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Volunteer in Mexico with International Volunteer HQ today. IVHQ’s local staff in Mexico require volunteers NOW! IVHQ Mexico has a wide range of volunteering projects, including Teaching English, Working with Children, Special Needs, Environmental Research and Animal Care/Animal Rights.

LOCATION OF MEXICO VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

IVHQ has volunteer placements located in Merida, the capital in the state of Yucatan on Mexico's Caribbean coast. This town is extremely popular with volunteers and tourists alike and has a lot of volunteer work available.

START AND DURATION OF MEXICO VOLUNTEER PROGRAM

Volunteers begin the IVHQ Mexico program on the first and third Monday of each month. Volunteers can choose to volunteer for periods ranging from 1 week to 6 months.

MEXICO VOLUNTEER REQUIREMENTS

Volunteers must be 18 years or older on the program start date and have at least a high school education. All volunteers must provide a criminal background check to IVHQ partner staff on arrival in Mexico. 

LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

Spanish is not a prerequisite, however on the Teaching English project, a basic level of Spanish is preferable. IVHQ highly recommends volunteers take advantage of the affordable Spanish lessons offered by the local team in Merida, in order to enhance your contribution to the program and your experience in country.

SAFETY IN MEXICO

In the past decade, Mexico’s reputation as a safe and secure country to visit has suffered. Despite all the bad news you hear about drug-related violence in the media, for the most part, Mexico is still a safe and welcoming destination. The Government’s so-called war on drugs, initiated in 2007, is mainly fought in the border states of Nuevo León, Chihuahua, Tamaulipas and the Pacific coast states of Sinaloa, Michoacán, and Guerrero. The confrontations are usually between members of rival cartels or between the Mexican army/police and the cartels. There is no denying that the whole of Mexico has been affected by this, however there has also been an increased emphasis on civilian safety. This is why you will now notice a more visible army presence in Merida and police randomly patrolling the streets and stopping traffic. Given the importance of tourism to the country’s economy, it is of prime importance to Mexico to keep foreign visitors safe as well.

Despite the bad press Mexico has attracted in recent years, Merida and other towns in the state of Yucatan are considered safe for both locals and foreign travelers. Every year, thousands of tourists, students and volunteers flock to the Yucatan for their vacations. During orientation, our local staff will cover safety and security in Mexico and always reinforce certain common-sense street-wise rules to ensure you have an enjoyable and safe stay in Mexico. You have 24/7 access to local our staff to address any of your needs and we genuinely believe that volunteers’ stay in Mexico will be a wonderful and rewarding experience. Prior to departure, IVHQ staff in New Zealand and local staff in Merida will be there to answer any queries or concerns you have via phone and email. Once you arrive in Mexico, the local team will be there to look after you.

HOW MANY OTHER VOLUNTEERS WILL THERE BE?

Last year, over 100 volunteers were placed on our Mexico program, making us one of the most popular volunteer organizations in Mexico! Between 5 and 20 volunteers start on Mexico program each month. What does this mean for you? More people to socialize with and travel with, more people to meet from different cultures, more people to volunteer with, more projects to work on, more staff support, better infrastructure for volunteers and lower fees!

MEXICO VOLUNTEER TESTIMONIALS

"We felt needed, appreciated and wanted. The kids cried on our last day so I know we made a difference in their lives, both emotionally and educationally." - Mariam Margsi (Teaching)

Click here to read more testimonials from IVHQ volunteers in Mexico.
 

MEXICO VOLUNTEER PROJECT DESCRIPTIONS

TEACHING ENGLISH

A passion for education and a fun, creative approach to teaching will go a long way on this project. Many of the students that volunteers will be working with attend public schools and receive little or no English in their curriculum. The Teaching English project is designed to spark interest in learning a foreign language and inspire students to think about their futures. Volunteers work in orphanages, foster care institutions, community centers, as well as in alternative and traditional schools, where they lead English workshops and build on the lessons taught by previous volunteers. Volunteer work includes carrying out English workshops based on weekly themes. This involves planning activities to reinforce the week’s theme, preparing worksheets, playing educational games, helping with homework and reviewing previous lessons. Classes are taught in the morning or afternoon, depending on placement. The volunteer work day generally consists of 3 to 4 hours of English class in addition to other recreational activities. During the school holidays, teaching continues in community centers and requires volunteers to work with students/classes independently. Please note, volunteers do not need to be a qualified or experienced teacher to participate on this project. Although volunteers are welcome to apply an English-only approach while teaching, a level of basic Spanish skills is required.  
 

