Academia Tica

( 11 Reviews )

Activities: Learn Spanish
Country: Costa Rica

Academia Tica is proud to be one of the first Spanish schools in Costa Rica and one of the longest standing since 1986.

We’re a Costa-Rican run business with finesse for quality. This has been recognized with an Instituto Cervantes Accredited Center certification, the most important qualification for schools that teach Spanish as a foreign language.

Academia Tica is also an official DELE Exam Center. We have been officially awarded the title: “El mejor lugar del mundo para aprender español” or “The best place in the world to learn Spanish” by our former student Brian Reid

We Offer:

General Spanish Courses
Our course offer starts at 20 group lessons per week which you can combine with 5 or 10 private lessons. You can also take individual Spanish lessons from 2 to 30 per week.

DELE Exam & Preparation
Prepare with us and take the DELE Exam right here in Costa Rica. Studying at Academia Tica will give you a great advantage for success in the exam!

Surf & Spanish Course
Year-round good waves make our home beach one of the best places to learn to surf. Take professional advice and have a good time in some world-famous spots.

Spanish Traveling Classroom
A unique opportunity to travel Costa Rica and learn Spanish at the same time, and at an unbeatable price. Join us in our favorite activities, something new everyday!

Contact / Enquiry

Enquiry

Great experience

I came to Costa Rica without any spanish knowledge, and left with an A2 Level. The school in Jaco is great, the teachers are very nice, and I had a great time there learning spanish during my 3 weeks. I enjoyed living at the apartments with other students. Academia Tica also organizes freetime activity like cooking class, Zumba or Yoga. I would come back at any time!

By: Nadja Ha
Nationality: German
Age: 22

Amazing experience

Hi there!

I have been studying Spanish at Academia Tica in Jaco for 3 months and it has been a really good time. I started of with the beginner level Spanish and I grew over the weeks to a level of B1.4.

The school is small with various class rooms inside and outside, and because it is not that big you will get to learn everyone very quickly. Every week you will be learning more and more Spanish but also you will be meeting new people every week. During my stay I stayed with a host family which where amazing. They took me (and others) into their house and involved us into various activities and showed us some amazing spots to.

In my opinion it is definetly worth going to Costa Rica and grab this opportunity to learn Spanish and having a great time as well.

By: Viyella
Nationality: Dutch
Age: 24

Such a great experience

I truly recommend the school. The classes were amazing. We were about 3 students for one teacher so it was really quick to learn Spanish. We could practice our pronunciation and we spoke a lot !
The teachers are really helpful and welcoming. They make you feel at ease. Thanks a lot, I definitely recommend the school and I look forward to seeing you again !

By: Olivia Martins de Melo
Nationality: France
Age: 19

Learn Spanish in Pura Vida style

I have been studying Spanish here for 3 weeks and these weeks have just been amazing! I learned a lot and really improved my Spanish. The nice thing is that the classes contain max 6 persons and the teachers will do everything in Spanish. This really improves your speaking skills. The teachers are very nice and warm persons. During these weeks I met many nice other students, who really became friends. Jacó is a small town where you can do everything by foot. Besides the Spanish classes, I had surf lessons at Surfer Factory. A great combination!

By: Maite
Nationality: Dutch
Age: 30

Amazing Trip!

I studied and did volunteer work though Academia Tica in Coronado, Costa Rica for 3 months and loved it so much. I traveled by myself and, because I lived in the houses in the school area which were shared with other people, I met so many new friends and every weekend we traveled around the country. Also really enjoyed the school and teachers.

I studied Spanish during 3 weeks (knew a bit before) and during the lessons we spoke a lot of Spanish which was perfect practice for me since I was gonna do volunteer work in a public school afterwards. The volunteer work was really the best part though! Getting to know the kids and the teachers who welcomed me and were so friendly and nice. We only spoke Spanish which was the best practice for me and I learned so much!

By: Ella
Nationality: Sweden
Age: 19

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My Spanish learning experience in Costa Rica

I only spent one week learning Spanish at Academia Tica. However, I liked it a lot since I had a teacher just for me, which I considered to be ideal given that I was a total beginner. I never would have thought I would go that far in five days. The teacher was very patient and the other staff members were also very friendly. I felt very good from day one. On the other hand, the activities organized by the school were very important for me. For example, the Latin American cinema, the cooking classes, the recreational center with gym (to which you can attend for free!) etc. There is always something to do. I'm grateful for the great time.

