WAYRA Instituto de Español is approved by the Instituto de Cervantes as an official DELE examination Center and our courses are also accepted in different German provinces (Bundesländer) for the “Bildungsurlaub”.
 

DELE “Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera” stands for "Diplomas for Spanish as a Foreign Language" and are the only standardized certificates for non-native Spanish speakers, issued by the Cervantes Institute. Each year, more and more private companies, government offices, diplomatic agencies, universities and academic institutions require that their candidates submit tangible proof of their Spanish knowledge. The DELE certificates are official qualifications accrediting that you passed the exams and have acquired the level of competence and command of the Spanish language. The DELE certificates are of great international value and an invaluable asset with endless pay offs at academic and professional level.

WAYRA will be offering DELE preparation courses. There are two different courses where the students will get prepared for the DELE examination:

• 8 weeks Intensiv course (30 hrs/week). In this course the students participate the first 4 hours in regular group classes and the additional 2 hours are focused on the DELE preparation.
  
   
• 4 weeks DELE preparation course (20 hrs/week). During this course the candidates will get prepared specifically for the DELE examination.

The 8 weeks Intensiv course starts at the following dates: April 2nd, July 2nd and September 17th, 2012.

The 4 weeks DELE preparation course starts at the following dates: April 30th, July 30th and October 15th, 2012.

Of course it is also possible to take private classes in order to get a more personalized and specialized instruction.

For more information about the DELE exam preparation course, please contact us at info@spanish-wayra.co.cr. To register for the exam please download the following document:

DELE - Spanish as a Foreign Language Diplomas (Adobe Document)

DELE - Spanish as a Foreign Language Diplomas (Word Document)

The school is situated in a beautiful tropical garden. On the premises the students can find three buildings and two small ranchos (open air dry palm huts).

All the classrooms are distributed among the buildings. The classrooms are spacious and comfortable, with large open windows to create a comfortable and appropriate atmosphere to study.

As a new service, we offer to our students that want to bring their own notebook, free high speed wireless Internet at the main building, at the big rancho and at the WAYRA student house. Also, we provide to our students each day 15 minutes free Internet access at the school’s computer.

As an additional free service we offer in each room at our student houses a safety box where our students can place their notebooks and other values.

At WAYRA, the students can enjoy the local wildlife. Iguanas, birds, and many other small animals can be observed while listening to the braking waves of the ocean. Often, the tranquility is only interrupted by the howling of monkeys that takes away the breath of students each time they stop for a visit.

• All the teaching is carried out in Spanish. This enables the students to be totally immersed in the language while they are studying
• Minimum stay of one week
• Groups are small, averaging 3 to 4 students (maximum 6 students per class)
• Courses begin every Monday
• The first day of class, all new students must arrive at the school by 7:15am to be evaluated and placed in their appropriate level and to complete any necessary paperwork
• According to their progress, students may be moved to different groups, during the program, to maximize their learning
• WAYRA determines if the students attend the morning or afternoon session
• Morning sessions are from 8:00 am to 12:00 am and afternoon sessions are from 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. There is a break of 20 minutes at 09.50 am and at 02.50 pm.
• Students can choose between the standard course (20 hrs/week), the intensive program (30 hrs/week) or private tuition.

In the classroom, we make learning an enjoyable natural process. Teachers encourage debate, conversation and exchange of ideas to promote critical thinking and verbal skills. Games, videos and music are frequently used in the classrooms.

Outdoor activities, such us walks in the nature reserves, visits to the different business in town to gather information, conversations with people from the community, interviews or excursions to neighboring towns, are used to practice and learn more about the ecology, economy and culture of Costa Rica. Your language ability will grow as your outlook broadens. Every day the students are required to do about one hour of homework.

DELE "Diplomas de Español como Lengua Extranjera" stands for "Diplomas for Spanish as a Foreign Language" and are the only standardized certificates for non-native Spanish speakers. The Cervantes Institute issues the certificate on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture, and Sports.

Each year, more and more private companies, government offices, diplomatic agencies, universities, and academic institutions require that their candidates submit tangible proof of their Spanish knowledge. The DELE certificates are official qualifications accrediting that you passed the exams and have acquired the level of competence and command of the Spanish language. The DELE certificates are of great international value and an invaluable asset with endless pay offs at academic and professional level. DELE exam preparation course: the intensive exam preparation courses will equip you with the knowledge, skills and confidence to pass the internationally recognized DELE exam. WAYRA has experienced DELE teachers to prepare you for the exam.

