AMIGOS Project Staff

Looking for a summer role abroad? Find out more about joining AMIGOS project staff!

AMIGOS project staff are the young professionals who lead our programming in the countries where we operate. 

Project staff members are: 

• Mentors, coaches, and supervisors for youth in our programs helping to shape the next generation of leaders across the Americas. 
• People who believe in positive youth development, intercultural exchange, and fostering responsible global citizenship.  
• The face of AMIGOS programming on the ground, interacting daily with our partner agencies and service providers.  
• Believers in the AMIGOS mission of inspiring leaders through authentic service and immersion experiences. 
• Committed to being and fostering the change they want to see in the world.  
• Open-minded individuals interested in learning about and from new cultures and people. 
• Dedicated to creating inclusive, non-judgmental, and accepting spaces, where young people can learn and grow.  
• Flexible and adaptable to change.  
• Patient and calm in the face of challenge and uncertainty. 
• Passionate about social justice issues and the power of youth to drive social change. 

This is more than a job; it is a leadership experience that tests you both personally and professionally. It will make you grow in ways you did not even think possible. AMIGOS project staff roles prepare you for a future in any career field, equipped with soft and hard skills.  

We hope that you accept the challenge to step out of your comfort zone and join the AMIGOS family! 

All of the roles on our project staff teams are critical to the success of the projects. Each role serves a specific purpose. See the job descriptions for more information.

All of our projects are unique, fun, and educational. Learn more about the specifics through our project pages.  

AMIGOS training is rooted in your leadership development. Through training, you will learn the functions of your role, including leadership skills you will carry throughout your career.   

Four key training areas: Leadership, Cultural Humility, Ethical Service, Health and Safety.  

AMIGOS project staff training is tailored to your role, ensuring you have the information and training necessary to do your job well. It looks slightly different for each role.  

This year, training will be online, asynchronous, and largely at your own pace with fixed deadlines for work products and quizzes.  

All Staff – Mandatory Live Virtual Trainings 

We have three mandatory and live online sessions.  

See below for the specifics for each role: 

• Project Director
  • Training starts when you arrive on-site with 3-day in-person sessions with the other Project Directors in your assigned work area.  
  • After the initial training, PDs will be responsible to complete all online modules or about 30–40 hours. 

• Associate Project Director 
  • APDs will be responsible to complete all online training modules for about 30–40 hours of work.  
  • They will be paid for completing the training hours during the summer’s first stipend pay period. 

• Project Supervisors 
  • Psups will be responsible to complete a shorter version of online training of about 20–30 hours of work.  
  • They will be paid for completing the training hours during the summer’s first stipend pay period. 

Exact training hours will be confirmed in the process of the acceptance of the role. 

The AMIGOS Standards of Conduct are an integral part of building and growing leadership skills. Their primary purpose is to help keep volunteers and project staff safe. The project staff’s adherence to the Standards of Conduct is the primary way that AMIGOS works towards ensuring their health and well-being during the program and positive interactions with partners. The Standards of Conduct come from many years of experience and recommendations.  

Standards of Conduct 

The AMIGOS project staff will:   

1. Be thoughtful and self-reflective when interacting with others. Be self-accountable for their decisions, behaviors, and actions and communicate their needs in a healthy manner. Take ownership of their health and safety and will avoid activities and/or behaviors that may be detrimental to themselves, others, or to the program. This includes but is not limited to abiding by the laws of the country in which the staff member is located, avoiding touching all animals, and adhering to infectious disease mitigation protocols such as wearing face masks, complying with mandatory isolation, or quarantine, if applicable, or adhering to social distancing when directed and/or appropriate.    
2. Follow the laws of the host country, county, and state and/or country, county, and state of residence of the volunteer and in line with these laws will not use or possess any drugs that are illegal in the host country, country, or state, your country, county, or state of residence, or the United States.    
3. Be conscientious of their surroundings and assigned work area. They will only leave their assigned work area and/or group once they have been granted prior permission from AMIGOS direct supervisor.     
4. Only be a passenger in a motorized vehicle (excluding motorcycles, ATVs, electric scooters, electric bikes, and the like) and will not operate any motorized vehicle, including but not limited to cars, trucks, motorcycles, ATVs, electric scooters, and electric bikes.   
5. Recognize the dangers of firearms, fireworks, or explosives and avoid any contact with such thing.     
6. Be respectful, courteous, and kind. Avoid any acts of harassment, aggression, or bullying, as defined by AMIGOS.  
7. Not consume alcohol during the duration of the contract period. * 
8. Avoid the use or possession of all tobacco or cannabis products including, vaping, E-cigarettes, cigarettes, edibles, or anything containing nicotine, cannabis, CBD, or hemp-derived oil or distillate during the contract period. 
9. Maintain platonic friendships and avoid any intimate or amorous relationships. This includes, but is not limited to, a relationship with any of the following: community members, program staff, partner agency representatives or service providers, or volunteers is not permitted at any time during the contract period. ** 

*Project Directors are permitted to consume alcohol until their APD arrives on site. At that point, no alcohol is allowed until the end of the contract period. 

