Spain
Intern in Madrid, Spain
Madrid offers school-based placements in English teaching and academic support, working with children in Spanish classrooms in one of Europe's great capital cities.
Internship Fields
Working with Children Internships Abroad
Make a difference through Child Development & Youth Work Internships
Passionate About Working with Children? We Have a Program for You
Some people have always known they were meant to work with children. Others discover it on the road, in a classroom in Seville, or in a Youth Center for street kids in Quito. Either way, Adelante’s internships abroad for working with children are among the most enriching, flexible, and human experiences in our portfolio, available across seven destinations in Spain and Latin America.
Whether you’re teaching English in a Spanish school, supporting special education programs in Barcelona, working with at-risk youth in Uruguay, or volunteering at a renovated Youth Center serving children in underserved communities in one of Quito’s neighborhoods, every placement puts you in direct, daily contact with children who benefit from the energy, care, and cross-cultural connection you bring.
One of the best things about this field is its accessibility. Low Spanish speakers are accepted more in this sector than in almost any other sector, short-term placements are available alongside longer commitments, and the personal rewards are immediate and undeniable. If working with children is your calling or something you want to explore, this is the place to start.
Why Choose a Working with Children Internship Abroad?
Children are the most honest mirrors of cultural difference, and working with them abroad teaches you about people, communication, and yourself in ways no other professional experience can. Here’s why you should choose children-focused internships:
Serve communities that genuinely need you
From under-resourced schools in Spain to youth centers for street children in Ecuador and community programs for disadvantaged youth in Oaxaca, these placements put you where the need is greatest.
Build skills valued across education, social work, psychology, and public health
Direct experience working with children internationally is a powerful credential for any career involving people, especially children and families.
Develop cross-cultural child development insight
Every culture raises children differently. Working in another country’s educational and social support system gives you a perspective on child development and welfare you can’t get at home.
Available across seven destinations
Spain (Madrid, Barcelona, Seville), Uruguay, Chile, Ecuador, and Oaxaca, Mexico. Whatever region calls to you, we have a placement there.
Earn academic credit
Most Adelante interns receive academic credit through their home university, with full documentation support from our team.
These placements are open to candidates from education, social work, child psychology, early childhood development, public health, and any field with a genuine love for working with young people. Beginner and low-intermediate Spanish speakers are welcome in most placements, and Adelante provides language classes at the start of your program to build your confidence before you begin.
What Will You Do as a Working with Children Intern Abroad?
Your day-to-day work will depend on your destination, background, and specific placement, but here is a look at the types of roles and settings our interns work in:
Teaching & Academic Support in Schools
In Madrid, Barcelona, and especially Seville, interns are placed in academic school settings, teaching English, supporting classroom teachers, and working with children across age groups in a real Spanish educational environment. These placements are ideal for candidates pursuing careers in education, TEFL, or bilingual instruction and offer a unique window into how education works in another culture. Low Spanish is manageable in many of these settings, as English instruction is exactly what the schools need.
Special Education & School Counseling
Some Spain-based placements are within special education programs or school counseling offices, working alongside specialists who support children with disabilities, learning differences, or social-emotional challenges. These are rewarding placements for candidates in psychology, social work, or special education and offer clinical exposure that is rare in an international internship program.
Youth Centers & Street Children Programs
In Quito, Ecuador, Adelante places interns in a renovated Youth Center in one of the city’s most underserved neighborhoods, serving street children who have limited access to education, safety, and support. This is one of the most meaningful placements in our portfolio: demanding, humbling, and transformative. It is the kind of experience that becomes a defining chapter in your career story.
Community Youth Programs in Latin America
In Uruguay, Chile, and Oaxaca, Mexico, interns work within community organizations serving disadvantaged children and youth through after-school programs, tutoring, sports and activity leadership, creative arts, and structured social support. These placements combine direct work with children and community development experience, making them a strong fit for candidates interested in social work, international development, or child welfare.
Destinations
Our Top Working with Children Intern Abroad Destinations
Spain
Intern in Barcelona, Spain
Barcelona's internationally diverse population makes it a particularly rich environment for education and youth work interns. Placements offer unique multilingual child development experience alongside Barcelona's legendary quality of life.
Spain
Intern in Seville, Spain
Seville is home to some of Adelante's most immersive school and counseling placements, in a city where Spanish culture and community life run deep. Interns here work in academic settings, special education programs, and school counseling offices.
Latin America
Intern in Uruguay
Uruguay's youth programs focus on community support for disadvantaged children and families, after-school programs, tutoring, activity leadership, and structured social engagement in a country that punches well above its weight in terms of social services and community care.
Latin America
Intern in Chile
Chile's central coast offers community-based child and youth programs in organizations serving children from under-resourced backgrounds. Placements here combine direct work with children with a deeply immersive Chilean cultural experience.
Latin America
Intern in Ecuador
Quito, Ecuador is home to one of Adelante's most powerful and emotionally meaningful placements, a beautifully renovated Youth Center serving children who have limited access to education, safety, and community support.
Latin America
Intern in Mexico
Oaxaca's rich indigenous culture and close-knit community life make it a deeply moving destination for child and youth work through education, arts, sports, and social programs, embedded in one of Mexico's most culturally vibrant cities
Programs
Programs With Work with Children Placements
Barcelona
Internships in Barcelona
Intern in Barcelona with housing, placement, and language classes included. Guaranteed placements across 30+ fields, programs starting monthly.
