Spanish Immersion Program—Costa Rica | Guatemala | Peru

I had the most enjoyable experience. I had not used Spanish since college and had only used Duolingo prior to coming to Costa Rica. I traveled here with a friend, at about the same Spanish level. The staff was excellent, and placed us in a class together. There was just the two of each day and the instructor was perfect. I was amazed at how much I could understand immediately. She spoke about 75% to 80% in Spanish during the class. She was willing to adabt the material when we requested. The town of San Jose was easy to manuver walking, but I wouldn´t recommend driving. The people were friendly and all obviously very proud of their country. Our accomodations were good and a short walk to school each day.

I totally recommend this experience.

From beginning to end my experience with MaximoNivel was wonderful. Jesse at registration was very helpful. We had some scheduling problems and she solved our problems without question. On arrival we were welcomed to Costa Rica and Maximo Nivel and given directions and maps so that we could explore on our own time. Our teacher was always prepared for class and welcomed questions and kind about my terrible Spanglish. Im leaving Costa Rica feeling like I learned alot and am motivated to continue studing Spanish. Pura Vida.

I had two wonderful teachers who pushed me to learn more than i could ever believe in my six weeks.
Did no site seeing only studying espanol.
All of the volunters and employee are great and really care about the individual person attending these classes. my recommendation would be to take individual classes if you are serious about learning.
This is a great country with great people.
Great time!!!!!!

I spent 6 months volunteering in San Jose Costa Rica and had Spanish classes throughout my time here. In total I had classes with 6 of the teachers here and I can honestly say my experience with each and every one of them was great. Although they all have differences in their teaching styles, each taught me a lot. The classes are very conversation based which I think is very important and something that is not always the case in Spanish classes in high school and universities in the United States. I spoke good Spanish when I arrived, but the teachers helped me find my weak points and we worked on those. I feel as though with a combination of Spanish classes and being surrounde dby the language, my spanish improved drastically. I highly recomend the Maximo Nivel Spanish Immersion Program for anyone looking to learn or improve their Spanish, regardless of their current level.

I spend 3 weeks at Maximo Nivel Costa Rica, of which in the first 2 weeks I did the volunteer program (Childcare) and Spanish lessons (2 hours a day, basic level). The lessons were fun and in small groups so the teacher can focus a lot on a student, which is beneficial for increasing the learning progress. I could always ask my teacher for translation on how to communicate with the kids at the program, and for her it was also fun to teach me other sentences other than what is given in the book. After I finished the volunteer program I decided to follow one more week of Spanish lessons, so I asked the Maximo team if it was possible and they were happy to arrange a new class and teacher for me. Due to some circumstances I wanted to change my class and they immediately arrange something else, so I could learn more. The teachers also asked if you want to learn something specifically, which is also good as they will teach you things based on your preferences! I also stayed with a host family, which made the experience even better, because my host mom loved to teach me Spanish and I helped her with English. So every day during breakfast and dinner we talked half Spanish and English to communicate (also because we were both not fluent in the other language), which was actually favorable because we had to try to speak to each other in the other language. The overall team at Maximo Nivel were very helpful and a great support, they are always friendly and have small conversations with you on how its going, just to make you feel really comfortable and excited to be at their location. (Special thanks to the team!). I am already considering coming back to Maximo Nivel, so I highly recommend it to others too!!! :D

I spent 6 weeks at Maximo Nivel (Costa Rica), and I truly loved my program here. I was able to work with two different instructors who both gave me tons of support and pushed me out of my comfort zone at the same time. I was able to spend about half of each class engaged in real time conversation, which forced me to develop the basic skills and vocabulary I needed to think on my feet while talking with others. I spent the other half of my classes learning grammar constructs, which gave me the tools I needed to understand signs and instructions around the city, to order and pay for things around town, and to read and comprehend articles/other short passages. Both of my instructors were very dedicated to the art of learning a new language, and their passion was clearly evident during our time together. I would certainly have stayed 6 more weeks if I had the time!

I was very eager to learn Spanish when I began lessons and I had a great experience. I feel as though I learnt a lot very quickly and was able to start understanding and replying in Spanish during my time volunteering. Elizabeth was a brilliant teacher and I would definitely recommend her to everyone. I have learnt enough in my two weeks of lessons to converse in Spanish and I hope to continue learning when I return home.

