Contact Page - Volunteer Work in Spain

Instituto Hemingway, Bilbao:
About Us: Instituto Hemingway (accredited by the Cervantes Institute) is a middle-sized private school located in the city center of Bilbao in romantic Northern Spain since 1986. We are not only a "Spanish School", we are an "Institute for Languages and Cross-Cultural Training". We offer programs such as Spanish courses, semester abroad programs, internship programs, volunteer work, adventure tours, and more.

The volunteer program at Instituto Hemingway is a unique opportunity to live and work in Spain. Become acquainted with the cultural wealth of our country while working with social institutions, thus contributing to Spanish society and building bridges between cultures.

Who can participate?
The program is open to any applicant who sincerely wishes to live new experiences and meet people from different cultures: students, graduates, retirees, professionals. Everyone is welcome.

Areas of Volunteer Work:
Participants can choose their area of volunteer work from social work, tourism, cultural work, monument restoration. Most of the projects are located in Bilbao, but there are projects in other cities as well.

How long does it last?
For stays of over three months, we recommend a student visa if you come from outside the European Union. You can choose between the students' residence or family accommodation.

If you are not sure of your Spanish, or wish to improve what you know, classes at Instituto Hemingway are open to you either before or after your volunteer experience. There is a 25% discount.

The program costs 450 Euros & includes:
- Accommodation, airport pick-up, arrangement of contacts, interviews, and reports.
- Orientation and information, Participation in social and cultural activities organised by Instituto Hemingway. Interview with Co-ordinator of Instituto Hemingway Volunteer Programme.
- Certificate of Participation awarded by Instituto Hemingway upon programme completion.

Application and participation:
You are requested to choose in order of preference up to three types of volunteer experience at registration. You are also required to send your CV with a letter in Spanish explaining your motives for wanting to participate in the program. Our co-ordinator then takes into consideration your personal goals, your level of Spanish, your work experience, as well as the length of time you wish to participate.

You will quickly receive a reply to your application with full details of the program.