Spanish and volunteering in Guatemala

Local time in Guatemala:

The Spanish school in Guatemala:

The school is a 7-minute walk from downtown, and teaching takes place in spacious patios. In the same building is the office, a laundry, a toilet and a lounge for watching movies or having a drink.

The school in Guatemala offers high-quality personalized lessons, based on your specific language skills. Oral language is preferred, based on conversations with every day vocabulary. For best performance, each student has his or her own teacher for an intensive and truly customized course! If you like dancing, you can combine language classes with salsa or merengue classes.

The Spanish courses in Guatemala:

The language courses are open to all people who wish to learn or improve their Spanish. The courses are intensive, individual (one student per teacher), combined with activities to practice newly learned vocabulary. Courses start every Monday and you must arrive at your host family` house the day before.

• Number of hours per week: 20 hours from Monday to Friday
• Levels: Beginner to Advanced
• Number of participants per class: 1 (private lessons)
• Age of participants: Minimum 16 years old, the average is 25 years old
• Programme duration: 2 to 44 weeks
• Start: Every Monday

Types of courses:

• Standard : 20 hours of tutoring per week. You will learn Spanish, but you will also learn about the culture, the history and the politics of Guatemala.
• Intensive : 5 hours of courses, or 25 hours per week for faster progress.
• Super Intensive : 10 hours of courses, or 30 hours per week for students who want a "brainwash" in Spanish!

Activities in Guatemala:

The school offers a variety of activities in the afternoon.

You will receive a complete list of excursions and activities after confirmation of your enrollment.

You'll just pay the transport costs and any entrance fees :

• Movies
• Cooking lessons
• Discussion groups
• Lectures and talks
• Games (nothing like scrabble in Spanish to learn new words)
• Football matches between teachers and students
• Demonstration of weaving techniques and explanation of the meaning of the patterns
• Visits to the volunteer placements centres
• Visits to museums and Mayan ruins
• Excursions to the volcanoes
• Cycling trips
• Special Events: helping to decorate the streets for Holy Week at Easter, Christmas parade, celebrating Halloween etc.

The programme starts with a minimum of Language course of 2 to 4 weeks as described above, followed by a volunteer period lasting from 2 weeks to 6 months depending on your availability and desires.

For example you can help the Guatemalan Red Cross, orphanages, hospitals, street children, people with physical or mental disabilities, the elderly or in national parks. Certain areas require specific qualifications, others are open to all.

During the Spanish classes, the local coordinator will explain everything about the volunteer placement, and prepare you for it. You can ask questions and have a more detailed overview of the opportunities. If possible, you will also visit the place where you will be based during your volunteer assignment. If you choose to work in day care centres or schools, be aware that school holidays are from mid-December to mid-January and during Easter Week. Some placements such as the Guatemalan Red Cross also close in December and January.

During this period, the local coordinator will suggest other volunteer placements.

Accomodation in Guatemala:

You will live with a local host family in a single room with shared bathroom and toilets. Most families host more than one participant at the time and they all live within a 20 minutes walk to the school.

Outings in Guatemala:

The following outings are included in our fees:

• 3-day trip to Lake Atitlan & Chichi
• Tour Pacaya incl. entrance fees

And, if you volunteer near Antigua or just attend language classes :

• Airport drop-off (seat-in basis)
• And a US$25.00 coupon to be applied on any further weekend trip and/or transportation service

Or, if you volunteer in national parks:

• Transportation Antigua-Linea Dorada Bus Terminal and Bus Ticket Linea Dorada Guatemala City-Flores or alternatively Transportation Antigua-Monterrico-Arcas Hawaii

Included in Guatemala's programme:

Initial membership fee (200 €) enrolment as a member of the GlobAlong Association is valid for a period of 9 years (renewable).

Accommodation :

• Laundry once a week in the school’s washing
• A safe

Program, follow-up and customization :

• Pick-up at the airport
• Help and guidance from our team in Europe before your programme starts
• Transfer to the accommodation
• Introduction days and outings in Antigua
• 20 one to one spanish lessons per week from Monday through Friday
• Preparation for your volunteer programme
• Accommodation with a local host family
• Full board for the duration of your stay from Monday to Saturday
• Spanish level test (at your arrival)
• Customization of your programme
• Access to Wi-Fi at the school 
• Weekly language test to see your progress
• Access to the school lobrary, where you will find a large choice of music, games, grammar books, and videos about the country
• Access to all afternoon activities proposed by the school 
• Water, tea and coffee at the school
• One free salsa or merengue lesson per week
• A souvenir t-shirt
• Outings
• 7/7 support from the local coordinator
• Support from the Globalong team during your entire stay
• Personal blog on our network
• Advise on how to get a visa (if needed)
• Country guide
• Donation to a project in need
• Traveller’s guide
• Certificate of attendance confirming your language level
• Organization fees

Not included in Guatemala's programme:

• Extra outings
• Personal expenses
• Flights to and from Guatemala
• Course materials (approximately $20 USD, to be paid directly to the school)
• Extra salsa or merengue lessons ($10 USD per hour)
• If you wish to combine two or more volunteer project, an extra fee of $50 USD will be applied
• Extra laudry (one free machine per week)
• Meals on Sundays
• For the eco-volunteer programmes, the entrance fee to the national park is applied: €75 per week. Please select the right case when enrolling.
• Travel and cancellation insurance (mandatory)
• Vaccinations (click here for more information)
• Visa fees
• Transfer back to the airport at the end of your stay

Bank holidays in Guatemala in 2017/2018:

• 12 October 2017: Colombus Day
• 20 October 2017: Day of the Revolution
• 01 November 2017: All Saints Day
• 24 December 2017: (Courses will be from 8 to 12am)
• 25 December 2017: Christmas Day
• 26 December 2017: Boxing Day
• 31 December 2017: (Courses will be from 2 to 12 am)
• 01 January 2018: New Year's Day
• From 30th till 31th March 2018: Good Thursday and Friday
• 01 May 2018: Labor Day
• 30 June 2018: Army Day
• 15 August 2018: Assumption
• 15 September 2018: Independence Day
• 12 October 2018: Colombus Day
• 20 October 2018: Day of the Revolution
• 01 November 2018: All Saints Day
• 24 December 2018: (Courses will be from 8 to 12am)
• 25 December 2018: Christmas Day
• 26 December 2018 : Boxing Day
• 31 December 2018: (Courses will be from 2 to 12 am)

Climate in Guatemala:

For further information, please do not hesitate to contact us at info@globalong.com

Collect money for your project thanks to Leetchi !

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