has become truly a necessity and a plus aspect for job applications in the U.S. and overseas. That’s why many people around the world have decided to plunge into the learning adventure of studying Spanish abroad.

Today, we´d like to show you two real experiences from real people, Sarah, a teacher from California and Gerald, a teacher from Germany. Here, they share their experiences when they went to CRLA in Costa Rica to study Spanish as students, and now they teach the language.

Sarah: How She Became a Spanish Teacher

“Hi my name is Sarah Sobkoviak; I’m a Spanish teacher from California. I teach Spanish: grades 3rd through 8rd .My first experience with the CRLA Language Academy was as a junior in college and I had such a wonderful experience, I really enjoyed my homestay family to this day, 16 years later and still really close with my homestay family.

I really loved the way in which their teachers focused their teaching on us. It was very conversational based; we did some grammar work and they really focused on becoming more bilingual, feeling more confident and comfortable with speaking Spanish.

The school is very helpful at getting tours into your schedule, helping you maneuver around the city as well as the country itself. You really feel like you’re at home here in Costa Rica. I would never have felt like that if it wasn’t for the Costa Rican Language Academy”. See Sarah’s story here.

Gerald: From Spanish Amateur to a Pro

“Hi there, my name is Gerald Schultz. I’m a Spanish teacher from Germany from the city of Unna, and I was asked to tell you a little bit about my experiences here at the CRLA Language Academy and I will gladly do so. I arrived here what must be some 13 years ago in 2003 and well, I came basically without knowing any more Spanish than what you pick up from TV or from the movies.

And guess what? five years later I was a Spanish teacher in Germany and I started bringing groups of high school students to make the same experience that I gladly made here and to improve their Spanish in their classes and well, I’ve been doing that ever since.

Generally, Costa Rica is a beautiful country, which allows you to travel as you use your Spanish that you have learned in class and the Costa Ricans, are a very friendly, communicative person, which allows you to practice your Spanish as well. I cannot recommend this Academy highly enough. Anyone who comes here will have a great time and it is most likely to improve his or her Spanish”. See Gerald’s story here.

Spanish Instruction in Costa Rica at CRLA

Nothing can beat a language instruction given in a place like Costa Rica. Here you will be able to experience speaking Spanish first-hand with locals. At the academy you will learn Spanish through personal life experiences that go beyond classrooms and textbooks. Plus, CRLA provides extracurricular activities such as:

If you want to learn Spanish abroad while having the best experience of your life, contact CRLA to learn more.