By: Claudia Tumuscheit
Nationality: German
Age: 28

Best Spanish Immersion Yet

I was with Academia Tica for a month and it was a great time! Olma was my teacher for this month and she has a great energy and loves helping you with Spanish. The school also puts on plenty of events and trips for you to go on. I would love to go back and study again to perfect my Spanish even more.

By: Gerald Quinlan
Nationality: American
Age: 22

Discover Costa Rica with Academia Tica!

About two years ago I went to Costa Rica and I did a course of Spanish for three weeks with Academia Tica in Jacò. The experience was very interesting, the teachers were very friendly and also professionals.
The enormous possibility that you have is to learn the language in a small class, face to face with the teachers and also learn something about the culture, the traditions and the way of life of the locals. This was amazing for me.
The school offer also many services : apartments in which live during the course, activities, excursions and... for sure you can enjoy surf classes !!
I recommend to all those who want combine fun, culture and study to go to Academia Tica!

By: Roberta
Nationality: Italian
Age: 24

Best exchange I could do in my life

Academia Tica was the best choice I could do to learn Spanish. I arrived speaking nothing and get back to my country speaking fluently, 6 months later. So fluently that today (a year after) I’m living and studying (taking a masters degree) in Panama without any problems. It was incredible! The teachers were very patient and kind and the activities they provided were very helpful in order to practice the day by day language. Also the family I stayed with (Montoya) were the best hosters ever! I enjoyed a lot and could not imagine my exchange in any other place in the world! The best choice I made in my life!

By: Monica Esteter
Nationality: Brazilian
Age: 24

Prospective View of Life

My native tongue is Spanish because my family is all Mexican and I have been to Mexico before so I thought this trip would be a piece of cake. I thought this only to discover that no place or country is similar. Throughout my stay in Costa Rica I was welcomed wholeheartedly by hand picked people based on my experience here and personality. My host family was incredible and are now some people I would consider as my second family as we still keep in touch in year later.
The school part was what I thought I wouldn’t have troubles with, but actually they start off the course testing you and analyzing your true knowledge of Spanish. I got placed in the most advanced class and throughout that class, I realized just how much more practice I needed to perfect my second language. The teachers were extremely passionate about informing us about all the wonders of Costa Rica and determined that we left with a better understanding of the language of Spanish. That is exactly how I left the borders of Costa Rica.
If you have never been to another country before, you’re scared to leave the borders of your homeland, or if you’re the least bit interested in coming and experiencing this journey please do it. Coming back from Costa Rica, it made me realize how much I was taking some things for advantage here in the US. My life changed for the better just after two weeks of being overseas. Being there and through the school of Academia Tica, you’ll get to experience the beautiful fauna of the jungles, see a new culture and be welcomed as one of their own.

By: Bianca
Nationality: American
Age: 19

My experience at Academia Tica

Overall, my experience at the school was a good one. I spent a period of 6 months & I must say that I’ve come a very long way. At the beginning of my course I had a begginers level spanish, & at the end of my program I obtained advanced intermediate.

The teachers are very friendly & interactive. They’re also amazing at what they do. The staff is as well very friendly, especially the secretary Dannia who was absolutely amazing in helping the students & I find weekend activities, or just being open & willing to help converse & improve your spanish.

I stayed at 2 homes in the Coronado campus, they were both fairly nice. I did have a chance to visit the Jaco campus which I think is very beautiful. Being from The Bahamas it was nice to get some little sunshine & beach time away from the cold/ rainy mountains.

If you’re looking to learn Spanish in a more fun, relaxed, party atmosphere I would recommend Jaco. However if you’re like myself & you want to be as focused with minimal distractions as possible, I would recommend Coronado. Either way, both campuses are great.

Overall, I would definitely rate this experience a 4.5 out of 5 stars. The only complaint I’d say was the prices of some of the activities they have to offer. Most of the activities I decided to do on my own (traveling/excursions) ended up being far less than what it would’ve cost me had I booked it with the school.

I would definitely reccomend this program to anyone interested in studying Spanish abroad.

By: Abigail Miller
Nationality: Bahamian
Age: 23