I came into this program with no Spanish knowledge and in 2 weeks I find myself having a basic conversation with Maximo staff and locals of my project. The structure of the lessons means that you learn quickly but through conversation rather than a traditional classroom experience. They provide you supplies and the teachers are brilliant! They teach all classes in Spanish which makes the experience that much more authentic! I´m very thankful for having done these lessons and will continue when I go back home!

Today is my last day at Maximo and I am truly sad to go home. I have spent the last 18 days in San Jose Costa Rica having the experience of my life! My teacher Azalea was the best! She made learning fun, was very descriptive and entertaining with her style of teaching which really made the 4 hours a day that we spent together most memorable. The staff here at Maximo are all smiles and truly great people. I have met many people from different countries and walks of life. My host mom was also very accomodating and kind. She did her very best to ensure that I was comfortable and never hungry! lol Overall I would rate my experience a 10/10 and I can´t wait to do it again!

I was in San Jose, Costa Rica, for 6 weeks. I had Spanish classes for one hour everyday and I can say it was one of the best parts of my experience here! My Spanish improved a lot and I always looked forward my classes. Azalea was the best! I was happy I could be with her for all my weeks here! She brought different activities everyday, like a book to read or a vocabulary exercise, and we always had plenty of time to improve my convrsation skills. We became so close, she even took me to a museum for one class! Having one-to-one classes made the difference for me. Not only my teacher, but the whole Maximo team, were very atentive with me all the time, so it felt good having friendly people around everyday! I do recommend the classes! Pura vida!

I completed a 15-week internship throgh Maximo Nivel in San Jose, Costa Rica. With this program choice I also had a daily 1-hour one-on-one class with one of the Spanish teachers, Teddy. Teddy was very quick to pick out which aspects of my Spanish needed improving and was very good on improving my general level of Spanish, as well as my confidence in my own ability to speak the language. These classes, along with the Spanish speaking and bilingual members of the Maximo Nivel staff have helped my level of Spanish to improve and I am very grateful to all of the staff for this. I would recommend this program for anyone looking to improve their Spanish!

My three weeks of Spanish classes flew by in Costa Rica. Everytime you arrive to the building, you will be greeted by the friendly faces of the local staff, who make every effort to make your stay as comfortable and enjoyable as possible. Activites like salsa classes, cooking classes, and pickup soccer games happen weekly, and even though my soccer skills are sub par compared to the locals, I had a great time. I looked foreward to my Spanish classes everyday, impressed at how fun and understandable my teacher Teddy was able to explain things.
I would highly reccomend Maximo Nivel programs.
Thanks so much,
Ean

I saw every Maximo Nivel campus and studied Spanish. They were all great places. My time in San Jose was good as well. My ride from the airport was prompt and courteous. My host family was ready for me and was helpful. They were a really nice family and the daughter was an angel. The projector screen was great and they let me watch my favorite basketball team on it. Everyone was very helpful at Maximo Nivel getting me where I needed to go. They really went above and beyond. The campus was clean and a nice size. My teacher Teddy was very funny and had a great method for teaching me Spanish. I learned a lot in a week. My trip to Arenal and Tabacon was great as well. I enjoyed my experience and would recommend it to everyone.

Hi,

I`m Anni from Germany. I spent two weeks in Costa Rica to learn Spanish at Maximo Nivel. The first week I was in Quepos and attendet the Cosi Maximo Nivel School in Manuel Antonio. I really enjoyed my time! After clsses I went to the beautiful beaches to relax. The organisation at the school was great. In my second week I was in the capitel of Costa Rica, in San Jose. It`s a very interesting city! I learned a lot in my Spanish classes. After school I visited downtown and learned about the Costa Rican coffee production, which was very interesting! The school organized everything very well. I also liked my accomodation - I stayed at a very nice Costa Rican family.
I recommend to learn Spanish at Maximo Nivel!

Anni

Yo estoy feliz que haya decidido tomar clases en máximo nivel. Aprendi mas en dos semanas de lo que jamas hubiera aprendido.
La clases estaban adecuadas a las habilidades de los esudiantese y hizo que la comunicacion con mi familia adoptiva fuera mucho mejor.

I am glad I decided to take classes through Miximo Nivel. I learned more in two weeksthan I thought possible. The classes were tailored to the students abilities and made it possible for me to communicate with my host family and at my volunteer site.