Why does AVE exist?

AVE (Foreign Exchange Program full of Adventure) has a small office located in San José, Costa Rica, that organizes full board stays for students in chosen Costa Rican host families since 2000.

A program can run form six weeks to twelve months. AVE organizes attendance at a public or private high school. Due to its immediate presence in Costa Rica, AVE can guarantee a personal and direct contact with you at all times.

AVE’s aim is to offer students from Europe a personal and individual custom-tailored school experience in Costa Rica. One of the key factors of the program and the AVE team is to – on the one hand - promote the social competence of the individual and - on the other hand – prepare the student for his/her professional life, especially with regard to intercultural experiences, in order to ensure the best preparation possible.

Adittionaly, AVE organizes „Volunteer Work“ in the social and environmental field, according to the motto „Give something to others without asking anything for it“.

The main object of this program is to convey not only an open-minded mentality, but also to transmit the principles of solidarity, tolerance and flexibility which are inalienable in the global world of economy.

The success of AVE is based on the Total-Inmersion Program (T.I.P.) which tries to bring about the Costa Rican culture to the students and to convey knowledge at linguistic and cultural level. At the end of the program you will realize that this is what promotes the highest possible learning effect.

AVE's team consists of people with multi-cultural experiences. Due to numerous study and work periods on behalf of the management in Germany, AVE is well acquainted with the german and Costa Rican culture and is therefore aware of the small and big differences of both cultures.

AVE's opinion is: "The world is more and more growing together and into a network because of globalization".

That is why the students should learn at an early stage that there are many ways to implement an idea and to solve problems within the global context. That is, why it is so important to quickly understand work and communication procedures in other cultures. The leaders of tomorrow ought to be raised open-minded and flexibel. Especially, since you cannot part from the fact anymore that as an individual you will remain with the same company until retirement or stay at the same place in nowadays global work place. That is why a multi-lingual and multi-cultural competence is so important for a fulfilling, self-determined and successful professional life. A stay abroad offers you the opportunity to lay the foundation of this successful professional life.