Maximo Nivel

Maximo Nivel

About

Founded in 2003, Maximo Nivel is a leading organization in study abroad and educational travel. We are an internationally accredited organization with 4 locally based institutes in 3 of the most beautiful countries in the world—Costa Rica, Guatemala. and Peru. At Maximo Nivel, we strive to set ourselves apart and provide the best education and travel experiences in Latin America, as well as top-notch client service and great home base facilities.

Since 2003, our commitment to quality programs and great client service has made Maximo Nivel the leading study abroad and educational travel organization in Latin America. Our job is to provide you with great work-study-travel programs in a safe and supportive environment. We are here to make sure your experience is nothing short of excellent! The Maximo team is available 24/7, so please reach out and let us know when you need support or help along the way.

Reviews

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Ella
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Cusco, Peru TEFL @ Máximo Nivel: Go, do it, you won't regret it

Traveling is usually great, but traveling and coming back with a new skill is better! At the Máximo Nivel TEFL course in Cusco, Peru, I had a terrific time, met some great people, enjoyed the city and all of history and majesty surrounding it. The best thing, however, was the amazing TEFL course itself: wonderful instruction, teaching beginning on the second day with real non-English speaking students, Practical Teaching Week, the extra help that's always available, the dedication of the TEFL team and the support from the entire Institute. Our teachers, Sean and Wayne, were incredibly kind, generous, knowledgeable and experienced. There's a lot of work, but I feel prepared to take my first step and begin a new career as a teacher now, and I can't imagine feeling ready without everything I learned in classes, observations and practical teaching. I cannot emphasize enough how dedicated and professional this course is. If you really want to learn to teach, then go to Máximo Nivel, where they will put you on the path to become the best teacher you can be. I stayed for a few extra weeks and taught classes after my TEFL program ended, and I will be going home from Cusco in April with both an excellent education and real teaching experience. I've fallen in love with my students, and it's hard to imagine that others won't do the same thing.

Pros
  • Academic Rigor: This is NOT an easy course, but it will certainly prepare you to teach. Even if you're retired and starting a new phase of life, you'll be prepared when you graduate.
  • Small classes and personalized attention. There was never a moment when I felt unsupported.
  • Cusco is close to a wealth of historical sites, sacred places and beautiful things to photograph.
Cons
  • People from the US should remember that Cusco is not a US or European city, so the wealth of choices may not always be available. I recommend thinking about this before leaving, so you will be mentally prepared and ready to enjoy.
  • Take some Spanish lessons! Either before your class starts or add a couple of extra weeks after. Máximo offers Spanish classes, and you will need some Spanish if you're going to live in Cusco for at least a month.
  • Showers are not always hot or even warm. But if you have a cold shower, let the international team know and they will fix your situation!
Default avatar
Charlie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Charlie Miles TEFL Review Maxiomo Nivel Antigua Guatemala

I cannot recommend the TEFL course at Maximo Nivel in Antigua enough. It has been such a fantastic experience. Challenging yet fun. I have made some great friends, in the classroom and outside of the classroom. The TEFL was taught so well by our TEFL trainer Mackenzie with endless amounts of support and guidance to get us through and prepare us for the teaching world. The school is a wonderful learning environment. All the teachers are great people and offer support themselves. Definitely do it.

Default avatar
Debra
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Máximo Nivel: Most Incredible Volunteer Opportunity, best decision ever!

Maximo Nivel provides optimum support to not only make the greatest impact possible in my community volunteer experience, but they also provide the best ways possible to experience the culture for both personal enjoyment and growth. I spent a week teaching English in an after-school program for underprivileged children. I believe I had an impact on the children, but they also had a tremendous impact on me. In between the volunteer work, I was able to take in the culture through a coffee plantation tour, a walking tour of San Jose and a Volcano tour, all of which were worth it!

