Maximo Nivel

Program Reviews

Michael
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Very good course

The entire course was very enjoyable, the teacher made what would be a heavy course very fun, and I am now filled with confidence going into my new career as an English teacher. The course itself was great fun, despite being incredibly heavy, we still managed to enjoy ourselves the entire time. I would absolutely recommend the course itself to people, as well as recommending the teacher.
Furthermore, the international staff who help us out were especially helpful, making sure that we were safe and looked after while getting used to the new surroundings.

What was your funniest moment?
Whenever reading, the teacher would often get us to read out chunks of text in accents. Sufficed to say it was a hilarious car crash.
Lacy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing experience

It was a great trip! I especially loved staying with my host family— I got to play fútbol with my little host brother on my free afternoons. It was incredible to get to stay there in the city with locals and walk around wherever I needed to go. I never felt unsafe walking around Antigua, which I was glad about! There were so many things to see and so may cool places to try. I did the medical program, and it was well-organized in such a way that I could enjoy breakfast before hopping on a bus (sooo fun!!! The buses are inexpensive and a fantastic way to meet people and see the area) to go to my assignment and then ride back midday with the rest of the afternoon free!

What was your funniest moment?
There was a free salsa dancing class one night, which was fun as we all tried to follow along with our very-energetic instructor 😂
Pros
  • I felt more confident in my Spanish by the end of the trip!
  • I met great people!
  • I gained confidence in traveling and serving in an unfamiliar place.
Cons
  • Just a few friendly cockroaches
Tejis
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Medical Volunteer Review

I was impressed with the facility I worked at and how much work goes on. The nurses work so hard and it was incredible to see the efforts and impact. I felt I was able to help out but wish I could have done more hands-on activities. I felt like I was contributing but wish I could have helped more in a medical sense. I have a lot of experience there but was not really putting that to use. However I still got to assist where needed and I was able to learn a lot about a different culture and a new hospital setting.

Pros
  • Safe
  • Social
  • Busy
FABIENNE
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I had such a great time

I made my medical internship as a nurse. I did homevisits. And that was a unique experience. I loved my work and go to the patients at home. I had to take the vital signs and bloodsugar. I could make advices what they not should eat because having diabetics. I checked if they suffer of any pain or other problems. They were very grateful. Unfortunatly my spanish was not very good so sometimes I couldn't understand what they said. But my colleagues from mis años dorados always helped me. I had a really great time here. I will miss it!

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
I saw a lot of poor people. Living without water and electricity. But they all having a smile on ther face. They are grateful about the things they have.
Yanitza
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Medical Volunteer

It was overall a great experience to be able to be here and volunteer some time. I do feel like there are some limitations with the amount of help we can provide due to resources and also the inconsistency of patients arriving to the clinic while staff is available to help. I wish we could have done more for the population while we were here but there were some days where no patients showed up at all or only some that confirmed came. I overall enjoyed my time and would definitely consider another medical trip. I would hope to stay longer to have a better ability to do more work not just medically but also some other volunteer work as well.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
Travel to Pacaya volcano and got to see all of the amazing landscape!
Pros
  • Great travel sites
  • Affordable food
  • Safe city
Cons
  • No air conditioning or fans at home stay
  • Limited medical coverage
Andrew
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing time!

From start to finish the staff at Maximo was very helpful and attentive to our needs throughout the trip. Initially the change was different from what I used to, but with the help of the Maximo staff and clinical staff, it went smoothly. Maximo also proved multiple free activities to engage in throughout the week. This allowed for different students and volunteers to connect! If you have the opportunity to volunteer or take classes in any of the multiple sites that Maximo has available, I definitely say go for it!

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?
Pepian was a local food that was recommended and it tasted absolutely amazing. At first I was hesitant because it was a stew and Guatemala is hot, but the two some how magically worked together really well!
Pros
  • Education of culture differences
  • Travel/tourism
  • Connecting with others
Conal
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Very well taught

I loved the course, Quepos is beautiful and I loved teaching. A lot of this would come down to my TEFL trainer who was brilliant. Annabelle is an AMAZING TEFL trainer, and made all the lessons so fun and engaging! I also had practical teaching experience and loved working with the students. Whilst I was very sad for the course to end, this course has landed me a job as I am now working for Maximo in Peru! The only downside is that it is very hard work but it’s a good qualification in the space of 4 weeks. I would do it again :)

Robin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great TEFL Program with Maximo Nivel in Cusco, Peru

This was a small TEFL program embedded in an institute with an English language program for folks in Cusco, which made the practice teaching quite authentic. There were many additional options, like tandem conversations, cooking classes, salsa classes. The teaching was excellent - Sean Barter is an enthusiastic expert teacher. We got a lot of detailed feedback and learned a lot in a short period of time. I loved Cusco - the mountains, the sky, the people, the food -- I'm so glad that I went. I highly recommend the program.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
I would stay in Peru for longer!
And if I had longer, I'd try to learn Spanish.
Pros
  • great course!
  • good people!
  • beautiful country!
Cons
  • host family house was cold at night
Ellie
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

This course is amazing!

I never imagined that I would get so much from a four week course. Wayne's one of the best teachers I've ever had - with his help, all of us on the course felt very guided through the (admittedly challenging workload). I feel so much more capable of teaching after this course, particularly after the practical teaching week. It definitely put me outside my comfort zone, but for the best!
Everyone on the course was also incredibly lovely, and we were all keen to help each other out. Speaking for all of us, we all found this course pretty transformative.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
My most nerve-racking moment was the first lesson of practical teaching week. It was intimidating to teach a full lesson for the first time, for sure. But, the only way to overcome it was to just do it, and the teaching throughout the rest of the week became gradually easier.
Pros
  • Wayne's teaching
  • Practical teaching experience
  • Beautiful city!
Cons
  • None!
Monica
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

I learned a lot.

I've been an English teacher for 20 years and I had never taken a TEFL course before. I decided to take Maximo Nivel's course because of all the wonderful reviews and ratings (I visited webpages that selected the best TEFL Programs and Maximo Nivel was one of them). I’d say this course is worth it. It teaches you things to help you teach, and in my case, since I did it online, this also helped me improve my discipline and perseverance. If you're a teacher like me, I can tell you, it helps you improve your technique. I also learned things that I didn't know and that was really nice. I immediately started including all the new knowledge in my classes and I liked what these new techniques and ideas were helping me achieve. Overall, I’d say go for it!

What would you improve about this program?
More practices would be great (to get better and better) and after that, a job offer :D
Pros
  • I improved my teaching
  • I learned to be more disciplined
  • You have possible job opportunities
Cons
  • Webpage could be better
  • In my opinion, the online program is mostly for people who have had some experience teaching