WORKING WITH CHILDREN

Volunteers are always in high demand to provide support to economically disadvantaged children, orphans and street children in Mexico. Volunteers on the Working with Children project offer support to children who may have absent parents, come from backgrounds of domestic abuse, have run away from home, or are living on the streets. Volunteers work at placements with either all girls, or all boys. While some all-girl placements are unable to accept male volunteers, all-boy placements accept both male and female volunteers and have a tremendous need for male volunteers that can act as role models for the children. Volunteers will generally be working with school-age children and there are a limited number of placements in infant, toddler and early childhood care. There is also the opportunity to work with pre-adolescents and adolescents on this project. Volunteers organize small group activities to stimulate the children’s physical coordination, mental development, and social maturity, which is often lower than average for their ages. Teaching important values, such as responsibility and camaraderie is part of the project and the one-on-one time volunteers spend with the children is invaluable to their development. Some of the children are enrolled in local public schools, so the schedule for activities usually starts around noon and volunteer shifts generally last for around three to five hours. Volunteers with sufficient Spanish skills will also be able to assist individual students with their homework, reading and math skills.
 

SPECIAL NEEDS

Volunteers with a caring and playful nature will be welcomed with warm arms on our Special Needs project. Working alongside local staff in a structured learning center, volunteers assist in the care of children, adolescents or adults with physical and/or mental disabilities. Volunteer work includes aiding teachers, helping with daily operations and classroom maintenance, and overseeing simple activities with small groups of students. Volunteers should come prepared to play plenty of basic games and give out lots of hugs! Volunteers will either be placed in learning centers with daily drop-off and pick-up times for children, or in residential sites, which are home to children who have been abandoned by their families because they lack the economic resources to care for them. Volunteers are placed where they are most needed at the time of their program.
 
At the learning center, the day is split into two shifts to accommodate the large number of children requiring the services of the center. The shifts are made up of a morning and afternoon shift and average four to six hours each. These services are provided at no cost to families by the state education department and cater to the needs of low-income families. 
 
At the residential sites, volunteer tasks include helping with daily operations, preparing food, serving meals and cleaning. Many residents require physical therapy that is given on-site and take classes in basic skills. Most homes are run by religious orders and volunteer work can involve assisting with fundraising efforts and general maintenance work. These residential sites are funded solely by donations.

ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH 

Volunteers interested in conservation, environmental research or eco-agriculture studies have the unique opportunity to work in a research center in the Yucatan. The Yucatan’s combination of year round weather and ancient Mayan culture provides an interesting research area, not only for environmental research and eco-agriculture studies, but also social anthropology as it relates to the environment. Volunteer work can include full day or overnight trips to research sites to assist in the collection, labeling and classifying of samples. These samples include sedimentary, water, plants, and fish samples. Other activities include working in research gardens, planting, watering, measuring, and labeling plants. Some lab work may be available, however this does not require specific expertise, and some longer term volunteers (longer than 4 weeks) will have the opportunity to participate in this.  
 

ANIMAL CARE/ANIMAL RIGHTS

Although the attitude towards providing proper care to domestic animals is slowly changing in Mexico, there is still a major problem with dogs and cats being abandoned on the street. The city of Merida does not have the resources needed to take care of these animals and they are often euthanized as a result. In response, a number of non-profit organizations have taken over the responsibility and care for these animals with the ultimate goal of finding people to adopt them. Volunteers work alongside the limited staff to bathe, brush, train, walk, and play with the dogs and cats to prepare them for adoption. Cleaning cages and providing maintenance to their facilities is also important work. A vital part of the work of these organizations is public education and fundraising.  These organizations provide free or low-cost or mass spay/neuter clinics periodically throughout the year.  Many helpers are needed when these clinic are offered, as well as for large-scale fund raising events. While a basic level of Spanish is helpful on this project, volunteers with minimal language experience should feel confident to participate. 
 

MEXICO PROGRAM COSTS

One of the strengths of IVHQ is our extremely affordable fees. Click here to see the program cost to volunteer in Mexico and what you receive in exchange for your fees.

ACCOMMODATION AND MEALS

Volunteers are accommodated in a volunteer house alongside other volunteers. Living is basic, yet comfortable and the volunteer house has electricity and running water. Volunteers can expect to share a room with several other volunteers. The volunteer house is nestled in a quiet neighbourhood in Merida and provides dormitory style lodging, Wi-Fi, access to the yard and swimming pool. Rooms have fans but not air conditioning (if volunteers wish to have air conditioning, they have the option to upgrade their accommodation. For volunteers wishing to have more privacy or a Mexican family experience, they can upgrade their accommodation to a homestay for an extra US$70 per week (please note, families speak Spanish only). Homestays with air conditioned bedrooms are available at an extra US$110 per week.

