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Gap year in Ecuador
Though Ecuador is the smallest of the Andes countries, it is no less exciting than its neighbours. Here, you can visit South America's most famous marketplace in Otavalo, see penguins on the Galápagos Islands, and learn how to fish piranhas in the jungle! A country of contrasts, Ecuador boasts coastal banana plantations and snow-covered volcanoes, yet most destinations are within a day’s journey from the capital city of Quito.
Can I participate if I’m not from the UK?
Do I need to take a test to prove my Spanish skill level?
Do I need special references or experience to participate?
Can I participate with a friend?
Can I combine my volunteer work in Ecuador with a volunteer programme in another country?
Can I choose the city/region where I would like to volunteer?
What projects can I volunteer for?
When will I find out which project I will be working on?
What is the health/safety situation in Ecuador? Do I need vaccinations?
Do I need to apply for a visa?
Should I buy travel insurance?
How much money should I expect to spend on extra costs such as extra travel and food?
What will my accommodation be like?
Will I live and work with other volunteers?
Is there a way for me to contact the other volunteers before I depart for Ecuador?
Is it possible for me to contact my host family before I start my trip?
How much time will I actually spend learning Spanish and volunteering? Will I have free time?
Do I need to bring any materials for my volunteering project?
May I extend the language course or the volunteer work?
How are the language school and classes organised?
Can I participate if I’m not from the UK?
Yes. Participants from the United Kingdom and the United States are welcome to participate in the gap year in Ecuador programme, as are citizens from other countries. If you are from another country, we will have to check your country’s visa requirements to see if you can participate.
Do I need to take a test to prove my Spanish skill level?
When you arrive in Ecuador, you will take a test, which will place you in the Spanish class corresponding to your Spanish skill level. You do not need to have any knowledge of Spanish in order to participate in the gap year in Ecuador programme. Complete beginners can simply enrol in the beginners’ course.
If you are a complete beginner, it is required that you take the full four weeks of Spanish classes. However, if you already have good knowledge of Spanish, you may shorten the length of time that you take the Spanish course. You may also extend your Spanish course beyond the first four weeks.
Do I need special references or experience to participate?
No. You do not need to have any specific teaching, educational, or work experience in order to participate in the gap year in Ecuador. However, any special skills which you could use as you volunteer would be both helpful and welcomed. Motivation, flexibility, and personal initiative are the most important qualities you can bring to your volunteer project in Ecuador.
Is there an age limit?
No, there is no upper age limit, although you must be at least 18 years old in order to participate in the gap year in Ecuador programme. Most participants are between 18 and 30 years of age. If you are older than this, you are still welcome to participate in the programme, but you should know that it is rather unlikely that you will meet people your own age on location.
Can I participate with a friend?
Yes. When you apply for the gap year in Ecuador, you can list a travel partner, and we are generally able to place travel partners together at the same project. However, we cannot guarantee 100% that you will be placed in the same project.
Can I combine my volunteer work in Ecuador with a volunteer programme in another country?
Yes. It is often possible to combine programmes. Feel free to contact TravelWorks for more information.
Can I choose the city/region where I would like to volunteer?
Before you leave for your gap year in Ecuador, you will receive a list of the places where you could possibly volunteer. You will be able to pick out your top three choices, and we will try to place you with one of your top choices.
What projects can I volunteer for?
Volunteer work opportunities are usually in the field of eco-tourism (for example, working at botanical gardens or on fruit plantations or working as a tour guide), and social and educational work (working in schools or hospitals, helping people who are disabled, etc.)
Before your departure for your gap year in Ecuador, you will receive a list of volunteer projects, and you will have the chance to state whether you are interested in volunteering for a social or conservation project. You will also list your top three project preferences. Our partner organisation in Ecuador is usually able to place volunteers with one of their top project choices. However, if there are many volunteers participating at the same time in the gap year in ecuador, you should be flexible enough to work on other similar projects, which may not have been among your top choices.
Please be aware that your volunteer project will not be meticulously planned out for you. You will have a general volunteering assignment, and will have to use your own creativity and initiative in order to successfully complete your project. You will need to be very flexible, independent, and adaptable.
When will I find out which project I will be working on?
We will let you know three weeks before you depart for your gap year in Ecuador which project you will be working on.
What is the health/safety situation in Ecuador? Do I need vaccinations?
Ecuador is a relatively safe land for tourists; women can travel here alone. However, there are certain safety precautions which travellers should follow. For example, travel only during the day, carry your luggage in your lap on the bus, and do not wear expensive jewellery. Our partner organisation in Ecuador can give you helpful information about which travel routes you should take and which areas of the country you should avoid for safety reasons during your gap year in Ecuador. Current information about travelling safely in Ecuador and other countries is available at www.fco.gov.uk and travel.state.gov.