Madrid
Internships in Madrid
Intern in Madrid with housing, placement, and language classes included. Guaranteed placements across 30+ fields, programs starting monthly.
Seville
Internships in Seville
Intern in Seville with housing, placement, and language classes included. Guaranteed placements across 30+ fields, programs starting monthly.
Viña del Mar – Valparaíso
Internships in Chile
Intern in Chile with housing, placement, and language classes included. Guaranteed placements across 30+ fields, programs starting monthly.
Quito – Ambato
Internships in Ecuador
Intern in Ecuador with housing, placement, and language classes included. Guaranteed placements across multiple fields; programs start monthly.
Montevideo – Punta del Este
Internships in Uruguay
Intern in Uruguay with housing, placement, and language classes included. Build your resume while living in Montevideo or Punta del Este.
Oaxaca
Internships & Volunteering in Oaxaca, Mexico
Volunteer or intern in Oaxaca, Mexico across a range of fields. Affordable programs with housing included and flexible durations from 2 to 6+ months.
Spain, Chile, Ecuador, Uruguay and Mexico
Beginner Spanish Internships Abroad
Intern abroad as a beginner Spanish speaker in sectors like Teaching English and Social Media. Housing included in the program cost!
What’s included
Every Adelante Program Includes
Affordable Programs
Both our Internship Abroad and Study Abroad Programs are among the most affordable you’ll find. Explore a new country and gain meaningful internship experience that makes a difference, without being limited by your budget.
Centralized Accommodations
Enjoy your own private room in a shared city-center apartment, conveniently located near your placement, local life, and weekend adventures.
Guaranteed, Contracted Internship Placement
You’ll receive a signed contract from your host organization before you arrive. We have placed 100% of our candidates in one of their requested fields and stand behind that with a guarantee.
Customized Program Building
Your Adelante director builds your placement around your background, interests, Spanish proficiency level, and areas of interest. No cookie-cutter placements.
Guided Reflection Exercises
We help you identify and articulate the skills you’ve built abroad, an essential step in translating impactful international work into language that resonates on your resume, in interviews, and on graduate school applications.
Academic Credit Support
Nearly every Adelante intern who needed academic credit has received it. We provide full documentation and can work with your home institution to meet their requirements.
How to apply
How the Application Process Works
Apply Online
Fill out our simple online application. There is no fee to apply, and it takes only a few minutes to get started.
Get on the Calendar
Eligible candidates receive a link to schedule a free, first assessment interview by phone or Google Meet.
Interview
We’ll learn about your background, areas of interest, Spanish level, and goals so we can start building the right placement for you.
Interview Results
In real time or within 1–2 business days, you will receive your interview results by email. Successful candidates receive an acceptance letter with clear next steps.
Confirmation
Confirm your spot within one week of acceptance with a $325 confirmation fee. This means there is no tire-kicking, and you are committed to going abroad. A second interview and full placement details follow soon after.
Pre-Departure
Once confirmed, you will receive a comprehensive Pre-Departure Information Packet with everything you need to prepare for your time abroad, including visa guidance if required, along with cultural prep.
Reviews
Hear From Adelante Abroad Candidates
Read what past interns, students and volunteers say about their time abroad with Adelante.
Emily M.
Flagler College, WI, USA
Work with Children · Mexico
I spent two months in Oaxaca de Juarez with the Adelante volunteering program for working with kids. My time there was amazing, being able to experience local life and history of the state. The housing location was in a great spot, and my landlord was unbelievably kind. My time…
I spent two months in Oaxaca de Juarez with the Adelante volunteering program for working with kids. My time there was amazing, being able to experience local life and history of the state. The housing location was in a great spot, and my landlord was unbelievably kind. My time at the language school was also great as I met and made wonderful friends from around the world and also received a one-on-one tutor which helped me immensely. I also met great people at my internship. The program truly opens you up to many differing walks of life and exposes you to so many new things – not just originating from Oaxaca. The trip being my first solo travel forced me to become independent and actually rely on myself instead of using others as a travel-buddy crutch. When Adelante says that the program is for independent travelers, they’re not kidding.
Why Choose Adelante Abroad?
Adelante Abroad has earned the trust of thousands of candidates worldwide through 25 years of guaranteed placements and life-changing experiences. Since 1999, we’ve specialized in providing affordable, customized internship and study abroad programs across Spain, Latin America, and Scotland, and we’re not a large, impersonal agency. We’re a team of seasoned travelers and international education professionals who’ve lived abroad ourselves and know what it takes to make your experience a success.
Every program is built around you: your goals, your values, your background. With in-country directors operating full-time in every city where we have programs, you’re never on your own. No matter where in the world you are.
Ready to Make a Difference in a Child's Life Abroad?
The children you work with will remember you long after your program ends and you'll remember them too. A working with children internship abroad with Adelante gives you guaranteed placement in a meaningful role, affordable city-center housing, full in-country support, and the opportunity to experience the world through the eyes of the children you serve. Low Spanish speakers welcome. Short-term and long-term placements available. Apply today — the kids are waiting!