**Project Directors are permitted to pursue amorous relationships until their APD arrives on site. At that point, they will need to maintain platonic relationships. Amorous conduct or relationships with community members, program staff, partner agency representatives or service providers, or volunteers is not permitted at any time during the contract period. 

At AMIGOS, we do our best to be professional, culturally appropriate, and respectful. As such, we follow a professional code of conduct and dress code for volunteers and project staff.  

Professional Attire Guidelines

During your time as a staff member or as a volunteer, you are representing yourself, the values and mission of AMIGOS, our partner organizations, and your country. It is necessary to present yourself appropriately and professionally throughout your participation with AMIGOS. The way you present yourself is a crucial part of collaborating cross-culturally in local communities and with partner agencies. Please follow the guidelines below that apply to all genders. 

• Wear shirts that cover your entire abdomen (no crop tops/short shirts). Avoid strapless shirts or tank tops for program activities; wear t-shirts/shirts with short, mid-length, or long sleeves. 
• Skirts/dresses/shorts must be at fingertip length or longer when hands are placed relaxed at sides. 
• Wear a shirt at all times, including when doing physical labor or playing a sport. 
• Wear swimsuits with ample coverage of your top (in the case of female-identifying volunteers) and bottom.  
• Leggings can only be worn for exercise, sleeping, travel days, or physical labor.  
• Pajamas may only be worn for sleeping. 
• Close-toed shoes must be worn for physical labor and outdoor activities. 
• Ripped jeans/pants are only appropriate for travel days and only when you will not be interacting with partner agencies, community members, or host families. 
• No military pattern clothing. 
• Do not pack clothing printed, embroidered, or patterned with derogatory language or images. 
• For meetings with community members or partner agency representatives, wear long pants or skirt/dress per the length requirement and your AMIGOS polo or t-shirt when possible.  

Consider the versatility of your clothing choices as packing space is limited.  

Professional Conduct

• Be respectful to everyone including project staff, your peers, host family members, partner agency representatives, and members of the community. 
• Communicate respectfully and professionally in both written and verbal formats. 
• Follow AMIGOS Standards of Conduct, health and safety policies and instructions, Professional Attire Guidelines, and host family/partner agency policies. 
• Avoid speaking in English/Spanish when in the presence of local contacts. Only speak in the language the other person understands. 
• Come prepared for the meetings with local community members or Partner Agency representatives. 
• Be a team player—Support and collaborate with others. 
• Actively participate in all AMIGOS activities to the best of your ability, and fulfill program requirements including documentation, service project development and execution, and evaluations.  
• Be thoughtful when bringing up controversial topics such as politics, religion, money, etc. 
• Represent AMIGOS and our partner agencies well through appropriate posts and comments on all social media channels. 

Being a member of AMIGOS project staff is immensely rewarding and it is a challenging experience. It is important for you to take the following into consideration: 

• This is a 24/7 job. You need to be committed and able to put in the time necessary to plan and execute a great program.  
  • It will not be possible to hold another job while serving on AMIGOS project staff. 
  • You will work with your team to plan for rotating breaks away from the group or other work responsibilities.  

• You are receiving a stipend, not a salary, for your contributions to the organization as a member of AMIGOS project staff. All costs for lodging, food, transport, and activities will be covered by AMIGOS starting when the APDs arrive to the project site.  
  • PD: $350/week 
  • APD: $275/week 
  • Psup: $250/week 

• There is a $500 bonus that will be paid upon completion of the program for anyone that has served on project dtaff in the last two years (2021/2022).  
• You will need to bring your own laptop and cell phone—this will be at your own risk, make sure to get travel insurance.  
  • AMIGOS will provide one laptop per project for project-related usage, along with one cell phone to be used as the in-country emergency phone.   

