Program Reviews

great experience for learning different cultures and being able to meet a diverse set of people. There is a very good staff when it comes to questions. In the healthcare project, I was able to involved and take vitals of patients. It was nice to be a part of a project where I was able to see the same people everyday. It was difficult to find my way around the city at first but Uber is easy to use here. I recommend having a basic understanding of spanish before coming because you will need to find your way to your project from your homestay.

I had an amazing time doing the Spanish Immersion at Maximo Nivel. My teachers were amazing and the staff were very welcoming and helpful. There were lots of fun activities to do after class and it was very easy to meet and get to know other students.
I've been very impressed with how organized Maximo Nivel is, from airport pickups, to picking amazing host families, to organizing classes. My host family was incredible, I would love to stay with them again. I felt very safe at the San Jose campus even travelling alone as a young female.
Thanks for everything Maximo Nivel!

I absolutely loved my TEFL course with Maximo Nivel. The company makes arriving in Costa Rica very stress free as they help you get to Manuel Antonio and find accommodation, perfect for first time or solo travelers. Taking this course in Manuel Antonio was a wonderful experience as it is truly one of the most beautiful places that I have ever been. No shortage of beautiful hikes, as well as a lovely beach. The TEFL trainer Jackie was absolutely wonderful, she brought so much energy to the classroom, always working hard to find fun and creative way to teach. She was always available to answer any questions that we had whether it was about grammar, jobs, or just life in Costa Rica. She was incredibly helpful and I am so grateful for her support. I cannot recommend this course enough, I feel very prepared to teach English.

My experience abroad was an unforgettable one. I was able to stay with a local that took care of me and showed me their culture. It was amazing and interesting at the same time. I high recommend anyone planning to travel abroad to go without hesitation. It will be humbling but also an eye opening experience. You will meet many people while you are here and make life long friendships. You will also have an opportunity to help out the community and make an impact. No matter how big or small you are changing someones day for the better.

I am so happy that I decided to come to Antigua, Guatemala for my TEFL course. There's always a small part in each of us that's fearful of trying something new, but I can honestly say this was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The environment is incredible and my instructor left me truly feeling prepared to start teaching. He not only taught us by using the methods that we ourselves should use in the future, but he showed us that he really cares for our success by always making as much time as he could for us. I would recommend this to anyone!! If you are scared to try, don't be, because I promise it is worth it!

I had the pleasure of spending one month in Antigua, Guatemala getting TEFL certified through Maximo Nivel. I joined the program having no previous experience and left the course confident in my abilities.

Thank you, Mackenzie for being such a wonderful TEFL instructor. Mackenzie provided timely feedback, quality support, and professional insight.

I definitely would recommend this program to anyone who is interested in TEFL as this is the best place to be with the best training. Thank you so much!

Mackenzie is the best TEFL instructor you could ask for with a course like this. He has been an English teacher and lived in Latin America so he has a ton of experience when it comes to the course. Even with a large group of students he managed to make time for all of us to make sure we had everything we needed to succeed. Not only did he give us all the techniques we needed to teach English but he also gave us several resources for job finding and offered his own personal support and connections. Getting to actually get up and teach the students before even being certified was an incredible experience and helped us learn how to do it with support before doing it on our own. Overall an amazing course and instructor! I highly highly reccomend!

I had to change last minute to the program in Guatemala due to the political unrest in the Peru location. They made this process so incredibly easy. Once I got to Guatemala, the class was really well structured and we got to see how to use ESL teaching techniques first hand as Mackenzie used them to teach TEFL, we then got amazing and practice and feedback during Practical Teaching Week. Overall I feel very prepared to teach English. Especially as I would have been so poorly prepared without it

I did two weeks of turtle conservation in Ostional and it was great! You start off in San Jose, where they provide a host family for you. Here you get all the necessary information (including where you are going) and you get to meet the other volunteers. How to get to that location is well explained and they give you the exact cash so you don't have to worry. I lived in the dorms in the ranger station and it was so nice! Jairo, the rangers and Yami (the cook) are incredible friendly and helpful. The food was great and there are some places to get snacks/smoothies nearbye. It was very hot when I was there but the coordinators try to create the planning in a way that you can work before or after the peak hours, which was great. The fun part about this is that all the research that you do, goes to a national database so everything you do is valuable which I loved.

The overall experience was great and I really recommend it to others!

I am a single female that enjoys travel, and was very interested in getting back by doing some volunteering. Maximo Nivel made this all possible with their warm and caring team. They helped me understand the cultural nuances to navigate my way. I felt safe and in a community of people that cared about the same things. I would highly recommend this for anyone interested in giving back while traveling the world. I really enjoyed being immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture. Maximo offers many Spanish classes. Did you were able to take while you’re here. They help you with making donations to the group that I was working with. OK I was just only chI really enjoyed being immersed in a Spanish-speaking culture. Maximo offers many Spanish classes. You were able to take while you’re here. They helped with coordinating donations to the group that I was working with.