To pass successfully the exam, you will receive training with different models of oral, written, and comprehensive exercises. In the course are included oral presentations, use of idioms, intonation, pronunciation, punctuation, spelling, grammar review and practice, writing of different documents, listening and comprehension activities.

Who needs the DELE certificates:

• Students that are considering studying abroad in a Spanish or Latin American university.
• Employees for International companies.
• Employees for local companies with international clientele.
• Students in the fields of medicine, social services, and education.
• Professionals of the different Medical specialties.
• Diplomatic officials and staff for diplomatic agencies.
• Individuals or professionals that are looking forward to work in a Spanish-speaking country.
• People that want to improve their CV.

Frequently asked questions about WAYRA´s accreditations.

What makes WAYRA a unique Spanish School?

• WAYRA is one of the few and unique Spanish schools that is recognized by the Cervantes Institute as an official DELE examination Center (Centro Evaluador de Examenes DELE) and as an associated center to the Cervantes Institute network to teach Spanish as a second language (Red de Centros Asociados al Instituto Cervantes).

Why WAYRA is nominated as a member to network of  "Red de Centros Asociados al Instituto Cervantes"?

• WAYRA complies with all the requirements of high quality standards, established by the Cervantes Institute, to become a member to the network of associated center "Red de Centro Asociados". To learn more about the accreditation please visit "The Network of Associated Centers". Only associated center can carry this logo.

How can I corroborate that WAYRA is recognized as DELE examination Center?

You can visit the official web page of the Cervantes institute and access the list of schools that are recognized as DELE examination centers at: Diplomas in Spanish as a Foreign Language (DELE) of the Instituto Cervantes

The rates are the same as for the adults.

The children's program is created for children that can read and write up to 12 years old. We do not accept children under the age of 15 who are traveling alone. Any teenagers 16-18 wishing to attend our programs without their parents or other adult supervision should be mature enough to be self-sufficient and responsible for their own decision-making. For children that do not attend school, baby sitters are available upon request.

For parents traveling with children that do not attend school, baby sitters are available upon request. We can organize a nanny to take care of the children while the parents are taking classes. In some cases, the nanny may be a member of the host family. The nanny can take the children to the beach, children's park, or for a walk close to the school. Most of our nannies only speak Spanish. Prices for nannies are available upon request.

These are the dates for our 2012 summer programs:

WAYRA offers you a wide range of different possibilities to become a volunteer in Costa Rica. From Teaching English at local schools, Social Work at nonprofit human rights organizations, Recycling, Turtle Rescuing in National Parks to Shadowing at a local clinic, you will definitely find your favorite volunteer work in Costa Rica.

And the best is, you do not have to speak Spanish very well, a basic knowledge is sufficient. Therefore, the only condition for all those programs, in order to guarantee a basic knowledge of Spanish, is to take Spanish classes at WAYRA for at least 2 weeks, or as long as you want, before you can start your volunteer job.

The main objective of the volunteer program will be to rescue and conserve the turtles so that their population increases. The turtle work basically takes place during the night. You will walk on the beach in small groups with a supervisor and look for spawning turtles. The eggs are brought to a safe place and are going to be examined and counted. All participants will have a permanent compliance by some supervisors, who are going to give you instructions with respect to your work, the working area and their accommodations. Minimum stay is 2 weeks and you will have one day off per week.

You will contribute to the protection of this unique turtles and help them to survive their most dangerous stage in life.
It is a great opportunity to be so close to this wonderful spectacle of nature. You will get to know locals as well as other volunteers and make new friends while learning Spanish. On your day off you can explore the beautiful country of Costa Rica and see something of the surrounding area.

You will share your accommodation with other volunteers in the friendly and rustic administrative houses of the national parks, which are often right at the beach. Food includes breakfast, lunch, dinner and drinks in the afternoon.

As a volunteer you need to complete the following conditions:send a copy of the passport.

Please take into consideration, that there will be no remuneration for your work. WAYRA will not be responsible for any accidents or damages while working as a volunteer. Of course, you will receive a special certificate at the end of your volunteer work in order to get credit points at universities for example.

