Volunteer in Guatemala | Education, Medical, Environmental & more

I highly recommend Inlex/CA, especially if you are considering a combination learn Spanish / volunteer experience.

From arrival at the airport in Guatemala City to my departure three weeks later, I was extremely well looked after. I never was concerned about how to get anywhere, how to do anything, or any other aspect of my stay, because the staff at Inlex/CA assisted me with every possible logistical detail and eventuality. The support is second-to-none.

One of the main reasons I chose Inlex/CA for my experience was because I wanted to learn Spanish, and I certainly was not disappointed. During my three weeks, I truly had an authentic immersion experience. With the support of the Inlex/CA staff, my incredible host family, an amazing one-on-one Spanish teacher (a total of 60 hours), and the staff at El Centro Sabor y Gracia, my Spanish went from beginner to advanced in only three weeks.

The volunteering aspect of the programme was also rewarding. I was able to teach English to a small group of primary (age 5 - 8) students, and another group of junior (age 9 to 12) students at the Centro Sabor y Gracia in Santo Tomas. The director and staff of this special project were also very supportive, and the children, although energetic and with a wide variety of learning needs, were responsive and appreciative of the time I spent with them.

The locale (Santa Lucia, Santo Tomas, and Antigua - the #1 tourist destination / jump-off point in Guatemala) was small enough to present an authentic picture of daily life in Guatemala, but it also provided close access to many popular trips around the entire country.

Inlex/CA really did give me the experience I was looking for; it effectively catered to both aspects (volunteering and learning Spanish) of my three-week "holiday."

My experience in Guatemala was exceptional; I learned about the culture, the language, and the amazing people who live here. Throughout my trip, I was challenged with several obstacles that advanced my ability to adapt, problem-solve, and be patient. With the support of Alex, my host family, and the school system I was able to face these challenges and still progress as a student. I feel that leaving here I will have gained so much. The trip was so much fun and I will miss all my new friends dearly, especially the young children I got to meet. I believe that they taught me just as much as I taught them and that is something I will hold onto forever. Ultimately, this trip was an extraordinary learning experience and an opportunity that I am grateful that I got to attend.

I had an amazing experience with this program. To begin, the staff was consistently available and offered advice and assistance each week. They also placed me in a homestay with a family who not only helped me to experience Guatemalan culture but fully immersed me in the Spanish language so that I was able to improve vastly during my time abroad. Second, my internship placement, which was teaching English at a school to children aged 5- 18 years old, allowed me to both teach the students and to learn from them. I was able to teach the students and to learn new methods that I could utilize in my own classes in the United States, and I learned about the students and their culture through teaching. I would highly recommend this program to anyone who is looking to broaden their horizons by experiencing teaching in another culture because it was an unforgettable and worthwhile experience.

During my time at the internship, I gained lots of valuable information that I otherwise would not have had to opportunity to acquire. Definitely worth it and would recommend to others that may be thinking about doing this program! Cesar, Reyna, and their entire family welcomed me with open arms. They cooked amazing meals, played games with the entire family after lunch, and ensured I had no concerns or worries. I was only about a 20 minute walk away from the Centro de Salud, which is where the internship was held, and I felt very safe both on my walk to work and back home from the Centro. I got involved at the local gym and really enjoyed the atmosphere of Patzun. After my four weeks there’s it truly began to feel like home. I hope I am able to return in the near future!

I interned in a small Guatemalan town for five weeks teaching English at a private school. During my intenship, I developed my abilities to communicate information and build relationships with others in a different language, actively listen to others, reflect on my perspective and privilege, and adapt to new environments and circumstances.
I also took five weeks of Spanish lessons. Doing so improved my teaching a lot because I needed to teach the students English in their language. Additonally, it improved my ability to connect with others, ask them questions, and comprehend their answers. I highly reccommend that interns take several weeks of lessons in-country. Being able to communicate with my host family and students at the school improved my experience exponentially.
Sometimes my days were very long between my internship, Spanish lessons, and prepping for the next day's classes, but I feel like it was totally worth it. I also highly encourage volunteers to make the most out of their time in-country. Being immersed in a new culture can be disorienting, and it can be easy to fall into negative thinking and staying in your bedroom all day. But, in my experience, you will have an unforgettable experience if you try your hardest to stay positive, flexible, and learn as much as you can.
Additionally, the in-country support team was very friendly, helpful and caring. I always felt comfortable with asking them questions or advice. They really care about their interns!
There are also many tourism opportunities in Guatemala. I recommend visiting the city of Antigua, Lake Atitlan, and the Mayan pyramids of Tikal!
Overall, my trip developed me in countless ways. I now feel more confident, experienced, and have a drive positively affect the lives of others.

This experience exceeded my expectations! I came with the goal to help others with their English and to improve my Spanish and I feel I have done both of those.

At weekends, I had loads of free time to travel, going to different parts of Guatemela and even visiting other countries! The programme is well organised in that it gives you a lot of rewarding work to do but also a lot of time to relax and do your own thing.

Being placed near the city of Antigua (only 20-30 minutes away) was fantastic. You can't get bored of that place! There is so much to do there, and you can easily book trips from the travel agencies there.

The staff at the organisation are incredibly helpful. The doors of their office are always open and they are willing to help in any way! I would 100% recommend this learning experience to others.

I had an awesome time in the day care center for children from 0 to 6 years in Zaragoza. On my first day everyone was welcoming me very warmhearted. Even though I was obviously nervous I felt very well right from the beginning. Everyone was interested in where I come from and why I want to spend 10 weeks here.
In the beginning obviously it was a little bit difficult. Mainly because of the communication, because my spanish still wasn't as good and I wasn't as confident to speak freely. Still every single woman of the staff supported me a lot.
After about two weeks I really got into it and could finally start enjoying my time with the children. Of course sometimes you also need to enforce consequences due to the children's bad behaviour but all of that was kept within bounds.
What I really enjoyed was that I could also share the mostly traditional and very nutritive meals with the children and the staff. I also got to know how everything works, for example with the money for the food and so on.
The project helped me a lot to improve my spanish skills and also my social skills. I have never had contact with that many children (30 in total) that young before. It helped me grow a lot and taught me to be a lot more patient.
Now that my time in te day care center is over I am really sad. I will miss the children and the staff a lot. They had a great farewell party for me on my last day and really showed me how big the impact was that I had on the children and there lives.

My fondest memory was the surprise party that my students threw on my last day of the programme. My most beautiful memory was when I saw the blood red full moon rise at the Mirador de San Lucas Milpas Altas.

I was in a programme that involved teaching English and Maths alongside a Guatemalan Teacher. I was based in small town in the mountains - and lived with a lovely family, who, from day 1, made me feel part of the family.

We got on so well, that we often did outings together at the weekend. Some weekends I would meet up with other volunteers - we went on to visit Antigua, Guatemala City (go with a local!) as well as the towns dotted around Lake Atitlan, which you get to by boat.

INLEX coordinated my stay - they did everything from helping me to get organised pre-departure, to finding the school and the host family. On arrival they provided me with a thorough induction - the advantage of going with an organisation is that someone is there to support you and advise you.

Advice for future Guatemala volunteers: Bring with you a decent supply of hand sanitiser, toilet paper, napkins, wetwipes and, if you can, more than one debit/credit card. Where I stayed, running water would be a bit on and off, and although not amazingly glamorous, those wetwipe camping-style showers are a godsend! This depends on the region, obviously.

Finally: Absolutely do go to Guatemala! It's an amazingly colourful place - not just the clothes and the buildings, but it's got everything from volcanoes to jungles to Mayan pyramids etc etc. You're going to love it.