Maximo Nivel Native Spanish Program in Guatemala
Maximo Nivel offers our unique Native Spanish Program for intensive Spanish language training. Situated in beautiful Guatemala, Maximo Nivel is not a typical Spanish School. We are an executive language center offering the most intensive and effective Spanish courses in Latin America. We employ only the most experienced native Spanish instructors, all of them actual teachers--either certified in teaching Spanish as a foreign language or with their Bachelors and/or Masters in Education.
Please visit our website to learn more about our Native Spanish Program in Guatemala, and to apply directly online.
Reviews
100%Overall
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90%Overall
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I had the opportunity to work in a free clinic in a small town. It was the perfect experience for me to practice my Spanish with patients. I was able to triage all the patients prior to seeing the doctor, including taking brief histories and physicals. Following, I would join the doctor during her visits. We would work together to make an appropriate diagnosis and treatment plan. She was very helpful in pointing out interesting physical findings and explaining cultural differences in both lifestyle and medicine. I also had the opportunity to work in the pharmacy and vaccination clinic. Working in the pharmacy was a great time for me to learn about the different medications available, appropriate dosing, and common side effects. It was also great practice giving consultations to patients about appropriate use of medications.
Critical Feedback:
It would have been helpful to have more of an introduction with the clinic site so the staff was aware of my background and capabilities.
100%Overall
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I had a great experience with an after-school childcare program in guatemala, it was amazing. The only thing I regret is taking the flight home, I wanted to stay longer for just one week! It was not enough, you start to build great relationships with the children and i miss those kids like crazy!
Critical Feedback:
I didn't find out what particular project (age of children, how many, daily responsibilities) until the day before we had to begin. It would be helpful to know before, especially for donations' sake (for size information, etc.).
80%Overall
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My trip to Antigua was made possible through the brilliant minds over at Maximo. They connected me with a wonderful clinic and provided some of the best Spanish lessons I've ever had (after taking over 6 years in school). My experience in Guatemala was absolutely life changing and I felt completely supported by the Maximo team the entire time.
I loved my volunteer work. I found it to be extremely rewarding and a great supplement to my academic career. However, I will say that my experience was completely contingent on the fact that I already speak proficient Spanish. I would have felt isolated, useless and bored without the ability to communicate with the people I was working with.
Overall, Maximo Nivel is a wonderful, organized, and reliable program that allows you to travel and make the most of your experience abroad.
100%Overall
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It is amazing how one week can change your life forever. However, for me, it happened in one second. When I walked through the gates on day 1 and witnessed 3 young children SPRINTING into the arms of some young twenty-something, with the biggest smile I had ever seen, I was changed. They were running towards me. How important and big does this make one small person feel? The emotions running through my body in that one minute are indescribable.
I am home now, but that lightening bolt is still charged. I am applying to graduate schools-- I thought I would never want to go back to school. I am a already signed up for my next mission trip. I am going to help make this world a better place. I want to spread this electric feel-- this life changing experience has got me changing lives.
Critical Feedback:
I did not think pairing with Guiness travel agency helped the face of Maximo. I think their business strategy is less than satisfactory. I ended up using another agency to book my travel after experiencing some disturbing no-shows and hearing unfortunate stories from others in my program.
100%Overall
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This was my first volunteer trip abroad and I couldn't be more satisfied. I went through Maximo Nivel and I can't think of one negative experience from the minute I landed in Guatemala to the minute I left. Maximo Nivel arranged for someone to pick us up from the airport and take us to their building and the host family we were staying with. My host family was absolutely wonderful and the house was a very comfortable size. We were served fresh fruit and veggies with every mean, which was important to me. The staff at Maximo Nivel was also amazing and showed us around the whole town, explained how to travel around and use the public buses, and even gave us helpful tips when needed. I volunteered at an orphanage where the kids would run up to be and hug me every morning. Nothing made me happier than to see the little guys and I miss them terribly already! While we were in Guatemala we also took some evening and weekend trips which were recommended to us. Going on those trips helped us make many new friends which we still keep in touch with. Everyone, form the staff to the volunteers were extremely friendly and energetic. I loved everything about this trip and would recommend to anyone. It is life changing and eye opening to do something like this. Don't make excuses and just do it! You won't regret it as long as you go there with an opened mind and willingness to help and make a difference. When I went to Guatemala I was hoping to change a child's life, but instead, they changed mine.
100%Overall
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The shouts from chicken buses, the brightly coloured local dress, smells wafting from local eateries and street stalls, and music drifting from the Parque Central...you know you're alive in Antigua, Guatemala!
