Programme Overview
Arrival - Upon arrival of your flight in Quito, you will be met and welcomed at the airport by your host family. If arriving on a Saturday or Sunday, you will spend a day meeting family members and having a taste of Ecuadorian life.
On the following Monday your family will take you to the EIL Ecuador office where you will be greeted by the Director of our Spanish Centre, Elías Castillo who will also interview you to determine your Spanish level. You will also discuss your first impressions of host family life. And receive a cross-cultural orientation.
Practicalities such as health and security measures, transportation system, staff to contact in case of emergencies, procedures regarding classes, volunteer work, and the homestay will be covered too. You will also receive an orientation packet covering the points discussed and other useful information.
Later on during the first month you will have a more extensive orientation to volunteer work in Ecuador and have opportunities to visit some host projects in Quito to help you decide where you would most like to be placed and where your skills and experience can have the most impact.
Your Spanish course takes place during the first month of the programme for a total of 80 hours of individual one-to-one classes to enable you to gain a working knowledge of the language as quickly as possible.
Classes are from 08:30 to 12:30 Monday through Friday with a 30 minute coffee break and snack mid-morning. You will find that our encouraging and experienced teachers know how to adapt to your learning style (not everyone learns a language in the same way!) and to develop your confidence and skills in using the language.
Once a week, during your language course, you will travel with your teacher to visit places of interest in Quito where you can practice your Spanish in spontaneous situations. Some of these places may be museums, street markets, and Quito's spectacular colonial churches inlayed with Incan gold. Before the excursion you will prepare for this activity in class. An all day excursion is programmed during your course to one of many Andean sites such as the hot baths of Papallacta at the foot of Mt. Antisana , the Mindo Cloud Forest for trekking and rafting, or Mt. Cotopaxi , Ecuador´s most active volcano.
Other Activities - Talks on different aspects of Ecuadorian life and culture, special activities such as learning to dance to Ecuadorian and other Latin American rhythms, celebrating traditional holidays, preparing typical Ecuador food are offered twice each week.
During your Spanish programme you will live with an Ecuadorian host family- an excellent way to learn about Ecuadorian life and to practice the language. EIL Ecuador's host families have a reputation for being warm and fun-loving, making it easy for you to feel right at home.
Following language training and orientation you'll join your host project to begin your volunteer service which can last from 2 – 10 months, depending on your schedule.
In areas outside of Quito, accommodations will probably be with a host family that is arranged by our Local Coordinator but in rural areas such as a reserve in the cloud forest, you will stay and have meals at the volunteer quarters of the host project or at any other adequate arrangements made by the host project with costs covered by EIL Ecuador.
Our Volunteer Coordinator will be in touch with you and your host project periodically during your community service and you can call her at any time to report and talk about any concerns.
Host Projects - Typical projects include:
- Assisting in a day-care centre for underprivileged children or infants
- Working with street children
- Tutoring underprivileged children in after-school programmes.
- Assisting with conservation projects in national parks and natural reserves.
- Working with disabled people