FAQs - Volunteer in Spain

We are looking for candidates who:

• Are adaptable and have a positive attitude.
• Want to volunteer part-time at a local primary or secondary school.
• Want to learn about Spanish culture and practice their Spanish. 
• Want an immersive, small-town experience.
• Want to spend time with a Spanish family including mealtimes, shared activities, and English-conversational lessons.

TEFL certification is not required for our Volunteer in Spain programs. Some teachers decide to sign up for the training in order to gain the confidence and resources to effectively teach English to foreign language learners. Taking TEFL before you teach abroad can help you think about the English language from another perspective and understand how to teach English grammar. Teaching and preparing activities, whether for a small or large group of students, can be daunting. The students are your main priority and you want to give them the best education you can. Additionally, we strongly recommend getting TEFL certified if you are considering ESL as a career, or want to teach abroad independently in the future, as most foreign schools will require full-time teachers to be TEFL certified. Learn more about CIEE’s online TEFL certification programs!

Due to its limited capacity and homestay component, this program is a bit more competitive compared to our other teach abroad programs. This program does require a video interview. The interview lets us evaluate a candidate’s suitability for the program and discuss any initial candidate questions.

To prepare for the interview, we recommend candidates review the Language and Cultural Assistants page and the READINGS section in their CIEE application portal.

Yes! This program only requires applicants to have completed two years of college-level courses. Be sure to upload a copy of your official transcript to your CIEE application.

If you have already graduated, upload a copy of your degree.

To participate, you will need a passport that's valid at least six months beyond your desired START DATE for the Volunteer program. If your passport will expire before then, renew it right away! You can still apply to our program while waiting for it to arrive, just enter "000000000" as your passport number on the application, which will signal to us that a renewal is in progress.

We ask for the $500 commitment deposit to be submitted within 10 business days of acceptance. The remaining balance is due closer to departure. Please note that the commitment deposit is non-refundable in the event you change your mind or accept another job elsewhere. It is a commitment to the program, so please consider your decision carefully.

If you sign up for CIEE’s Teach in Spain Volunteer With TEFL, the commitment deposit is $1,000. Once you sign the Participant Contract and submit the deposit, the TEFL Team will reach out to discuss upcoming start dates for CIEE’s 150-Hr TEFL Course. The remaining balance is $950.

CIEE alumni receive a 10% discount on the total program fee. This is reflected in the second payment.

Besides the CIEE program fee, you will also need to pay for your plane tickets to and from Spain. You’ll receive housing and two meals a day from your host family. Beyond that, we recommend having about $700-$1200 saved to cover things like cell phone costs, lunches, entertainment, local travel, and emergencies. You’ll want to save more if you plan to do much traveling on weekends and breaks, but your day-to-day expenses will be minimal!  Additionally, participants can find private tutoring positions to make some extra cash while they’re volunteering, which will help fund trips. 

Volunteers are placed in Castilla y León, a large province northwest of Madrid. Most of the placements are in small towns, which means you’ll get an intimate, close-up view into Spanish culture and society. Compared to other programs, you’ll have fewer foreigners around you, giving you a great opportunity to practice and improve your Spanish. To learn more about popular cities within the province, read this page here.

The regional government typically finalizes placements within two to four weeks of departure. Occasionally placements are announced earlier, but please be prepared to receive placement details within this timeframe.

Program participants can be placed anywhere in the region of Castilla y León. While we do our best to match placement preferences, please keep in mind that we cannot guarantee requests. After medical accommodations, we prioritize placement preferences (age range, location) in the order of confirmations (complete program payment). Teaching placements vary each season and are based on the needs of the regional government.

Unfortunately, we cannot place friends or couples together. Each host family can only accept one volunteer, so it isn’t possible to live together or volunteer at the same school. As placement locations vary each season, we most likely cannot place you in the same city. If you are interested in being placed with your partner or friend, we recommend CIEE’s other teach abroad programs.

Participants on our program utilize the 90 day tourist/visitor/volunteer entry permission that US and Canadian citizens are granted upon entry into Spain. This means that you can’t legally take a second job aside from your volunteer position.

On the other hand, it’s very common to offer private tutoring as a way to earn a little extra income. Once you arrive, your school and Spanish colleagues and neighbors will be a good resource if you want to ask about offering these lessons.

Due to travel restrictions, it is not possible to renew or extend the program.

Participants will volunteer as a part-time Language and Cultural Assistant (Auxiliares de Conversación) for 12 teaching hours (classroom hours). Your role will be to support local teachers at public schools, facilitate English-conversational activities, and assist students in English.