• Project Directors will receive a reimbursable health stipend for the period they are in country before the APD arrives. Once the APD arrives, all acute medical issues, for all staff members, are covered by AMIGOS. 
• Online training is mandatory and you must pass all training exams with a score of 85% or above in order to work on project staff. 
• Live online training sessions require mandatory attendance. They will not be recorded. 
• We encourage people to apply to any project area, however, your placement is subject to visa requirements.  

If you want to make a lot of money this summer, this is not the job for you. However, serving on AMIGOS project staff provides skill-building and professional development opportunities in addition to some perks! 

General Perks: 

• Round trip, single destination flight or travel expenses covered by AMIGOS. * 
• With the exception of PDs, we will book your flights for up to 90 days. This means you can stay in the country for independent travel! 
• Visit a new region or country! 
• Leadership ladder—grow within the organization! 
• Cell phone minutes covered by AMIGOS for project purposes.  
• Emotional First Aid Training and Certification 
• Physical First Aid Training and Certification 
• Get connected to thousands of AMIGOS alumni across the Americas! Excellent networking opportunities.  
• Acute medical costs covered by AMIGOS. 

Soft Skills Development: 

Soft skills are non-technical skills that relate to how you work. They include how you interact with colleagues, how you solve problems, and how you manage your work. These are not only job skills but life skills that will help you succeed both personally and professionally.  

• Negotiation & Communication  
• Learn about a new culture 
• Opportunity to mentor young leaders 
• Work in a multicultural environment 
• Networking 
• Work independently 
• Teamwork 
• Problem-Solving 
• Socio-emotional skills 

Hard Skills Development: 

Hard skills are objective, quantifiable skills gained through training, school, or work experiences. Hard skills are often usually something that can be taught or learned. 

• Effective time management strategies & prioritization of tasks 
• Resource raising  
• Project management 
• Facilitation skills & speaking in front of groups 
• Manage a budget 
• Improve professional-level language abilities (Spanish/English)  
• Gain supervisory skills and people management techniques 
• Learn to use a customer management relationship (CRM) system 

While being on project staff may not be your typical job, it will provide you with lifelong skills, an amazing community of people, and the chance to visit new places. 

*Exceptions apply. 

Meet recent project staff members who had lifechanging experiences serving in these roles. 

Mateo Rojas, Peru ’14, Costa Rica ’19 

After graduating from UC Santa Barbara in 2019, I returned to Amigos de las Américas as a Project Supervisor for the project in Palmares, Costa Rica. I guided eight volunteers staying in four rural host communities through a program similar to the one I participated in in 2014, and I supported these volunteers by working with community leaders to identify and mobilize resources within the community. It was extremely fulfilling for me to mentor these volunteers through the program and demonstrate the importance of living within a culture and speaking with the people when organizing a project.  

During my time as a project supervisor, I practiced constructive problem-solving skills within the framework of asset-based community development while holding a leadership position in an organization that collaborates with locals to create lasting and tangible change. Anecdotes from San Rafael de Platanares, a town I worked with, confirmed my trust in this approach. A community member shared that a previous sewage tunnel project that AMIGOS volunteers had co-facilitated allowed their children to walk back home from school without having to submerge their feet in a flooded road on rainy days. The volunteers and host family I worked with in San Rafael that summer were also overjoyed to see their rain gutter project work seamlessly and prevent the house flooding that had previously occurred on their street.   

My experiences in Costa Rica and Peru built on my studies and influenced me more profoundly than my coursework ever could. Through this learning process, I have integrated a few philosophies that lay the foundation for my professional goals. 

Maren Walsh, Panama ‘15, Dominican Republic ‘16, Dominican Republic ‘18 

I was a volunteer in Azuero, Panamá in 2015, and San Juan, Dominican Republic in 2016. I returned to the Dominican Republic in 2018 as a supervisor. When I was a supervisor in the Dominican Republic, my communities were quite close to the community I had lived in as a volunteer two years before. It just so happened that many of the new people I was meeting were good friends with people from my old host community. Once, I was eating dinner with an old man who was “best friends” with another old man I knew but hadn’t seen in years. I didn’t know if he remembered me or not. We called him up on the phone to say hello. Not only did he remember me, but he had heard through the grapevine that I was in the Dominican Republic and wanted to know why I hadn’t come to visit him yet.  

AMIGOS fundamentally altered my academic and professional goals. Because of this program, I am an International Studies major focusing on Latin America. I took a semester off before starting college to travel in Colombia and Chile. This semester I am studying in Cuba, and next semester I will be studying in Argentina. I hope to work internationally after graduating. I would never have done these things if I hadn’t been an AMIGOS volunteer. 

