Winter Term 2026 Biblioteca David Kitson (Costa Rica) Teacher Assistant/Intern

Biblioteca David Kitson in Nosara is a nonprofit foundation that provides ESL/ESOL instruction to children and adults all year, and importantly, they offer intensive English-speaking classes during Costa Rica’s summer break. Middlebury students have taken part in this program during Winter Term (4 weeks in January) since 1998.

Our interns will be teaching Monday-Thursday for a few hours every day, with a group of school-aged children during the day and adults at night.  The program begins with a few days of intensive teacher training during the first week of January, where interns will learn the methodology, classroom management strategies, and context to be successful in the classroom.  The library offers English all year long, so many local children and adults are already familiar with the program.  Students are grouped based on age or ability and generally include about 10 students per class/teacher.  Both adult and kids' classes range anywhere from students with zero English to advanced English.  Kids' classes will have our interns teaching an English lesson, engaging in games/activities, and of course building relationships.  Adult classes will include a specific topic to teach followed by activities and conversational activities for students to practice together, and in the past these classes have provided the richest opportunities for Middlebury students to build real connection with Costa Ricans.  

English classes are expected to be taught 100% in English, so Spanish is not a requirement to participate in this internship. However, having a little Spanish is very helpful to facilitate connecting with students both inside and outside the classroom, as well as to enjoy the culture of Costa Rica during your free time. For this reason, it is preferred to have completion of Spanish 220 or higher. The team at Kitson Library has also shared that they will give preference to applicants with experience working with kids or adults in an educational setting, however informal.

More about Kitson Library: Nosara is a remote, rural town, home to somewhat wealthy foreigners from the U.S., Canada, and elsewhere, and mostly poor locals. The community relies on local non-profits to meet many essential needs. Biblioteca Kitson is part of this network. In addition to offering conventional book-lending, throughout the year, Biblioteca Kitson provides space that serves a community center, offers folkloric dance classes and special support to help children learn to read, hosts a local senior citizens group, and much more. The January intensive English program, affectionately referred to as "The Middlebury program" is a fixture in how the library supports and empowers locals.

Check out a recent podcast with our contact and the legendary Founder of the library, Beverly Kitson, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OHe-l9OwWfY. 

Biblioteca David Kitson Internship – Winter Term Teaching Opportunity

Arrival Date:  January 1, 2026 

Training: Friday, Saturday, Sunday January 2-4.

Compensation:   This is an unpaid internship. However:

• The internship host will cover round-trip airfare and local housing.
• If the intern enrolls in the Winter Term Internship for Credit Program, they will also receive a $1,500 CCI Winter-Term grant to help with living expenses.  

Course Credit: This is an unpaid student internship – individuals will receive course credit from Middlebury College but must apply for credit through the Middlebury College Winter Term internship for credit process. Please visit go/WTinternships for information on receiving credit (if desired) for Winter Term internships.

Information Session Scheduled for October 16, from 7:00-8:00 p.m. Hillcrest 103.  Please feel free to reach out to Karen White at white@middlebury.edu or Miguel Fernandez at fernande@middlebury.edu if you have any questions.