Choosing a language school - Homestay
Homestay - Does the school offer homestay programs where you live with a local family during your stay? Are the homestay locations in safe and convenient neighborhoods?
Universal de Idiomas offers a homestay program to give you the opportunity to live with specially selected Costa Rican families. Often, these families only speak a little English, thus making it the perfect environment in which to put into practice what you acquire in the classroom. It completes your learning by giving you a firsthand experience with the Costa Rican culture, cuisine and family life. Students who used this option rave that this experience enhanced their experience, helped ease their acquisition of the new language and gave them the opportunity to learn about the Costa Rican culture first hand.
Included in your homestay program are two meals a day (breakfast and dinner) to be enjoyed with the family, laundry service, a private bedroom (a private bathroom is available on request) and keys to the house. A great benefit is that your host family will show you the way to school and back home on the first days of class and inform you on what you need to know about the city and how to get around San Jos .
Homestay families are specially selected families who can provide you the comfort from home. Their cozy and well maintained houses are located in safe neighborhoods within short distance of the school and have easy access to public transportation. Buses in San Jos are cheap, safe, reliable and easy to use. Your host family will show you which bus to take and how the system works.
Airport pick-up is optional and costs USD$35. Our driver will directly bring you to your host family. You can also choose to arrange your own transportation.
Take a look at our FAQ's about homestay.
Other housing possibilities
Are you arriving with a group of friends or do you just prefer to live by yourself? That is not a problem at all. Universal de Idiomas can help you to find a place to live: a room in a hotel, a room in a (student) flat or an apartment, the choice is yours. Keep in mind that living on your own might be more expensive than a stay with a host family, and you will not have the comfort of someone cooking delicious meals, doing your laundry and introducing you to the wonderful culture.