Intensa Language Institute

Av. 1 y 3, Calle 33, San Jose, San Jose 10101, Costa Rica
courses

All courses

Intensa Language Institute offers the following course types:

starting at
NZ$ 483

starting at
NZ$ 662

starting at
NZ$ 702

starting at
NZ$ 823

starting at
NZ$ 904

starting at
NZ$ 1,020

starting at
NZ$ 1,199

starting at
NZ$ 1,646

starting at
NZ$ 2,389
school
photos

Photos

  • Reception of Intensa Language Institute 1/13
  • Classroom at Intensa Language Institute 2/13
  • Other 3/13
  • Corridor inside Intensa Language Institute 4/13
  • Activities offered at Intensa Language Institute 5/13
  • Activities offered at Intensa Language Institute 6/13
  • Activities offered at Intensa Language Institute 7/13
  • Activities offered at Intensa Language Institute 8/13
  • Activities offered at Intensa Language Institute 9/13
  • Activities offered at Intensa Language Institute 10/13
  • Activities offered at Intensa Language Institute 11/13
  • Activities offered at Intensa Language Institute 12/13
  • Activities offered at Intensa Language Institute 13/13
reviews

Reviews

100% recommend

based on 7 reviews
5 stars
7
4 stars
0
3 stars
0
2 stars
0
1 star
0
Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing

"Intense - encouraging teacher with GRAMMAR explainations"

Leah Clark, student from USA

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.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
School location
Date of study
1 Jul 2024 - 5 Jul 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Exceeded my expectations"

Elizabeth Weeks, student from USA

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.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
1 week
Date of study
6 May 2024 - 17 May 2024
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
This is a verified review. This student has booked a course at this school through Language International.

"Yohanna is the best Spanish teacher ever!"

Renata Bicalho

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!

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
52 weeks
Date of study
1 Mar 2016 - 1 Mar 2017
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
Yohanna, Coordinator at Intensa Language Institute responded to this review.
22 June 2021

Hi Renata

Thank you very much for your comments.

"Fun learning experience with a friendly staff"

Kyle McKinney

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.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
68 weeks
Date of study
4 Feb 2017 - 31 May 2018
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
Yohanna, Coordinator at Intensa Language Institute responded to this review.
14 June 2021

Hello
Thank you very much for your comment.
It has been a pleasure to have you as a student.
wishing you the best

Yohanna

"The patience and hard work of the teachers in Intensa was first class. Yohanna Araya was the co-ordinator for several students at our company and made a specialised plan for each student."

Paul Barron

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.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
156 weeks
Date of study
6 Mar 2017 - 6 Mar 2020
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
Yohanna, Coordinator at Intensa Language Institute responded to this review.
14 June 2021

Hello
Thank you very much for your comment.
It has been a pleasure to have you as a student.
wishing you the best

Yohanna

"Great spanish course"

Regina Bellizia

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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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Housing
Duration of study
60 weeks
Date of study
1 Sep 2019 - 31 Oct 2020
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
Yohanna, Coordinator at Intensa Language Institute responded to this review.
14 June 2021

Hello
Thank you very much for your comment.
It has been a pleasure to have you as a student.
wishing you the best

Yohanna

"Yohanna is amazinggggggg!!!"

Kaitlyn Statile

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.

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My ratings for this school

Quality of teaching
School facilities
Social activities
School location
Duration of study
149 weeks
Date of study
25 Jul 2016 - 3 Jun 2019
Would you recommend this school?
Yes
Yohanna, Coordinator at Intensa Language Institute responded to this review.
14 June 2021

Hello
Thank you very much for your comment.
It has been a pleasure to have you as a student.
wishing you the best

Yohanna

housing

Housing

Intensa offers the following housing types:
homestay

Homestay - Single-person room - Breakfast and dinner

NZ$ 325
weekly
Age range: 7 years old and older
Location: Outside the city center of San Jose
Housing type: Homestay
Room type: Single-person room
Board type: Breakfast and dinner (14 meals per week)
Facilities: Kitchen and laundry
Distance to school: 5 - 45 minutes by bus
Availability: January - December
Check-in: Sunday, anytime
Check-out: Saturday, anytime
NZ$ 325
Host families are carefully selected from areas nearby our school, some options are walking distance and some others up to 45 minutes in public transportation. The host family option includes breakfast and dinner from Monday to Sunday). In a host family our students not only enjoy home-cooked meals but also a welcoming environment. If you have special requests or diet restrictions (because of religion or health reasons), please let us know in advance. Students must be 16 years old and older.
visa

Visa support

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.

Flights and airport transfer

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.

Travel insurance

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.

Learn more about our insurance plan »

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map

Map

Av. 1 y 3, Calle 33
San Jose
San Jose 10101
Costa Rica

School location

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.

questions

Questions and answers

Have questions? Get answers from Intensa Language Institute staff, Language International student advisors, and past students.

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