Location
  • Spain
    • Bilbao
Length
1 to 52 weeks

Program Details

Language
Spanish
Age Min.
15
Age Max
90
Timeframe
Short Term Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Apartment
Groups
Small Group (1-15)
Travel Type
Budget Family Older Travelers Solo Women

Pricing

Starting Price
100
Price Details
Equal parts volunteer experience, language acquisition, and cultural immersion. We include:
Airport pickup
Contracted placement and Certificate upon completion
Volunteer placement max 20 hours a week (sustainable urban permaculture initiatives, art therapy, teaching English, Soccer community assistant, beach cleaning, social media, soccer assistant and community supporter and many more..)
Free leisure and cultural activities
Accommodation dorm room (4 people same gender max) In case you want single room or different type acommodation ask for price difference
24/7 local support network
Free leisure and cultural activities
2 weeks of Spanish lessons (ask for price difference in case you want to extend it)


What's Included
Accommodation Activities Equipment Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Equipment Meals Transportation Travel Insurance Visa
Mar 24, 2025
Dec 25, 2023
39 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Dreaming of living and working in Spain, improving your Spanish, and making lasting friendships, all whilst making a difference? Then the Instituto Hemingway is the place for you. From animal welfare and conservation to football, teaching English,.. we have the perfect volunteer program for you.

We believe volunteering is one of the most rewarding experiences possible, especially when volunteering abroad: it gives you a chance to give back to the community you are visiting. We tailor our volunteering programs to your specific skill set, while also considering the needs of the community you are working with, to ensure your work is as fun and impact as possible.

By volunteering with the Instituto Hemingway, you can help the lively city of Bilbao and its biodiversity surroundings continue to thrive. In your downtime, why not explore our picturesque city and all that it has to offer!

Everyone is welcome, and at great prices for all budgets, this is not an opportunity to miss!

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

There are LGBTQIA+ friends, colleagues, and allies throughout the world. However, cultural understanding of gender identity and sexuality does vary from country to country. Instituto Hemingway has compiled a lot of resources to help you through that learning process.
Instituto Hemingway is dedicated to working closely with students with disabilities to ensure the best study abroad experience possible. You may request reasonable accommodations after your initial application is complete. We routinely receive requests for scheduling, material, and environmental accommodations for the classroom setting, which may include assistive technology, scribes and readers, printed material, and interpretation.

Impact 🌎

Environmentally-conscious students choose Instituto Hemingway because many of our volunteer programs are held here in Bilbao, a sustainability accredited city. There are options to take volunteer programs in sustainability and the environment, as well as field trips and studies where students can leave a lasting impact on their host country
Instituto Hemingway is a professional, ethical, and hardworking organization that is completely dedicated to providing a great experience to every student, participant, client, faculty leader, and partner who joins us.

Program Highlights

  • Stay in a shared apartment with all amenities covered, right in the centre of the city, for the duration of your stay.
  • Join us for our free cultural activities including trips, salsa lessons, cooking workshops and tapas tours.
  • Bilbao is a city that’s off the beaten tourist trail, so it’s the perfect place to truly practice your Spanish in day-to-day situations. Why not explore some of the many other cities in Spain while you’re here, thanks to Bilbao’s great transport networks!
  • Do something for the others with our volunteer program

Popular Programs

Animal Welfare Volunteering with the Instituto Hemingway
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Social Entrepreneurship with the Instituto Hemingway
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special needs
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Football and community
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Program Reviews

5.00 Rating
based on 17 reviews
  • 5 rating 100%
  • 4 rating 0%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Instruction 5
  • Support 5
  • Fun 5
  • Housing 5
  • Value 5
  • Impact 5
  • Support 5
  • Fun 5
  • Value 5
  • Safety 5
Showing 1 - 8 of 17 reviews
Default avatar
Arthur
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Volunteering in Spain with meaningful impact on environment

Wonderful experience meeting and working with a great bunch of people from around the world. Can’t wait to undertake another programme . Had great support from staff and participants were eager and keen to learn and improve the skills about permaculture and environmental impact Have made friends for life and have discovered a beautiful country. Accommodation was beyond my expectations. Great outdoor area to sit and thankfully the weather was amazing . Would highly recommend this programme for people all ages as a great way to meet and engage with others, If you're seeking an experience that combines language learning, cultural exchange, and personal growth, I wholeheartedly recommend giving Instituto Hemingway a try. It's an investment in yourself and a step towards a more interconnected global community

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
I found the work rewarding as you can really feel the impact you have had on the participants at the end of each programme.