Keylor Aguilar, Costa Rica ’22 

Mi rol fue como Coordinador de Proyectos en Montañas y Mar. Yo describiría mi rol como dinámico, ya que llevamos a cabo muchas actividades en general. La oportunidad que tenemos de conocer a jóvenes dentro de AMIGOS es impresionante. El espacio y conexión que uno crea con los voluntarios es especial, es donde más aprendemos de ellos y de nosotros mismos.

El entrenamiento que llevamos a cabo sobre la salud mental fue muy importante. 

Es una de las partes de “training” de las que más me acuerdo – los primeros auxilios relacionados con la psicología. Fue fundamental para los chicos y para entender cómo se sienten en determinados momentos y qué planes de acción llevar a cabo. Creo que eso en el training fue impresionante, para nosotros entender cuándo es el momento correcto para actuar, o guiarlos por su proceso emocional. 

Yo le recomendaría a la gente que aplique! Mi consejo sería ser flexible – porque hoy estás acá, pero mañana puede que estés en otro ralo llevando a cabo otra actividad. Pero yo alentaría a la gente y les diría que lo hagan! Si AMIGOS te selecciona es porque ellos saben que estás preparado para esta experiencia inolvidable. Es una experiencia muy grata. Después de esta experiencia, voy hablar con mis compañeros y compañeras para ver cómo seguir trabajando con AMIGOS en más proyectos en el futuro, con las herramientas que llevo conmigo ahora. Después de este primer proyecto, me siento preparado para asumir otro rol.

Hear directly from our past project staff about their experience. 

How would you describe your experience with AMIGOS? 

This summer was definitely challenging but also super rewarding. I think I grew a lot both professionally and personally, and while it was difficult at times, I am really happy that I got to have this experience. 

This summer has been one of the biggest learning experiences I’ve had in my life. It was amazing to implement such a great program. The experience was both challenging and fulfilling and taught me about the life and professional skills I had and [those that] I gained. 

Fué una gran experiencia para mí, llena de aventuras y aprendizajes. En general lo describo como un proceso de crecimiento y desarrollo profesional, en el cual pude aprender muchísimo de varios campos, sentirme mas confiado y seguro personalmente. 

Fulfilling. The work was hard but wonderful. 

My experience working with AMIGOS was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for growth. 

It was an amazing but challenging experience. It definitely pushed me out of all my comfort zones, but I feel great of being able to achieved many goals. I learned a lot from others and from myself. Life changing! 

Fue una experiencia increíble que sumó mucho en mi vida personal, y espero poder ser parte de Amigos en algún otro proyecto o de alguna manera. Es super retadora y llena de dificultades, pero hay mucho soporte detrás y eso hace que todo sea más fácil. 

How has your AMIGOS experience changed you? 

AMIGOS taught me a lot about myself, my perception, and my leadership. It opened me to a new country, where I had to look inward for comfort and outward to my team for support. It exposed me to young leaders who had differences in perspective, opinions, and experience. It taught me what it really meant to be a mentor. 

AMIGOS has helped me to feel more confident in my ability to connect with others and work in various challenging settings. I was pushed outside of my comfort zone with the work that I needed to do, as I wasn’t used to being responsible for so much paperwork and logistics. But I learned valuable skills and how to stay organized, which involves journaling out my responsibilities. I have also realized how much I love living in another culture and experiencing another way of life, and I hope to continue to do so in the future. 

Aprendí muchísimo de mí mismo, y de las habilidades que tengo para resolver problemas. Me di cuenta de mi potencial y de lo que soy capaz de hacer. 

AMIGOS has made me a better communicator, decision-maker, and teammate. AMIGOS has taught me that I can do anything I set my mind to and that I am capable of taking on huge responsibilities. It has also taught me that if you believe in others, the capacity in the others is pretty huge too! 

Living this experience changed me in many aspects and ways, at personal and professional levels. At a personal level, it was challenging and touching for me seeing myself on this role, when a participant of AMIGOS YA Program, I dreamt a lot about being a staff member, and now that we are finished, I am proud of having had a successful experience on the role. Also on the professional level, it made me realize that I enjoy a lot doing this kind of job, so now I feel more focused on what I want to do in the near future. 

En gran área, siento que Amigos me hizo crecer muchísimo, mas de lo que pensaba. Me hizo tener otra perspectiva, otra mentalidad. Pude aumentar mi confianza y seguridad en el momento de realizar distintas cosas.