At Spanish School La Union, volunteers do not pay any supervision fee when both studying and working. If you would like to live with a Guatemalan family or in our student guesthouse and do volunteer work without studying Spanish, the cost for living with a family is different and there is a supervision fee of $25.00 per week (this is to pay for a staff person from Spanish School La Union who arranges a place in a social project for you – groups and individuals). If you work more than 2 weeks the supervision fee is $10.00 per week.

If you would like to be a teacher, but you do not have any experience, that is no problem; you can work as an auxiliary teacher in a public school, but it is necessary that your Spanish level be intermediate or higher so that you can teach the children.

Periodically, we arrange different activities. For one example: piñatas (figures made of pasteboard filled with candies). Our students are welcome to participate in these activities and spend time with the children.

If volunteers would like to leave donations with us instead of working on a particular project, “La Unión" can distribute the donations according to the needs of each project.

The Social Projects That The School Directly Helps

As part of Spanish School La Unión’s social outlook, we have created an affiliation with a day-care center for the sons and daughters of single Guatemalan mothers. We assist in the education of these children and provide them with meals, thus allowing the mothers the opportunity to find a job and provide better lives for their children.

Spanish School La Unión is financing some of these social projects (Bendición de Dios, Escuela Vuelta Grande). Obviously, the needs are great so we are looking for VOLUNTEERS (teachers, cooks, baby-sitters, nurses/doctors, or any one who loves kids), as well as donations of clothing for adults and children, study materials, medicine, and money, or whatever way in which you wish to help us. All donations are greatly appreciated and are put to good use. With your help, we can make a tremendous difference and change many lives.

other options to work

We also offer other volunteer positions; we try to find the social project which matches your experience and/or goals. You cover your own food and lodging (of course we offer to place our students in Guatemalan families). To do volunteer work just let us know what you would like to do so we can find the proper place for you. Usually volunteering is done in the afternoons (after your Spanish lessons or after your Spanish course).

If you are in a group of 5 students or more, we also offer the opportunity for you to change the life of POOR Guatemalan families. You can change the lives of many children in public schools as well. We rebuild the houses as well as the schools where they have no access to potable water and electricity. At this moment we have built many houses and have made various changes at some local public schools (we would love to show them to you while you are at Spanish School La Union).

You can also help by bringing coloring books, crayons, markers, pencils or any teaching and study materials for the children that we are sponsoring.

For more information about these projects, please look at the following list, visit us or write to us.

LIST OF SOCIAL PROJECTS

We have many social projects in and around Antigua. To give you an idea of what we offer, please take a look at the following list.