All volunteers will be provided with breakfast, lunch, and supper (usually a light dinner), Monday to Sunday. Lunch is the main meal of the day in Mexico and is served around 2pm. Local Mexican and Western food will be served and if you have any special dietary requirements, please let us know ahead of time so that we can make arrangements for you. However, we need to stress the point that you should not expect to eat as you normally do at home. We will do our best to see that you are well taken care of, but also as a volunteer, there is a need to be flexible. Mexican cuisine is one of the best in Central America and is renowned for its varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices and ingredients, many of which are native to Mexico. Staples are typically corn, beans and rice. Corn is used to make masa, the dough for tamales, tortillas and gorditas. It is also eaten fresh, as corn on the cob and in a number of dishes. Squash, peppers, garlic and onions are also prominent in Mexican food. Chilli powder, oregano, cilantro, epazote, cinnamon, and cocoa are the most frequently used herbs and spices and chipotle, a smoke-dried jalapeno chilli, is also common in Mexican cuisine. If volunteers wish to eat out, there are many restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets.

ORIENTATION

Orientation will begin on the first morning of your volunteer program. Orientation will be conducted by our team in Mexico and will cover everything you need to know for your program in Mexico – Introduction to Mexico, Mexican Customs, Language Training Details, Rules and Expectations, Safety, Travel Opportunities in Mexico, Introduction to your Project and Placement. The orientation will also give you a chance to meet other volunteers and swap contact details for weekend travel and socializing. Once orientation is complete, volunteers will be transported to their placement and introduced to all relevant parties and placement staff.

LANGUAGE COURSE

Spanish language courses are available for all volunteers at all levels. IVHQ strongly recommends these courses for all volunteers, unless they are fluent. If you have a basic level of Spanish and and are staying for a period of longer than 2 weeks, you should strongly consider these courses, as they will allow you to work and communicate with all parties more efficiently during your stay. Language courses are mandatory for volunteers who join the Teaching English project and do not have at least a basic level of Spanish skills. These language courses are organised on your arrival in Mexico during your program orientation. The language course will be tailored to suit your current level of Spanish. The cost is very affordable and offered exclusively to IVHQ volunteers. Each class runs for 3 hours per day in the morning or afternoon, Monday to Friday.

1 week US$225 per person
2 weeks US$365 per person
3 weeks US$505 per person

Each additional week after 3 weeks: + US$150

VOLUNTEER WEEK

First Day: On the first day of the volunteering project, volunteers will be escorted to the placement and introduced to the placement staff you will be working with.

Weekdays: While our programs are flexible and can be fitted to your requirements, a typical day (project in the morning) is as follows.

  • 7.30am Breakfast at the volunteer house or homestay.
  • 8.00am Volunteer leaves home and takes a taxi, catches a bus or walks to the placement.
  • 8.30am Volunteer joins the placement staff and is given instructions for the day's work. At lunchtime, your workday will end (usually around 2.00pm). Work and hours are dependent on the project and the location that the volunteers are participating in (for example, you might not be expected at work until 3.00pm and leave at 7.00pm).
  • 2.00pm Lunch at the volunteer house or homestay (main meal of the day). After lunch, volunteers are free to take Spanish lessons, visit local sites, or do some shopping.
  • 7.00pm Supper at the volunteer house or homestay.

Weekends: Over the weekend, volunteers have spare time and usually just relax or take the opportunity to explore Merida and the state of Yucatan. Day or afternoon trips can also be arranged so that volunteers can experience the many wonderful attractions and activities that Merida and the Yucatan have to offer.

MEXICO VOLUNTEER FEES

Volunteer Period   Program Fee US$  
1 Week   270  
2 Weeks   420  
3 Weeks   570  
1 Month (4 weeks)   700  
6 Weeks   900  
2 Months (8 weeks)   1100  
10 weeks   1300  
3 Months (12 weeks)   1500  
4 Months (16 weeks)   1900  
5 Months (20 weeks)   2300  
6 Months (24 weeks)   2700  

To convert these prices to your local currency click here.
Please note: All programs attract a Registration Fee of US$249 on top of the Program Fee.

What do my fees pay for?

Registration Fee (Refundable if you choose not to go*) – 24/7 support from IVHQ staff, program marketing costs, information pack, administration costs, travel costs to inspect programs, IVHQ Fund and communication costs with volunteers.
Program Fee – Airport pick up (Merida Airport), orientation, program supervision, accommodation and meals during volunteer program period, in-country 24/7 volunteer support and in-country administration costs.

What additional costs will I have?

Visa, flights, travel insurance, vaccinations, Spanish lessons, souvenirs, trips or tours you do while in the country, transfer back to the airport from program, transport to placements, spending money (volunteers in Mexico generally find US$25 to be sufficient for basic weekly expenses).

* Terms and conditions do applu