I was lucky enough to spend 2 months there during the festive season, taking part in the Burning of the Devil celebrations, being hauled in to a local Posada parade, and being invited to eat tamales and drink Christmas punch with local families. I lived with the warmest and loveliest of Guatemalan families, who generously shared their home and life with me and my fellow volunteers, including us in all of their celebrations.
I had signed up for the medical volunteer programme, not really knowing what to expect, but I was very impressed with the team at Maximo Nivel, who had everything organised in a country that seemingly doesn't run to any sort of schedule! I worked in a small but busy rural clinic, assessing patients before the doctor saw them, and on the days there was no doctor, performing the medical consultation with the help of the local nurses. I struggled with how sick some of these children became before their mothers would bring them in, but as I learned more of the daily life at home and the demands of 5 or 6 other children, I could see why this was so. I was impressed at the clinic's vaccination regime, and generally the mothers were pretty good at returning for the next appointment, even if it were just to weigh and measure their child, keeping an eye on nutrition and growth. The staff in the clinic were admirably very adaptive, coping with days of 40 or more patients, sometimes with no doctor, no running water, or a shortage of necessary medications - on the whole, they ran a good health service for a large and widespread population. The patients were to be admired also, for their ability to wait patiently for review or treatment, and for putting up with a white alien with imperfect spanish on the days when I was on my own!
I would recommend volunteering with Maximo Nivel to anyone who has an inkling to go somewhere completely out of your comfort zone, the motivation to learn spanish and to share your skills with others, and the humility to let those you work with teach you something about this world we live in.
100%Overall
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I was really happy with Maximo Nivel, for a lot of reasons including 1) The teachers are friendly and experienced, 2) all the employees are friendly and helpful, 2) the cost is low, 3) the building is very pleasant, 4) they have computers and wifi for the students, 5) they provide free salsa lessons one night a week, 6) they have a little commissary right there, 7) there is also a trusted travel agency on the premises, and 8) they provide a kind of home-base for their students, offering 24-hour support and advice.
On top of all that, they offer a bunch of great programs:
1) They teach Spanish to foreigners
2) They teach English to locals,
3) They train teachers of English as a second language,
4) And they coordinate, organize and support people who come to Guatemala to volunteer.
I was really impressed with them when they gave me a list of the managers' phone numbers and told me to call any time of the day or night if I needed help. It was great to know that I could rely on that kind of support in a foreign country. (Fortunately, I never needed to call anyone in the middle of the night.)
I mostly gave Maximo Nivel the highest possible ratings in gooverseas.com, but for Housing I lowered it a little to 8. The other students I talked to seemed very happy with the homestays that Maximo Nivel arranged for them, but the school was not able to help me find an apartment for my stay. They told me that is something they intend to improve upon in the future.
I also gave a rating of 6 for safety. Maximo Nivel itself is VERY safe. Guatemala, and Antigua particularly, is very beautiful, and I am so glad I went there. I'll definitely return some day. But visitors should know that there are dangers there, and even though Antigua is one of the safest places in Guatemala, one still has to be alert.
80%Overall
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For my work I had to learn the language Spanish . I started with some courses in Holland but that was not fast enough, and also not working well.
For that reason I contacted Maximo Nivel and my first visit and experience was in april 2010 with a first course for two weeks , with 6 hours per day . Everyone in my neighbourhood told me that this would be very intensive and to heavy , but in the way they teach you in Maximo Nivel it was really very good to do.
In April 2010 I really could not speak any word of Spanish , but now after 4 courses of two weeks , even with my age of 55 years , I can speak and communicate in Spanish.
These teachers from Maximo Nivel are really great that they fixed it to learn me a new language .
Also the organisation and the friendly surrounding gives you soon the feeling that you are a part of this big (school) family
For sure I will continue in Maximo Nivel with my courses of Spanish to improve the language more and more.
I can recommend this school to everyone who want to learn the language Spanish.
100%Overall
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Maximo Nivel is amazing at helping out when you need it with any sort of problem or question. They have great facilities and excellent Spanish teachers if you are looking to improve your Spanish. My volunteer experience and home stay was excellent as well with a great deal of assistance and a great cultural learning experience.
I taught English to 4 classes of elementary school kids outside of Antigua and it was a great experience. I volunteered for five weeks, but I wish I could have stayed months and months longer. I feel like I have helped a community while improving my own Spanish. As well as getting to know another community and culture. Overall Maximo did an excellent job in all aspects of my trip and I would recommend them to anyone and everyone!!!
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Alumni Interviews
Meet James Apostolidis, Maximo Nivel-Guatemala alum
James Apostolidis is a 24 year old Australian currently living in the United States. He has a degree in civil engineering from the University of Queensland and has worked professionally in both Australia and the United Kingdom. He volunteered with Maximo Nivel and As Green As It Gets in Guatemala with his partner Kayla Dill from October 2012 to February 2013, and enjoys hiking, travelling, Japanese food, playing guitar and rock climbing.
GO: Why did you decide to volunteer with Maximo Nivel in Guatemala?
James: We were set up with Maximo Nivel in Guatemala through another volunteering agency called IVHQ. My partner and I are in the process of moving from the UK to Australia, and we have a 5 month wait for her visa to Australia to be approved, and so we were taking a break from work and living temporarily in the US in between the move. Its all a bit confusing really, but the gist of it is that we had some time off and wanted to do something useful with that time. We did some research, and the volunteer program in Guatemala sounded great and didn't break the bank.
GO: Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.
James: Our day to day life volunteering in Guatemala usually consisted of waking up early and eating breakfast with our host family, then catching a chicken bus from Antigua to San Miguel Escobar where the As Green As It Gets office is. By 8am we either hike up with the farmers to help harvest or tend to their crops, or hitch a ride in the back of a pickup to one of the construction projects on Volcan Agua. We usually then work doing manual labour until 12:30 - 1:00pm, and get back to Antigua for a quick lunch and our Spanish lessons in the Maximo offices at 3pm.
After that, we get back to our host family for dinner at around 6pm, and from there on the night is ours. Depending on how tired we were / what our local friends were up to, we might spend the night taking salsa lessons, meeting people at a bar, seeing one of the many fiestas constantly going on or just relaxing with a book or a movie. This is our Monday-Friday routine, with the weekends usually set aside for travel to other parts of the country.
GO: What made this experience unique and special?
James: Our volunteering experience was really made special by getting to spend so much time with local farmers and workers - developing genuine friendships with them and getting to share in some genuine cultural experiences. Volunteering for as long as we did, we also got very close with the NGO that Maximo set us up with, and really felt like part of the As Green As It Gets family. We were travelling to fun locations on weekends with the people from AGAIG, as well as taking part in week-long stints in remote areas of Guatemala and helping in the design and implementation of various projects that we feel most shorter-term volunteers may not get the opportunity be involved in.
GO: How has this experience impacted your future?
James: The experience has really impacted the way I view the aid/volunteer industry. There is a seedier side that exists that I hadn't really considered - we were lucky being with great and legitimate organisations such as Maximo Nivel and As Green As It Gets, but spend enough time in the volunteer circuit and you'll also see some less encouraging organisations at work - particularly those centred around working with children. It also makes you realise that attitude is everything - and arriving with a sense of entitlement about volunteering your "free labour" may actually hinder the people that you have arrived to help.
You will also be exposed to a variety of social and economic issues which you may not have considered before - which is generally valuable to experience and broaden your world view. We did so much manual labour and learned a lot of practical construction skills, which will come in very handy when we eventually want to renovate our own house. Additionally, my partner and I are both engineers - so being able to see the difference between design and implementation of various projects was very valuable from a professional standpoint - you really see the value in community involvement. It really is useless to just give a community some new infrastructure without involving them completely - if you want a project to work you need to have the locals understand exactly why they need something, as well as how it works - else it will fall into disuse or disrepair.
Further Info
About Maximo Nivel
Maximo Nivel (Maximum Level)--The Intercultural Center of Latin America
Maximo Nivel is a family-owned, social enterprise founded in 2003. Our three intercultural centers are locally-based organizations focused on international education and cross-cultural experiences. Our programs include: Volunteer Abroad, International Internships, TEFL Certification, and Spanish Language Immersion in three countries -- Costa Rica, Guatemala, and Peru.
Our programs are internationally accredited and are recognized worldwide. Our success is based on our commitment to quality and the highest level of client service. We have an excellent, professional staff and great home-base facilities to ensure your overall experience with us is nothing short of excellent!
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I had a great experience at my program "Rosa de Amor" teaching English. I was on my own in the class so I had the opportunity to get to know all the girls in the orphanage. I had all support from Maximo and Guinness travel when I decide to organized an excursion to the zoo with some of the kids.
Critical Feedback:
Two weeks was too short for me. If you have the opportunity stay at least for a month.