For ten years we have placed and supported young people in another country, including those who arrive with little experience and a lot of uncertainty. We are ready to bring that track record into ALMA as a dependable Spanish host, and we would be glad to build this with you from the first conversation. We are well placed to host early school leavers and low skilled young people, NEETs who have drifted out of education or work, and young people from disadvantaged or minority backgrounds. We also welcome young migrants and third country nationals who hold a valid stay or work permit. Because our own team has been through mobility abroad, we tend to reach the participants other hosts find hardest to engage.
Framework conditions for hosting
Ferrol is the kind of place that makes a first experience abroad feel possible rather than overwhelming. It is a compact, friendly city of around 65,000 people where everything a participant needs sits within a twenty minute walk, wrapped in a mild Atlantic climate, wild surf beaches and a strong outdoor culture. It is well connected too: A Coruña and its airport are 50 km away, Santiago de Compostela and its Ryanair hub an hour, Madrid five hours by high speed train and Porto five hours by bus, and we provide private transfers to the nearest airports.
The heart of our offer is a network of more than fifty host companies, ranging from family run businesses to a multinational headquarters (Pull&Bear), which lets us match a placement to each participant rather than forcing a fit. We cover tourism and hospitality, administration and accounting, commerce and marketing, hairdressing and beauty therapy, baking and cookery, language schools, real estate and international trade, IT and new technologies, woodwork and furniture making, and the full range of car bodywork and maintenance trades.
Participants stay in one of four fully equipped apartments in the city centre, with private or shared rooms depending on the length of the stay, all well connected by public transport.
Activities and support services offered
We accompany every participant before, during and after the mobility, and we have built that support into clear steps. Before arrival we set expectations honestly, prepare participants culturally, and guide them through visas, legal registration and insurance. On the first day we walk them into the workplace ourselves, making sure the role, the hours and the goals are clear to everyone. Throughout the placement we keep an open line with both the company and the participant, and a 24/7 emergency number means no one is ever left without support, whether the problem is a health scare or a difficult day. We smooth daily life with a regional bus card valid across Galicia and a city bike card, and we offer customised Spanish and English courses from beginner to advanced, taught by professional teachers, so language never becomes a barrier to the experience. Alongside the work we run a cultural programme of excursions, surf classes, hikes and free events hosted by our international volunteers, and at the end we recognise what each participant has achieved with a Europass certificate.
We can host indicatively between October 2026 and June 2027. Our city apartments and company placements give us real scheduling flexibility. Tell us your preferred window and we will come back quickly with firm dates.
Restrictions and additional comments
Group size and dates depend on the capacity of our city apartments, so the earlier we plan together the better. Accessibility for participants with significant mobility, sensory or care needs is something we confirm in advance rather than assume, and while a basic level of Spanish or English helps, we run courses for beginners and stay beside them until they find their feet.
Contacts with local and regional partners
Over the years we have woven a dense local network that an ALMA group steps straight into. It begins with our fifty plus host companies across every sector named above, including a multinational headquarters, and extends to professional language schools, local guides and activity providers, and our own grassroots initiatives Casa Creativa, Retake and Precious Plastic. We also work with local authorities, youth services and the Casa da Xuventude in the Ferrol area, with VET providers and education centres, and with employment and guidance services.
