Work Experience
Spanish Study Holidays is a member of GWEA (Global Work Experience Association). We arrange work placement as well as volunteer work in Spain and in several countries in Latin America. Students normally attend a 4-week Spanish course at one of our schools in Spain or Latin America before starting their volunteer work or work placement, or else do the volunteer work at the same time as their Spanish course.
Internship/Work Experience
Our schools in Madrid, (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and in Santiago de Chile (Chile), arrange internships in companies. The internship is preceded by a 4 or 8 week Preparation Spanish course. Internship or 'work placement/work experience' is different from 'Volunteer Work' in that for volunteer work you require no qualifications or experience, whereas for 'internship' or 'work placement/work experience' you do normally need relevant professional qualifications or experience.
Work Experience
To join the work experience programme, students should meet the following requirements:
Requirements
- have at least an upper intermediate/advanced level of Spanish
- be at least 18 years of age
- have qualifications and/or experience which suit them to the type of internship required
- provide a CV in Spanish with details of their qualifications/work experience
- provide a letter in Spanish explaining why they wish to do the internship and what previous work experience/qualifications they have
- provide our school with sufficient time to arrange the internship, normally at least 8 weeks notice and preferably more
The Preparatory Course
The preparatory Spanish course is 4 or 8 weeks in length, followed by a period of a minimum of 8 weeks internship.
Students can choose to attend one of our Standard or Intensive Spanish courses, before joining the preparatory course, in order to bring their Spanish to the required level.
Types of Internship Offered
Our school will arrange any type of internship for which the applicant has suitable qualifications and/or experience.
Pay/Salary
These internships are unpaid.
Accommodation
Our school will arrange accommodation in host families, or in self-catering accommodation, or in student residences (Madrid only), depending on the student's preference.
Alternatively, students may choose to make their own accommodation arrangements.
Visas
Visas are not always required. This will depend on the nationality of the student and the duration of the internship. In cases in which visas are required, we will provide all the necessary documentation. Please contact us if you have any questions regarding visas.
Cost
The cost of your internship programme will depend on whether you attend the programme in Spain, Argentina or Chile, and how long you will require accommodation for. The cost of the internship programme and of the accommodation is given on the 'prices' tables for Madrid, Buenos Aires and Santiago de Chile.
Enrolment Procedure
- Contact us by e-mail/letter or telephone to inform us of when you would like to start your internship, whether you would prefer Spain, Argentina or Chile, how long you would like your internship to be and what sort of company you would like to be placed in. Also indicate your age, knowledge of Spanish, previous work experience and/or qualifications. Also please indicate whether you would like our school to arrange accommodation for you and whether you would prefer self-catering or host family accommodation.
- We will inform you whether the work experience that you require can be arranged and will confirm the cost of your course and accommodation to you.
- Once we have confirmed the availability of the work experience, preparatory course and accommodation, you should enrol in the normal way as for any of our courses, either via this website, over the telephone, or by sending in your enrolment form in the post. You will also pay the normal deposit. Your enrolment should be accompanied by a CV in Spanish and accompanying letter (see above). The balance of your fees will be due 8 weeks before your arrival.
Important notes
Please do not request a type of internship for which you are not qualified or have no relevant experience.
Please do not request an internship if your Spanish is not of a level at which you are confident that you are able to function effectively in a Spanish speaking work environment, unless you also wish to attend a Spanish course to bring your Spanish up to the required level.
Volunteer Work
Volunteer work provides students with the opportunity to meet locals, practise and improve their Spanish, whilst at the same time come to a deeper understanding of the indigenous culture and society.
Working on a volunteer program will help you learn Spanish but please be aware that you should also try to learn some Spanish before starting your volunteer work.
Location
Costa Rica (Flamingo Beach, Monteverde Mountain Rain Forest, San Joaquin de Flores) and Guatemala, Peru, The Galapagos Islands, Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Ecuador.
Level of Spanish Required
Volunteers may have either a basic knowledge of Spanish, or be of any level up to advanced. However, we would not recommend volunteer work for complete beginners or almost beginners.
Duration
This depends. Please see examples of volunteer work given below. The volunteer work may either be in the afternoon (certain types only), whilst students are attending a Spanish course at one of our schools in the morning, or else take place after a student has completed their Spanish course, depending on the student's preference.
Requirements
Students must attend a Spanish course of at least two weeks.
Salary/Pay
Volunteer work is unpaid.
Accommodation
Students may stay in host family or self-catering accommodation arranged by our school, or else make their own accommodation arrangements.
Cost
Our school will arrange volunteer work free of charge for students attending Spanish courses of at least two weeks in Flamingo Beach, Monteverde or San Joaquin (Costa Rica), 2-week Spanish courses in Antigua (Guatemala). If you wish to do your volunteer work in Peru, the Galapagos Islands, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina or Chile, please see the prices tables for these countries on this website.
When you enrol for your Spanish course, inform us at the same time that you are interested in doing volunteer work. If you have a preference regarding the type of work, please inform us. Please also inform us how long you would like the volunteer work to last and whether you wish to do the volunteer work at the same time as your course or after completing your course.