The team was extremely supportive especially when I felt unwell or stressed during the programme. They always tried their best to accommodate the needs of the international participants.
Pros
  • Experience different culture
  • Learn a new language
  • Making friends with people from all over the world
Cons
  • Language barrier at first but then with language lessons no problems
  • schedules can be a bit chaotic but you get used to it
  • weather changes quite a lot sometimes
104 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Julia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

This program is a must for people who love animals

This program was beyond amazing! I had the time of my life working with dogs at the animal shelter in Northern Spain. I really felt like I was making a difference in there lives. Not too mention being able to see a lot of city attractions along with other cities in Spain. This experience also taught me how to be more responsible and how to work with other people well. It is definitely an experience that without a doubt I will remember for the rest of my life and I would recommend this project to anyone who is interested in working with animals

What would you improve about this program?
I think the exact organization of day to day volunteering could be improved but that is a simple thing to fix.
Pros
  • Everyone was super friendly.
  • The dogs were so fun to work with
  • I got see many of city attractions and other cities in Spain
Cons
  • The language barrier is a little difficult at first.
  • It’s a little confusing getting to the animal shelter because you have to use the train
  • You have to be really patient with people.
105 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Anna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Memorable experience in Spain

This program in Spain is so rewarding in so many ways. This country and this program is fantastic in block capitals. I met wonderful people, immersed myself in the culture , worked hard yet still had fun and relaxed, ate more than I should and laughed. This was a stunning experience that I would recommend to any traveler of any age

I feel this experience provided me more perspective on how other people live. It made me more humble and allowed me the chance to explore some difficult emotions around privilege which I think is important. If someone was hesitant I would tell them that the local team is amazing and super supportive. They ensure you are safe and taken care of. I would encourage anyone to go in with an open mind and remain flexible. Just embrace the culture and experience because your time will go by extremely fast.

What was your funniest moment?
I ate for the first time rabbit. This was one of the best thinks I ate. If you are not vegetarian, defenetly try it. You can eat it with the head off. It makes you not to think what you eating.
Pros
  • You will practice and gain confidence with the Spanish language
  • You will be inmersed in another culture
  • You will participate in ethical community service
Cons
  • Sign up early or the program you want may fill up
  • Your friends, relative and family will not be with you. Challenging if first time solo abroad
  • Best to plan ahead and take Spanish classes before you go
111 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Antonina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Beautiful Spain

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Pros
  • Fantastic organization
  • safety
  • Fun excursions
Cons
  • Nothing
144 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jana
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Experience in Spain

Jose, from Instituto Hemingway, perfectly planned every detail of this trip. We were connected with an outstanding host in the local community and an inspiring organization Jose was available before the trip to video call and answer all of our questions. He also communicated with our group throughout the entire trip to ensure we were having an amazing experience. I was also impressed with the organization of our transportation. Being in an unfamiliar location, it could have gotten quite overwhelming, but, with his help, our transportation was always well organized. We worked with dogs, cats, vietnamese pigs, donkeys etc,. This trip was truly life-changing thanks to Hemingway Institute, and I learned so much about conservation.

Pros
  • Variety of animal experiences
  • Outstanding organization and made many friends
  • Flexibility
Cons
  • 40 min far by train from city centre
  • More pre trip support in the area
150 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Sandra
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Wonderful project and wonderful time

I loved feeling like I lived in Bilbao-Spain if only for two weeks. I walked around the city every day, then took the super clean and super safe metro to my volunteer work. I spent my mornings at the beautiful Spanish language school of Hemingway surrounded by beautiful mountains and in the afternoons I took part in my environmental project. It was so meaningul for me, doing something for the others. It was an adventure living with my host family who didn't speak English. Now I would have chosen to be in a shared apartment with other volunteers my age, with more fun and more lively chats and experiences. Even though I'm home now, my mind constantly returns to the mountains, the rivers, and the people of Bilbao

Pros
  • My project
  • My colleagues in the project
  • the city of Bilbao
Cons
  • Host family who did not speak any word in English
151 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Anna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Life-changing experience!

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Pros
  • The program was fine for me
Cons
  • Dog shelter was not in downtown
155 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
John John
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Spanish Inmersion

i thoroughly enjoyed meeting all of the local staff and very kind volunteers here with me. made lots of new friends, and gained a lot of experience. i would definitely come back to Instituto Hemingway to complete this project again, hopefully in the near future!

I loved working with the dogs. My experience was incredibly rewarding and the time I spent there felt impactful. The dogs were very receptive to any love and attention they received, and it was made apparent that a little would go a long way. I was able to work with individuals from all around the world and learn more about the culture in Spain. Everyone was very helpful and eager to share experiences, which made every moment worthwhile. Learning Spanish was challenging and exciting, and it was great to have the opportunity to practice the language on a daily basis.

Pros
  • Office is right in the city so you can have support every day
  • meet a lot of like minded people
  • The staff spoke good English
Cons
  • Some aspects were a bit commercial, expected though for a tourism city
177 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers