Mexico Program Fees and Information

TWO'S COMPANY PROMO

Apply together and save €250.

Travel to Teach are offering a discount of €250 for couples or friends applying to volunteer in Thailand or Mexico. All the more reason to encourage your partner or friends to join you on your adventure!

Please note discounts are only available for people applying to volunteer together in the same location in Thailand or Mexico.

Read how your fees are spent or compare our prices with other volunteer organisations.

View our prices in other volunteer locations's or combine your stay in Mexico with stays in other locations as part of a combination stay.

What you receive

• Pick-up service from the nearest bus station
• Orientation upon arrival
• 24 hour support by English speaking personnel
• Accomodation
• Regular follow-up meetings
• Beginners Spanish language classes - 15 hours
• An introduction to teaching techniques
• An introduction to Mexican culture
• Mexican cooking classes
• Latin dance classes
• Local mobile phone or SIM card

Apart from our fees, you must pay for:

• Your flight to the nearest airport
• Vaccinations
• Airfares and all transportation to your project location
• Health insurance
• Food and other personal expenses

Application Process

Our application process typically takes two or three weeks, but can be speeded up if there is a need for that. When we receive the initial application from you, we will send you our Full Application Form.

(1) Complete the Initial Application Form:
The first stage of the application process is to fill out the brief initial application form. Upon receiving this we will send you a link to our full application form.

(2) Complete the full application form:
Fill out the application form. After receiving this we will assess your suitability and place you on one of our programs.

(3) Placement info:
We will then email you your detaled placement information and an Invoice. If you accept the placement you should email us confirmation.

(4) Program Fee:
The program fee should be paid to us at least 2 months before you are due to start your placement. However please be aware that we have a limited amount of placements, so placements will only be secured when we have received your payment.

(5) Communication:
We encourage you to keep in touch and we are happy to answer to try and answer all of your questions.

Once you have made your travelling arrangements you should mail your time of arrival and the means of transportation and we will confirm your pick-up details.

Project Duration and Arrival Dates

You can join us for any amount of time, from a week to three months. We do recommend a trip of three months since it offers the best value. Regardless of the length of your stay, you will be able to learn some Spanish and you will have time to get to know a new culture, come to know its people, and form relationships that will outlast the duration of your stay.

All of the projects are ongoing. Primary Schools and Kindergartens follow the semester schedules, which start in September and finish in June with two two-week vacation periods: one in mid March (Semana Santa) and one in December (Navidad). The rest of the projects go on throughout the year except for December and all national holidays. We suggest that you keep this in mind when deciding on the dates you will be joining us.

There are always community projects going on while schools are out, for example during the December holidays help is needed in orphanages or the various homes for the poor this is a time when we have the opportunity to play Santa Claus. You can also use this time to do what the locals do and travel to other parts of the country.Dates for the Year 2010:
Sat 07 Aug 10, Sat 21 Aug 10, Sat 04 Sep 10, Sat 18 Sep 10, Sat 02 Oct 10, Sat 16 Oct 10, Sat 30 Oct 10, Sat 13 Nov 10, Sat 27 Nov 10, Sat 11 Dec 10, Sat 25 Dec 10

Dates for the Year 2011:
Sat 08 Jan 11, Sat 22 Jan 11, Sat 05 Feb 11, Sat 19 Feb 11, Sat 05 Mar 11, Sat 19 Mar 11, Sat 02 Apr 11, Sat 16 Apr 11, Sat 30 Apr 11, Sat 14 May 11, Sat 28 May 11, Sat 11 Jun 11, Sat 25 Jun 11, Sat 09 Jul 11, Sat 23 Jul 11, Sat 06 Aug 11, Sat 20 Aug 11, Sat 03 Sep 11, Sat 17 Sep 11, Sat 01 Oct 11, Sat 15 Oct 11, Sat 29 Oct 11, Sat 12 Nov 11, Sat 26 Nov 11, Sat 10 Dec 11, Sat 24 Dec 11

Getting Here

There are direct buses to Xalapa from the Mexico City Airport at 17:30, 19:00 and 20:45hrs. Travel to Teach will advise and support you with all your travel arrangements. Purchase your plane ticket and confirm your date and time of arrival with Travel to Teach. We can then, upon request, make arrangements for a representative to meet you at the Xalapa Bus Station (CAXA).

Mexico City Airport Map

Reception

We will meet you either at the nearest airport or bus station, depending on how you choose to travel here. We will spend the first few days with you, so we can better introduce you to Mexican culture, language, history, social and economical situation and to get you acquainted with our programs. Travel to Teach representatives will prepare you for your placement by going through materials and discussing possible lesson plans and teaching techniques.

Food

Xalapa has a plethora of traditional Mexican restaurants, street food stalls, and two very good Italian restaurants, one of which is within close walking distance to the volunteer house. If you choose to stay with our Xalapa host family instead of at the volunteer house, then three meals will be provided for you per day, Monday-Friday.

If you ever need your junk food fix the city does have a Burger King and a Subway (fast food sandwiches). Just outside of the city center, a taxi distance away at a cost of approximately 20 pesos, there is a large shopping mall with lots of fast food restaurants as well. Additionally, there are supermarkets and markets within the city where you can buy good fresh food should you wish to cook for yourself at the volunteer house.

Volunteer Work

The hours of volunteering vary depending upon your project type. A typical placement will involve working for 3 to 4 hour a day with weekends free. Depending on your knowledge and interests you can also assist in and take part of a variety of different activities.

Accommodation

You will be in a clean and friendly enviornment in any of our lodgings but don’t expect any luxuaries. We currently have two types of housing available in Xalapa. You can stay in an apartment, studio or rented house, or you can choose to do a Homestay* which means you would be living in a Mexican Home as part of the family (Fees are slightly higher for this type of living arrangements and 3 meals a day are included).

* We highly recommend staying with a family if you are doing a short temr stay since it gives you the opportunity to integrate yourself into the culture and to learn the language faster.

We will supply you with the telephone numbers of our local T2T English speaking personnel, a local cell phone or a local SIM/chip if you bring your own cell phone.

Vaccinations

See your doctor at least 4-6 weeks before your trip to allow time for immunizations to take effect. You will need vacinations for:

• Hepatitis A or immune globulin (IG).
• Hepatitis B
• Rabies,
• Typhoid
• Yellow fever for travelers to Mexico who will be going outside urban areas.

Also visit the WHO's (World Health Organisation) Travelers health information

Insurance

One of the conditions of entry onto our programs is that volunteers have travel insurance. Most importantly the insurance needs to include medical treatment and repatriation in case of unforeseen accidents or illnesses. Volunteers should purchase insurance independently and bring a copy of their insurance certificate with them for their local co-ordinator to check before starting their program. Read our terms and conditions.

Visas

Please see our visa information page for details.

Certification

You will get a Travel to Teach certificate stating the time and place you have been teaching.