Intensa Language Institute
Av. 1 y 3, Calle 33, San Jose, San Jose 10101, Costa Rica
Intensa Language Institute
This individual course is ideal for students looking to get the most of their time. The teacher will focus on the student's need every day and tailor made material can be created upon request
Intensive oral practice is the key to achieving conversational proficiency. Our methodology focuses on the speaking and listening skills during class time. Short readings provide different thematic contexts while the writing skill is developed after class.
A variety of conversational tasks maintain students’ interest, from acting out a dialog or asking and answering questions about a picture projected on the board, to re-telling a story using a picture sequence. New tasks or materials are first practiced in an open group with the teacher modeling pronunciation and structure as needed prior to engaging in pair work.
During each task, students are progressively challenged to rely less and less on accompanying written material. Our over-riding goal is to enable students to communicate their thoughts and feelings in a variety of situations, at home, in public, at school and professionally.
Listening, Speaking, Pronunciation, Reading, Writing, Vocabulary, Grammar and Activities
Intensa does not hold classes on the holiday dates above. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.
You can choose from the following class times:
Class schedule may change depending on availability and season.
Average | 4 students |
Maximum | 6 students |
Age range | 7 years old and older |
Average | 26 years old (20 in the summer) |
Intensa's Barrio Escalante school is located just steps from San Jose Downtown, museums and National Parks. The school's excellent location allows the student to practice the language in total immersion by visiting local restaurant and stores. This school also offers English language courses for locals so they can dive into the Costa Rican culture. The students can choose from 20 to 30 hours a week in the group sessions or from 4 to 30 hours in the One to One program, tailor made programs can be done upon request. The school facilities include free wifi, gardens with seating areas for the students. The International Students office prepares group or on demand tours and activities from transportation, accomodation and to entrance tickets and meals. Easy access by public transportation from and to the school as well as from and to major touristic destinations in the country.
The nationality and age mix at Intensa Language Institute varies over different time periods, courses and levels. Throughout the year, the average age is 26. In the summer, the average age is 20.
Intensa teaches students from all over the world, including:
Intensa does not hold classes on the holiday dates below. The school does not compensate for these holidays, so make sure to choose your start date accordingly.
Located in Barrio Escalante, one of the trendiest neighbourhoods in San Jose, this site is just steps away of restaurants, stores, shopping centers and banks. San Jose downtown is just minutes away as well as the university town of San Pedro.
Major museums and bus stops to touristics destinations all over the country are within walking distance or a short ride from the school.
Nearby National Parks featuring volcanoes and rainforest are about 1 hour drive. The closest beaches of the Central Pacific area are about 1,5 to 2 hours drive from the school.
We (F49 and teen girl 16) opted not to do the homestay. Nobody from the school reached out to us the Friday prior to classes starting which surprised/unsettled me.
Thankfully, we found our way to the campus just fine and the teacher met us and took us to our class. We had signed up for the small group, but we ended up in a class of just the two of us. That was unexpected and very nice. The location seems to be in a very safe part of town near great restaurants and nightlife.
The teacher was so encouraging and explained everything so well. Kudos to her!
The facilities are nice. I was grateful for a fan in the room.
We didn't do any activities with the school except for a 30-minute cultural exchange with students learning English. I really enjoyed that time. I wish we did that a little longer one afternoon after class got out.
The coffee machine was broken one morning, but I was permitted to get coffee from the teacher's lounge. That was very much appreciated.
Everyone was helpful and kind.
A mi, me gusta la professora. Ella tiene una personalidad muy simpatica and fue muy facíl que nos hicimos conversacíones. La structura de la clase me ayudó practicar el preterito y aprender muchas nuevos palabras. Yo tengo confienza en mi habilidad para hablar español con otras personas.
La Casa Torres exceeded my expectations. Great conversation, location, and care is taken during the stay. I really enjoyed my time with Marlene and Maria and Janet in the house!
The facilities were under construction every day, and for the first week and a day, I moved to a new class each morning. The construction was loud and disruptive to the learning environment. Once we were able to move to the B building, it was much quieter and better for class.
