Placement Overview

A volunteering experience with a difference! Live and work on the stunning Yucatan peninsula and experience daily life through the eyes of local people.

Your Experience

If you love children and would like to offer your time to some very special children then this placement is ideal. Following some help to settle you in by a local coordinator volunteers teach English in a variety of locations from soup kitchens to orphanages and community centres in and outside the colonial city of Merida.

No experience is needed and you don't need to speak Spanish! In fact better if you don't! These children want to hear you speaking English all the time and are eager to learn whether by singing pop songs, reading or drawing pictures together.

On arrival
Volunteers met on arrival at the airport in Merida (or at the Merida bus station if travelling overland from Cancun, Mexico City, elsewhere).
Volunteer accommodation
The volunteer house is a ground level bungalow with kitchen, lounge, basic western shower/wc
Volunteers share dormitory style rooms with single beds/bunk beds.
Location of the volunteer house
The volunteer house is a few blocks from the centre of Merida with shops, cafes, internet cafes, hospitals etc.
Placements
Placements are organised by the coordinator according to local demand and volunteer group preferences. Friends/couples and small groups are always placed together. Volunteers are introduced to their placement and shown how to get there. Once settled in, volunteers travel together to their placements between Monday and Friday by bus or shared taxi if their placement is too far to walk.
Free time
There is plenty to do in the area (from swimming in the  sunken caves, called 'cenotes' to climbing the Mayan pyramids ) and volunteers with plenty of time are recommended to allow a week or two at the end of their stay to visit everything there is to see. Some volunteers have even headed down to Belize and tours can be organised easily through local tour operators in Merida. The coordinator will give you lots of ideas.
Spanish
Classes are available for volunteers who would like to start learning or improving. These can be arranged after arrival by the coordinator and cost approximately £5 per class. Classes can be organised around your volunteering so you can get on with both at the same time.

More info...

Getting there
Direct flight to Merida (or Cancun) from UK. Volunteers flying in to Merida are met at Merida airport. Volunteers flying into Cancun advised to take a bus or airport direct to Merida. For volunteers choosing to stay over the night in Cancun-pre-booked accommodation is recommended. Onward travel to Merida by taxi or coach the following day.

What's included in this programme

Orientation and support throughout placement
Volunteer coordinator helps arrange/ settle volunteers into placements and provides back-up and support during your stay
Volunteer self-catering accommodation

We consider this project ideal if you

Want to try English teaching for the first time
You want to arrive home afterwards with greater self confidence and some new skills
Want to be able to try out your own ideas and have fun with the children
Are looking for a location which offers plenty of sightseeing opportunities

Mexico at a glance

Mexico is a land of contrasts, a developing country yet one of the fastest growing economies in the world. Other attractions away from the beach resorts include ancient Aztec and Mayan cities, Spanish colonial architecture, the Copper Canyon railway and bustling markets selling local handicrafts.
Local must-sees include the Loltun Caves, Los Cenotes (underground caverns), a boat tour of the coastal mangrove swamps and Mayan ruins.
Weekend excursions can be booked easily in Merida through one of many tour operators for as little as £20 for a full day including plenty of time to explore, swim , take photos and relax.