San Miguel de Sarapiquí is a small town located in the Province of Alajuela, Costa Rica with 100% rural charm. Our program is a non-profit town-operated volunteer initiative with the sole purpose of developing a creative and economic solution to our local economy that was affected by the earthquake in 2009. The idea of this volunteer service program is to bring together the needs of this town with the people interested in helping others while also exploring the town, culture, language, traditions and various rain forest activities. The Sarapiquí area is known for having over 500 species of birds, 100 species of mammals, and 2,000 species of plants in this biologically rich area.

This Volunteer program is a unique opportunity to expand cross-cultural friendships, learn the language, and experience Costa Rican traditions and rural living.

These are the programs that are offered in Sarapiqui:

Communication / Technology -The volunteer will bring first class experience and knowledge to rural Costa Rica to help the local market and businesses.

Community/Recycling - The volunteer will develop, maintain and execute programs that help, nurture, educate and empower the community members.

The San Miguel recycling initiative is a group of single mothers who are working towards a more environmentally friendly town. The group is currently forming a cooperative with the surrounding towns recycling initiatives to strengthen the green movement in the entire area.

Bring your expertise to help us promote and attain our goal of ZERO WASTE. We currently apply the recycle, reduce, reuse principal as well as added our own biodegradable alternatives plates to reduce the amount of trash produced. We welcome courses on environmentally friendly practices for the elementary school kids as well as after school programs for hands on experience learning about and appreciating the natural beauty of our community.

Health - The volunteer will assist in their respective field of expertise.

The San Miguel Red Cross is responsible for serving the town and surrounding area with a population of approximately 3,000 locals and tourists. This area spans from La Paz Waterfall Gardens to Corazon de Jesus, covering 112 square kilometers among which is the Braulio Carrillo National Park and the newly reopened route 126 mountain pass.

Our team helped mobilize and coordinate the first response effort after the magnitude 6.2 earthquake that destroyed the town of Cinchona, in January of 2009. The San Miguel Red Cross aided with the search and rescue of the victims as well as hosted and cared for the injured for the weeks following the Earthquake.

Volunteer alongside our first response team. In exchange for teaching first response care and terminology in your native language, receive basic first aid training in Spanish!

Our team is requesting volunteers capable of Vertical and Horizontal rescue, River rescue and Mountain search and rescue. Our team is in need of all the necessary equipment to implement this type of training so please come equipped. Come to volunteer and teach our team to provide safe, secure rescue to all people travelling or living in this region.

Education - The Volunteer will work with the elementary school teachers -assisting in lesson planning and classroom management, with the goal of developing and growing the skills of the teachers.

The Demetrio Tinoco Elementary School is situated in the center of town and has approximately 150 students, from kindergarten through sixth grade. The elementary school has programs such as arts and crafts with recycled materials, traditional Costa Rican music and dance classes as well as Spanish, English, Social Studies and Math. Costa Rica is a country without a military, choosing to invest in education and our school is looking to further compliment the curriculum. Share with us your knowledge, experience, education to help our kids get a world class education.

If you have experience with lesson planning, come collaborate with the school teachers to incorporate the latest in effective learning practices. You also have the option of creating and integrating a curriculum of your choosing in your area of specialization. Example courses from previous volunteers include: physical education, environment, cultures of other countries, Junior Achievement, and health and wellness workshops.

Volunteers are placed with a local family that has gone through our volunteer host family orientation and is excited for your arrival. You will have your own room and be provided with 3 meals a day, once a week laundry service and the culturally enriching opportunity of sharing traditions from your host family. Your presence in their home is a source of education, stimulation, mutual exchange of ideas and is important to the overall goal of this program of community integration.

This program is ideal for students with a special interest in expanding their knowledge of tropical studies and bird watching. We are close to several well-known biological reserves such as La Tirimbina, La Selva and OTS. San Miguel is also in the heart of adventure tours in Costa Rica, with rafting, canoeing, zip lining and canopy tours within 15 kilometers. It is within 1-2 hours (by car) of La Fortuna, Lake Arenal, Poas Volcano, La Virgin and Puerto Viejo de Sarapiquí.

Cost for the turtle program: The price is U.S. $ 150.00 per week. This includes accommodation and all meals. In addition, a one-time registration fee of $ 175.00 is payable.

Cost for the volunteer program in Sarapiquí: The price is U.S. $ 180.00 per week. This includes accommodation and all meals. In addition, a one-time registration fee of $ 175.00 is payable.