Without a work visa you can't legally work and which must be applied for, in advance, by a potential employer...and it would be highly unlikely that you would get one to teach TEFL.
Hundreds of other people have the same idea.
The salaries are very low...and the cost of living here, is no longer cheap. If you do manage to get one, and you are fired or quit your position, the visa is no longer valid.

http://costaricalaw.com/category/costa-rica-legal-topics/working-in-costa-rica/

http://costaricalaw.com/costa-rica-legal-topics/immigration-and-residency/residency-general-information-and-summary/

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Plan on coming to teach as a volunteer.
You will enjoy your experience much more than if you come and work illegally. Work visas almost unheard of
for teachers, unless specialized college
professor. Do not plan on being able to
support yourself teaching. Pay scale is comparable to McDonald's in USA.
Kohl gave you great advice.

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There is plenty of related work....private settings and online...but you need to connect with those people.....but in essence.....you would be hard pressed to make a living......you need to have a good nest egg to chart those waters...labor laws are very real for foreigners

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To throw out a number I know a teacher in the Tamarindo area who makes 1200 a month. As Carol noted thats like a mcdonalds salary here.

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I have been researching online and there for the past 5 years since I did my TEFL there. The biggest hurdle is the legality. If you go there and apply to the language institutes in San Jose you will probably get work immediately.... but it WONT. Be legal. Recently all 12 teachers at one school were deported immediately when they showed up unexpected at the school. Because you are an actual teacher, apply to the private schools for expats and universities.... they are more likely to go through the visa process for an actually certified teacher. The other valid route is volunteering for places that offer accommodation and meals- usually through a home stay. The plus of this is that you will get more Spanish practice and really get to know the people and culture. Also, try workaways site as you will often find esl needed and traded for room and board. Good luck!
Ps- I forgot.... another option is living in an area with good internet and teaching online to Chinese students. At 20 dollars an hour, this would be your most lucrative route.... I believe someone on one of these sites has had a feed from someone doing this quite successfully.

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There are plenty of people here who will tell you that you can't work without citizenship. This is completely false. You can, just not "legally". My cousin is a school teacher here in Costa Rica. They pay her rent, and living expenses as her "salary". I also have a job here in Costa Rica that I get paid at a local sanctuary, but they just pay cash for obvious reasons. It's all about meeting people, and knowing people.

It can be done.

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Brilliant advice---yeah please come to Costa Rica to live and forget about doing anything legally--sounds like the liberal USA mindset that just got it's butt kicked! Stay home if you want to be a leach---those of us who live here pay taxes and pay for our medical system.

Gill Phelan
www.gvecr.com

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It's uncommon, but it IS possible to get deported for working illegally. My guess is that it's probably in response to complaints from Ticos unable to find work/recently let go in favor of illegal foreigners.

http://www.ticotimes.net/2015/03/18/costa-rica-deports-12-us-students-in-language-school-dispute

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cdwilson, you don't require citizenship to work legally : you need Permanent residency status, a work visa or work online, otherwise if found out, your employer will have to pay a large fine and you will be 'sent home with your tail between your legs' and unable to return for many years.
Unfortunately, you are doing what you object to other 'foreigners' doing in your home country.

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I agree with GBP. Do not follow bad advice that recommends you move to Costa Rica and work illegally. Whatever you do, comply with the law and obtain your permanent residency before you start teaching. You do not want to live here constantly looking over your shoulder waiting for the police to deport you.

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If you apply for a work visa, it will valid for one year, as is the standard teaching contract.
Unfortunately, you can't apply for this visa while you are in a temporary Residency status nor does the yearly work visa go towards legal residency /permanent residency where you can then, 'legally' work.

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And what is the OP Katoland's, response to all this information? I am curious to hear it.

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It's also good to know that there seem to be a plethora of right wing haters, even in Paradise. Why they don't move back to Trumpland now that the Fuhrer is about to come to power is a mystery. Perhaps there is hope, though.

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" I am working on a small project for a English teaching I got the perfect spot to get started"

LOL, well first you might want to learn how to write a sentence thelastofthefamous.

As for starting illegally, congratulations on being able to sell yourself that justification. Why not use the same justification to tell yourself it is OK to rob a few banks to get enough of a bankroll to then start a business?

But I don't think being smart is your strong suite. After all, you have given your Facebook page out and that will make it very easy for anyone here to report you to the appropriate authorities who will then be able to easily track you down.