Pros
  • Socialization both in the community and with other volunteers
  • Support services for navigating the program and the culture
  • Excursion opportunities at your fingertips
Cons
  • Transporation is challenging for those who are not city slickers
Default avatar
Adam
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Faultless TEFL Instructor

Mackenzie was a quality teacher. He made each lesson interesting and enjoyable but most importantly he teaches you using the TEFL teaching methods. This means that by the time you get up in front of students you have seen hours of the methods in practice. I would 100% recommend this course to anyone. All the teachers very friendly and will give you all the advice you will ever need. Maximo Nivel also provide all the resources that you will need both for the program itself and for your teaching in the future.

Pros
  • Amazing teacher
  • Fun organisation
  • All the resources for the course and for teaching in the future
Default avatar
J
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Well-organized, great location

I took private one-on-one Spanish language classes 4 hours/4 days/4 weeks at Maximo Nivel Costa Rica (Curridabat location) in Feb 2023. The school administration is very well organized, from the online inquiry stage before I registered, through registration, arrival and orientation, and departure. The admin team is very friendly and professional; I felt they were there to support my learning and also my stay in Costa Rica. They switched my teachers 3 times in 3 days (I'm assuming because of their personal situations), but I understand things happen with people's schedules. Luckily the changes happened all in the beginning. The instructor was great; she tried to tailor the sessions per my interests, focusing on conversation and reinforcing with grammar/practices. She took the time and energy to bring in material we could discuss, based on our conversations in class. In addition, the school offers various activities that are included with the class price--weekly salsa dancing class, weekly cooking class, and tandem conversations (they pair up an Eng-learner and Spanish-learner and they split 1 hour speaking in each language. Great practice). The cafe was awesome to have coffee/tea (free!) and snacks (for purchase--you'll smell them baking brownies). Great value to have all these included with the class price. Location is outside the main San Jose downtown area, near a university, so it's still busy but less hectic than downtown--it's walking distance to train/bus stops, many restaurants, grocery stores. The school is also linked with a small travel agency, so it was really easy to book day trips on the weekends. Highly recommended.

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I wanted an opportunity to change my career path from a dissatisfying corporate job to a rewarding career that can take me traveling around the world and enable me to gain cultural experiences in different diverse countries whilst helping others in learning a 2nd language to enable better job opportunities.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

The Maximo Nivel program provided me with top quality information travel assistance, support staff and teachers who were extremely knowledgeable and made the whole experience extremely worthwhile.

They organized my volunteer program and also the accommodation at my host family, and assisted with holiday and activity options.

What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

If I were to do the course again, I would definitely choose a professional organization that is well-credentialed and respected like Maximo. It makes it so much easier having a strong support base and experienced team.

I would definitely allow for more travel time either before or after the course, so you can get to appreciate the country you are visiting.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

The program is very solid and lots to fit in every day, as it is a compact course.

Having said that, there were still afternoons off and a couple of free days to chill. And an average day consisted of about 8 hours at school with a mixture of theory and practical class observations and activities.

After school, you would generally need to do 2 hours of homework or reading.

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

I guess my only fear was not finishing the course or not being able to do the assignments and lesson plans in time. But the course structure and support of the teachers was a huge benefit in allaying my fears. This made a big difference in my ability to manage the course effectively and get everything done.

Any last thoughts?

This is a really fun and rewarding opportunity. It is full-on but satisfying in so many ways. You learn so much about yourself and build up comradery with people from all over the world, with diverse backgrounds and age ranges. It will give you great confidence and belief that you can do whatever you want to set your mind to.

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

What is your favorite travel memory?

Visiting Panama is definitely my most memorable travel experience. It was my first time traveling alone and I met a lot of new people. Seeing new places, experiencing a new culture and being by myself for the first time was amazing.

I participated in a lot of tours and activities and I learned a lot. This experience motivated me to keep travelling.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

I would love to be part of the Mini Adventure program in Guatemala. I have always wanted to go to Tikal and learn more about the Mayan Culture in Guatemala.

I feel the Mini Adventure gives you the opportunity to visit really nice places in Guatemala in a short period of time.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

I feel proud of my team every time we happily adapt to last minute changes in order to make the participants experience be awesome and unforgettable.

Professional Associations

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