Cactus offers a range of volunteer programmes in combination with our Spanish courses in Latin America. Students wishing to learn the language and then take part in a volunteer placement have the wonderful opportunity to do so in select locations across Guatemala, Costa Rica, Argentina, Chile, Ecuador and Colombia.

These programmes are unique in that you learn some of the language before you start volunteering. By incorporating a language element, you will get much more out of your volunteer experience – and the volunteer organisation, in turn, will get more out of you.

• You will get to know the locals working on the project with you
• You will have the chance to really immerse yourself in the culture
• You will understand what people are asking you to do
• You will feel like less of a tourist and more like you are helping
• You will come away with a deeper understanding of the local population’s issues

• 4 week Spanish language course (starting on a Monday)
• 4 or 8 week volunteer placement (starting immediately after your course)
• 8 or 12 weeks' accommodation with a local host family (starting on the Sunday before your course, and finishing on the Saturday after your placement)

Spanish Course:

You will take a General Spanish language course of 20 lessons per week (4 lessons each day, Monday to Friday) in a small group. After class you can take part in a range of activities organised by the school, such as cooking, dance and music classes, intercambios, lectures and trips to national parks, jungles, beaches and volcanoes. This is the ideal way to make friends with other students at the school and practise the language outside class.

Volunteer Placement:

Cactus volunteering gives you the chance to work on genuine, local projects where you can really help to make a difference. You will use and improve your language skills and meet people that you never normally would as a tourist. You should bear in mind that there is a natural variance in the number of volunteers needed at certain times of year, and that local project managers will be looking for a particular volunteer profile for the work in hand.

Once you have booked your place on the Language & Volunteer programme, you will be able to choose the type of project you wish to work on. Projects are divided into the following categories:

1. Social work & Education
2. Environmental / Nature
3. Administration / Marketing / Cultural
4. Construction

Click on the following links to find out more, and to enrol, on the Spanish & Volunteer programme of your choice.

Argentina

• Buenos Aires (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks volunteering)
• Cordoba (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks volunteering)

Chile

• Santiago de Chile (4 weeks Spanish + 4 weeks volunteering)
• Santiago de Chile (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks volunteering)

Colombia

• Leticia (4, 6 or 8 weeks combined Spanish + volunteering)

Costa Rica

• Heredia (4 weeks Spanish + 4 weeks volunteering)
• Heredia (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks volunteering)
• Samara (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks volunteering)
• San José (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks volunteering)
• San José (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks volunteering in conservation)

Ecuador

• Quito (4 weeks Spanish + 4 weeks volunteering)
• Quito (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks volunteering)

Guatemala

• Antigua (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks volunteering)
• Antigua (Un Poco de Todo: 3 weeks combined Spanish + volunteering + excursions)
• Flores (Spanish general course & 4 or 8 weeks' extended volunteering)

Honduras

• La Ceiba (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks volunteering)

Peru

• Cusco (4 weeks Spanish + 4 weeks volunteering)

Mexico

• Merida (4 weeks Spanish + 8 weeks extensive volunteering)