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Please don't be intimidated by your "Not being able to write a sentence correctly" After all a few people on this site are brilliant typists, but their Intelligence is questionable..
Just remember .that some genius, brilliant entrepreneurs such as Richard Branston etc.. who admit to not being very eloquent nor writers BECAUSE they are Dyslexic.!
As for me, some here regard me as a "dummy" because I refused to take typing lessons at my scholarship designated University (Notre Dame in England) Reason:... I was afraid I may be doomed to a career as a typist in a little booth. So there are many reasons why on this site there may be brilliant typists, as their claim to fame. I am not one of them, so to some I am classified as a "dumb broad" etc.(well after all my IQ is only 148. ...just saying ...
Don't think you must be either perfect in typing or obeying the "do not work here or else " becuase .Old Pro has got you as a mark already, and I would not doubt spend time tracking you down for the Horrendous crime of wanting to learn Spanish while making a few dollars to live off. So be careful...
I must also warn all those people at our local Gringo GTG's that they are subject to , and may now be dreading being arrested as they sip their coffee, because they may have read the remarks on this site and had better immediately flee the country because they may be "working " even on line or free housing in return for light work in order to enjoy living here, (We others pay enough taxes here to cob=ver you LOL ,
My Tico friends welcome those struggling to do so.
Many are aware of the thousands of Ticos living in the USA (Including my ex Mother in Law and 20 family members ) who do not work in the USA but draw welfare instead...so our hard earned tax money, pay their taxes for the honor of those living off our government, OF course in USA as in My Restaurant there are many LEGAL Ticos who work in the USA.
SO most Ticos do not bat an eyelid for the few struggling people who seek a way to earn a few dollars without jeopardizing jobs from Costa Ricans who don't speak English, or the many I know who no longer do menial tasks like farm workers (Hence the bussing in of Coffee Pickers from Nicaragua) . I think they are intelligent enough to play the (All's fair game"
So type your words as you may. Some of us may read them without criticizing but others maybe call you names or ridicule you
But they have the option as I I tell them of NOT bothering to read our "not so perfectly written posts .This is not a typing pool:) nor a competition :) keep on posting ALL is fair not just in love and war...but on most sites,
.

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well said ! some of us very intelligent folks make typos...but are very smart..then some are very good typist but smart?
say no more ...I wish your gal well and yes I have "worked off the market inmany country=ies in order to pay my rent as a struggling actress BUT remember some peolple on this forun=m are so smug that they make over $3,000 in a pension and live for the first time high off the hog and say we NEED that much to live here YES if we drank and ate extravagantly as they do..sure you spend as much as your luxury needs take...Mostly on booze has been my experience...
I am the typo queen of the internet..ye a IQ .WE can always hire a typist at minimum wage if needed :)

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It seems my response was deleted.

Pebbalita, typing is a physical ability. Writing a sentence is not. So being the 'typo queen' has nothing whatsoever do do with being able to construct a sentence.

As for your IQ, intelligence, knowledge and wisdom are not all one and the same thing. There are plenty of intelligent (IQ) people with no common sense or no knowledge of many things including how to construct a simple sentence.

Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting tomatoes in a fruit salad.

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Old Pro,
I'm afraid that Ms. Pebbalita IS a fruit
salad. She has put several people off this web site -- including me! Her comments are just too toxic for my taste.

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I will take Pebblita every day compared to some of the know it alls---

Gill Phelan
www.gvecr.com

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Pebbalita,
I agree with GPS.
Also: The Bible says that gray hair is a sign of wisdom!
You really make me laugh and I'm always looking forward to read your comments.
Sometimes you write something, and then you think about some more and you keep writing and writing and I just keep laughing.
I also agree with the gentleman who asked the first question: sometimes our English is not perfect but we can speak several languages.
Here in the pool we speak English, French, Spanish and sometimes Italian not to mention Portuguese which is our native tongue.

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Thank you and Merry Christmas Fala Portuguesa ?:) I love Portugal and its people I know it well I used to sing in a Jazz club in the Algarve :) glad to make you smile :)

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I hope you all enjoyed my deliberate typos..aimed to mostly get SOME people's nerves jangled or their knickers in a knot or on 2 dynamic typists opinion ..."Offend many folk " although no need to read just hit the delete button...Heaven forgive me for such sins ...

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Damn really MacDonalds pays that much ? Are they still hiring? I am interested ...

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I assume if a person is retired and didn't need the money, they could volunteer teaching english? I imagine as long as you weren't compensated, there would be no violation of the law.

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