I did not prefer the exercises always, as they were somewhat confusing in the structure and instructions. I do not recall being offered additional social activity options.
When I arrived in Costa Rica, I had very little knowledge of Spanish.
Some friends recommended me Yoahnna and I called her to start private lessons.
She is a teacher at Intensa. After the first class, we were already friends. With her, I learned Spanish, I learned the culture, the habits, the food, the way things work and so much more! She is an amazing teacher and a great human being!
Hi Renata
Thank you very much for your comments.
I started Intensa after trying two other programs while living in Costa Rica. Yohanna made the program fun but most importantly she was able to adapt to each student and teach the content accordingly. Her ability to communicate with someone learning Spanish made progress faster. Intensa created a learning program designed to encourage speaking and vocabulary which is critical. I tried many apps prior to relocating to Costa Rica but those don't focus on speaking which is the key to learning a language.
I enjoyed my many hours at the Escazu location. The staff was always friendly as I entered the building. I always looked forward to conversations about my work week or Costa Rican life in Spanish with Yohanna. I would highly recommend the program and will take refresher courses in the future now that I am back in The States.
Hello
Thank you very much for your comment.
It has been a pleasure to have you as a student.
wishing you the best
Yohanna
I worked in San Jose Costa Rica for three years as a financial controller and office manager for a large international fruit export company.
When I arrived, I had no Spanish whatsoever. I needed to learn Spanish quickly as a number of my staff did not speak english and I also needed to visit fruit farms in various parts of Central America where Spanish was the only language spoken.
Yohanna Araya was the co-ordinator for our company but at that time was also providing some Spanish Classes for Intensa.
She was very well organised and engaging and tailored the Intensa program to my needs, for example, working on specific vocabulary and scenarios that I would come across in my work and focusing on those areas.
I initially had an intensive program of 4 hours per day for a period of 6 weeks and at this point I was able to converse with my colleagues on some simple work tasks in Spanish as well as having more detailed general conversations.
As we progressed, I opted to have 2 2 hour classes per week and in 12 months I had decent working Spanish.
Thanks to Intensa for their hard work and skill.
Hello
Thank you very much for your comment.
It has been a pleasure to have you as a student.
wishing you the best
Yohanna
I had private Spanish classes on Intensa Escazu. Spanish was new for me. I could learn it with joy during classes that were relaxed and fun. The printed and audio visual material is very well prepared, easy to understand and with varied subjects. I could as well learn many things about Costa Rica.
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Hello
Thank you very much for your comment.
It has been a pleasure to have you as a student.
wishing you the best
Yohanna
We were so very fortunate to do the Intensa program. Yohanna was an amazing instructor and the curriculum was great. We learned so much and enjoyed our class time.
Show details » Read more...
Hello
Thank you very much for your comment.
It has been a pleasure to have you as a student.
wishing you the best
Yohanna
Homestays are carefully selected and offer students the opportunity to learn more about the local culture in a comfortable setting while studying Spanish in San Jose. These homes are often between 5 - 45 minutes away from the school by public transport. Families usually offer affordable meal plans that allow you to sample the local cuisine. If you have special requests or diet restrictions (because of religion or health reasons), please let us know in advance. Your housing starts on the Sunday before your first day of class and ends on the Saturday after your last day of class, unless otherwise noted. Learn more about homestay housing
We cannot apply for visas on behalf of students. However, the school can supply you with all the documentation you need to support your visa application.
Your letter of acceptance will be sent to your home address by regular mail at no charge to you.
Please note that we do not book flights for our students. If you are researching airfare costs, we recommend using Kayak.com, a search engine that lets you compare flight options from your home country to San Jose based on your budget, schedule and preferences.
Study abroad worry-free with Language International's health and personal effects insurance coverage. When you book a course with us, you can opt to purchase an international insurance plan that covers not only your health care cost but also loss of your personal belongings. You must book your insurance in advance when you register.
Have questions? Get answers from Intensa Language Institute staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.
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