El Podcast

E24: Quit His Job, Moved to Costa Rica & Built a Spanish School

Episode Summary

Chris Reidy moved from Chicago to Costa Rica and built a successful Spanish immersion school called Tico Lingo. He shares how real-life conversations—not textbooks—are the key to learning a new language and starting fresh abroad. Chris discusses the best practices for becoming fluent in Spanish in less than a year and the importance of homestays and cultural immersion for students. We also discuss entrepreneurship in Costa Rica and some of the hurdles he faced when he started his business eight years ago.

Episode Notes

Chris Reidy, founder of Tico Lingo in Costa Rica, shares how he built a Spanish immersion school from scratch and the transformative power of language learning through real-world practice.

Guest Bio: Chris Reidy is the founder and program director of Tico Lingo, a Spanish immersion school based in Heredia, Costa Rica. Originally from Chicago, Chris moved to Costa Rica in 2015 and turned his own struggles with language learning into a thriving business that now serves students from around the world.

Topics Discussed:

• How to reach Spanish fluency through immersion
• Why U.S. schools fail at language education
• Starting a business abroad as an American
• Legal and tax challenges in Costa Rica
• Word-of-mouth and organic marketing strategies
• Cultural nuances of Costa Rican Spanish and hospitality
• Overcoming betrayal and burnout as an entrepreneur
• The role of homestays and real-life practice in language learning

Top 3 Quotes:

• "Language is best learned with human connection—apps can’t replicate the spark you get from real conversation."
• "If you want to build something meaningful, be prepared to sleep on a yoga mat and eat rice and beans for months."
• "We don't do much marketing—we just exist, and people talk about us because the experience speaks for itself."

📺Watch the full podcast on YouTube➡️https://youtu.be/Ax4co0z3A2k?si=f6kYkGL0B4BaIxnt