Exact responsibilities of Language and Culture Assistants vary according to each individual school but be prepared to lead conversational activities and give cultural presentations. You may also participate in other activities, such as music, theater, sporting events, English language clubs, and more. In addition to your 12 classroom hours, you’re expected to spend at least five hours a week helping your host family improve their English.

However, you won’t be left alone with an entire class of students, nor will you be responsible for grading, discipline, or the independent supervision of students. 

In consultation with local schools, the regional government has a selection process for host families. The families are also volunteers and are typically associated with the host school. They may be teachers, administrators or parents of students looking to participate in a cultural exchange.

Host families come in all shapes and sizes, from married couples to single parents to individuals. Many families are hoping to improve their conversational English by having a native speaker in their home. Volunteers are expected to spend at least five hours a week helping the family improve and practice their English.

Details and contact information will be given at least two weeks before departure.

Dress expectations are generally casual, but presentable. Business casual (not formal wear) is OK as well. Tank tops, shorts, ripped clothing, and flip-flops are NOT acceptable. Be sure to pack outerwear for cool winters.

We send hundreds of participants to teach and volunteer in Spain each year. Our placements are distributed all over the country both in big cities and smaller towns, but it’s extremely rare to hear about safety issues at any of them. Spain is a developed nation with plenty of safety resources. As long as you use normal “city-smarts” you will not face any situation that is more dangerous than living in the US. You’ll also receive some tips at your orientation about common-sense safe practices while abroad. In addition you’ll also have 24/7 emergency support from our staff in Spain and travel insurance through iNext. You can also read more about safety and security conditions in Spain on the US State Department website. All participants are advised to enroll in the State Department STEP program, and it can be helpful for concerned family members as well!

Generally speaking, yes! Most US and Canadian financial institutions will allow you to continue using your ATM and credit cards in Spain, but you will need to contact them to discuss fees, travel alerts, and security.

Many participants chose to bring their smartphones with them and buy a Spanish SIM card and data plan. It’s important to make sure that your phone is “unlocked” before you try to do this, so contact your home country provider to ask them to unlock your phone. You can also choose to buy an inexpensive basic phone after arriving in Spain. You can choose to sign up for a service contract or select a “pay-as-you-go” option. We’ll discuss phone plan options both in our pre-departure resources and at orientation.

Because we have three departures (January, March/April, October) each year, it’s difficult to narrow down your specific holidays.  Calendars are available for the school year in October and we recommend discussing any days off with your specific school.  In addition to major holidays like Christmas and Easter, there are many provincial and local holidays that participants will have time off. As a volunteer, you’re only working four days a week, typically Monday to Thursday or Tuesday to Friday, so three days weekends are abundant!

Watch the Program Q&A and listen to 2024 Volunteer, Arielle, share her experience in the program. Visit our Instagram to watch recent Volunteer Takeovers. Be sure to check out our participant blogs or read independent reviews of the program.

In addition to the rent-free Spanish homestay, 3-day weekends, airport pickup, two-day orientation, and 24/7 in-country support, volunteers will be enrolled in CIEE's Before You Board course. This course has over 40 modules and includes alumni advice, discussion questions, and includes topics on Spanish culture and healthcare abroad. Volunteers will be enrolled in the course approximately two months before departure. For a timeline of what to expect, please read the Program Timeline.

We ask for volunteers to wait to buy flights until they receive their teaching placement (within four weeks of departure). All volunteers will need to fly into Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD) to meet the CIEE Madrid Team. If you’re concerned about high prices, try looking up flights from your airport to Madrid for 2-3 days from now, to get a sense of what may be available at short notice. It may not be as bad as you fear!

No! Participants on our program utilize the 90 day tourist/visitor/volunteer entry permission that US and Canadian citizens are granted upon entry into Spain. This is super convenient since it means that you don’t need to go through a complicated visa application process before departure. It does come with a downside, however: after the 90 days are up, you will need to leave the European Schengen Zone and wait another 90 days before you can visit again.

Yes, but with reservations. This program utilizes the 90-Day entry permission that grants participants entry into Spain. Our program duration is roughly 70-75 days, which leaves participants about 15-20 days to use before or after the program. After 90 days, participants MUST leave the Schengen Zone and wait another 90 days to reenter. Failure to leave the Schengen Zone (i.e. Spain), may result in hefty fines or deportation. Be sure to input your travel plans into the Schengen Calculator.

Many volunteers will be placed in walkable cities! Overall, Spain has an excellent public transit system as well and many volunteers will be able to utilize the local bus service to regional hubs. For accurate information, the best place to find those schedules is on the website of the specific city of your placement.

Unfortunately, it is not possible to bring a pet or emotional support animal on our Volunteer in Spain program. The best thing to do is to find a friend or family member back home who can care for your pet while you are teaching abroad.