Before your gap year in Ecuador, you may need to get vaccinations. Exactly which vaccinations you will need will depend on your specific travel destinations in the country. Therefore, you should definitely go to a doctor for advice about necessary vaccinations and health precautions. You should do this as early as you can, to make sure you get the proper vaccinations in time. You can find useful information regarding vaccinations at www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk
Do I need to apply for a visa?
No, citizens of the United Kingdom and the United States do not need a visa to enter Ecuador for a stay of 90 days or fewer. However, you will need to make sure that your passport will be valid for at least 6 months after your arrival in Ecuador. Upon your arrival in Ecuador, you will also need to show proof that you have a confirmed onward or return flight out of Ecuador.
If you have a flight transfer in the United States, you must follow the terms and conditions for entry into the U.S. You can find further information at www.usembassy.org.uk.
If you are not from the UK or U.S., we will need to check your country’s visa requirements to see if you can participate in the gap year in Ecuador.
Should I buy travel insurance?
Yes, we strongly recommend that you get travel insurance to protect yourself abroad during your gap year in Ecuador. WorldNomads offers flexible travel insurance for short-term and gap-year travellers like yourself. Note that this is only a recommendation. Feel free to search for the travel insurance which is right for you.
How much money should I expect to spend on extra costs such as extra travel and food?
You should expect to pay about Ł360 (US$ 600 / 400 €) per month in extra costs, (for excursions, souvenirs, nights out, etc.) during your gap year in Ecuador. Of course, this will depend on your personal lifestyle, so you may pay more or less than this. You should factor the following expenses into your trip’s budget:
- Flight ticket
- Travel insurance
- Vaccinations
- Miscellaneous personal expenses
What will my accommodation be like?
During the Spanish language course, you will either be staying with a host family, where you will receive full board (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) Monday through Friday, or in a hostel, where meals will not be included in the programme price. You will have a kitchen in the hostel, where you will be able to prepare your own meals.
Volunteers engaging in volunteer work in Quito will live in a hostel (also with a kitchen), where meals will not be provided. If you are working in a project outside Quito, you will either stay at the project site in special worker-accommodation (without meals) or with a host family (with meals).
Will I live and work with other volunteers?
You will probably share a room with other volunteers during your gap year in Ecuador, but this is not guaranteed. You will also most likely be working with other volunteers. Whatever the case may be, you will definitely meet fellow volunteers during your Spanish language class.
Is there a volunteer “base”?
Your volunteer “base” during your gap year in Ecuador will be your Spanish school. Here, you will have access to information about Ecuador, and staff members from our partner organisation, who are there to help if you have any questions or problems.
Inexpensive internet access is available in many locations in Quito.
Is there a way for me to contact the other volunteers before I depart for Ecuador?
Three weeks before your departure for the gap year in Ecuador, we will send you a list of the other volunteers who will be travelling with you, including their e-mail addresses.
Is it possible for me to contact my host family before I start my trip?
In principle, this is possible, but only after our partner organisation has found a host family for you – which could be just before your departure for Ecuador.
Please be aware that letters can take a long time to reach your host family, and the family will not be expecting to be in contact with you before your arrival.
How much time will I actually spend learning Spanish and volunteering? Will I have free time?
You will spend about 20 hours per week in your Spanish class during your gap year in Ecuador, and will have free time at the weekend. The length of time you spend working each day will depend on which project you are doing. In most projects, you will be working 4 to 8 hours a day and will have free time at the weekend.
Do I need to bring any materials for my volunteering project?
You are not required to bring anything along for your volunteering project, but you can if you would like. For example, if you are volunteering at a day-care centre during your gap year in Ecuador, you could bring along art supplies for the children to use.
May I extend the language course or the volunteer work?
It is possible for citizens of the United Kingdom and the United States to extend their stay in Ecuador for up to 90 days. You will be charged an additional cost for any extra weeks that you spend taking your language course or volunteering. It is also possible to extend your stay after you have arrived in Ecuador, but you may have to switch to a different project or host family. We especially recommend that you extend your language course if you do not speak any Spanish.
How are the language school and classes organised?
Spanish language courses begin in the morning or afternoon, and you will have 20 lessons per week. The language classes are small groups of up to 5 students. After the language course you will be able to communicate well enough in Spanish to work on your volunteer project. If you are volunteering in a social development project, good Spanish skills will be an advantage for you, especially if you are working with children.
At the weekend, you will have free time to go on excursions, which you will be able to book at the language school. Employees at the language school will be there for the duration of your time abroad to help you if you have any problems or questions during your gap year in Ecuador.
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