TEFL Certification with Guaranteed Job Placement in Costa Rica

Hi! My name is Ron and I just finished the 4 week intensive TEFL training course at Maximo Nivel! My instructor was Audra Wooldridge and she's amazing. I've never met a better teacher or trainer! She has a great sense of humor, very high energy and also is very patient and kind with the trainees. She helped me every time I had a nagging question or needed help with lesson planning! Manuel Antonio is a great little tourist town and Quepos, where I stayed is just a short bus ride away! If you like hot weather and lots of fun activities you won't be disappointed. You'll make life long friends too with your fellow TEFL trainers! I highly recommend it to anyone who is thinking of pursuing a career as a TEFL trainer!

Sincerely,
Ron van der Vis

I am so grateful to have had this experience, and I was beyond thrilled that an opportunity like this is an option and it's available to all. It was definitely something that I have talked about doing something like this for so long, I finally came and conquered my fear of the unknown. It was an intense course packed into 1 month. But it was very well managed and the support was wonderful. The office staff and the trainer were amazing human beings. And I completed the course with pride. Not to mention the location of the school, such a beautiful location! The animals at the school made the experience even more exciting, I have a pet at home that is very much like my child and to be away from him for such a long time has been a little difficult but there was a resident cat Mamacita. Such a sweet cat!

I'm writing to thank Audra Wooldrige with (Maximo Nivel) for provide me with an excellent material and tutoring for the TEFL course. I enjoyed working online at my own pace. Once again the material was excellent and I felt that I learnt a lot. It was great to be guided by Audra Wooldridge. She was very good at giving feedback, she pointed out both the positive and negative aspects and suggested how to improve or change things. “I am grateful for all this course has given me. Audra inspired me, kept me on my toes and expertly guided me from an abject fear of working with non-English speakers, to totally loving it. Thanks again for all of your support, kindness, flexibility and for the most part being such a great instructor!

Romerito Coelho

I hope to give some details on my personal experience, and on things that I was looking for in a review before I did TEFL.

I only wish that I would have jumped into this opportunity & experience sooner than I did. I found out about TEFL about 3 years ago, and dreamed and planned...and dreamed & planned. The desire came back around a year ago as well, and for all of life's reasons it wasn't my time to go yet. THEN, November 2018 became official--I was on a plane to Costa Rica, had a homestay set-up in San Jose for my first night, where I woke up to find 3 lovely other students that would be on my journey with me. I would then travel off to Manuel Antonio to take my TEFL course with Maximo Nivel/COSI. Our instructor Audra was hands-down INCREDIBLE. She was not only very knowledgeable and educated but also extremely easy to learn from and get along with. I said it then, and I'll say it again, this course could have been real dang dry and boring, but not with the lovely, energetic, & hilarious prof. Audra in the room! Grammar & literally everything else was 'Fun, Fresh, & Frisky!' My 8 other cohorts and I effortlessly bonded with one-another and sometimes laughed 'till tears in class. This made it easy to retain the information we learned and it kept us engaged in the sometimes grueling 8 hour class days. I'm not going to lie, the course isn't for the faint of heart. It is solidly 150 hours of learning, 40 hour weeks of in-class work, time studying outside of class and a whole week of practical teaching that you will be so grateful for. IT IS SO WORTH THE WORK AND THE TIME. I've never been a big lover of school, but this is the most motivated and best effort that I have given to formal learning--it's the best kind. You will come out the other end alive, and more knowledgeable and experienced than when you went in. Audra doesn't let you go down without a fight (or you know, AT ALL).

I came to this course being shy, hating public speaking, not even sure if I wanted to teach, and not a clue with what I wanted to do with my life. I made it through, I made incredible friends, enjoyed my local Tico Family, loved the heck out of beautiful Costa Rica and I am so grateful that I had Audra and the entire Maximo team on my side, for support & encouragement throughout my month with them. It's very organized, goes like a breeze and there's always a staff member on the ground ready to help you & answer all of your questions.

If you're debating on this, and mulling over whether or not you should dive in and do it, my advice to you is JUST DO IT! And do it with the lovely Maxmio! Do it for me, but most importantly do it for yourself--chances are you won't regret it once you get past any fears you may have. And as they say....'You can do ANYTHING for 30 days!'

The TEFL course through Maximo in Costa Rica was one of the best experiences for me. Audra was incredible and made the course engaging and enjoyable. She taught bus so much in such little time, my classmates and I got stressed a few times, but Audra helped us to feel overwhelmed. Audra did a great job of making sure all of the students accomplished all the work and pushed us to be great teachers.When I finished the course I felt very confident in teaching and knew I would be able to find an amazing job doing what I am inspired to do.

One of my favorite memories from this course would be getting extremely close to the other students in my class and making life long friends. We struggled through and stressed about the course together, but we also finished and graduated the course together, which was such an amazing feeling to graduate TEFL with your new best friends. I never would have thought I'd get so close and share such amazing memories going to the beach and going to class with people I've only known for a month. Overall, this was one of the best experiences of my life and I couldn't have asked for anything different!

TEFL through Maximo in Costa Rica was a life changer for me. My teacher, Audra, was incredible. She was extremely engaging and made the class not only fun, but we learned SO much, I read the reviews that said to be prepared for a lot of intense work – but even knowing that, the class at times felt like a roller-coaster. Through it all, Audra did a great job of affirming the students in her course, and also pushing us to see that we could do the work and be successful. I finished the course, and came out feeling like I had learned as much about what I could achieve as I felt confident in teaching. I am already using the certification to teach in a TEFL classroom in Costa Rica, and it is through what I learned from Audra that I am doing so well with my students.

Also, the location and setting of Maximo in Manuel Antonio was incredible. The people at Maximo and around the town were friendly and helpful. The scenery and wildlife were breathtaking – from oceans to monkeys to mountains to waterfalls, I felt like I was in a little paradise.

This course completely changed the direction of teaching I want to go in. I have an elementary certification and always thought that I would want to teach children, however after teaching ESL and teaching adults I realize how rewarding and exciting this area of education is. The course itself is fun and engagin and I learned SO MUCH. Audra is an amazing instructor and gives amazing feedback to ensure that we are prepared to teach once the course is over. I initially thought that sitting in a classroom for 8 hours in a day would be overwhelming considering I haven't been in school for a long time, however the time flew by everyday! I just finish this course last month and I'm so excited to start applying for ESL teaching jobs and travel the world. Thank you Audra and thank you Maximo nivel!

This class was far more in-depth and effective than I could have ever imagined. While I did get a chance to enjoy the beach and rainforest, this was an intensive course that prepared me to teach English language learners. I already hold a master's degree in education, and I have about a decade's experience working in schools. But this course taught me techniques I've never before even touched upon. Audra is an incredible trainer. Her energy is unmatched, as are her wit and ingenuity. She and her assistant, Nicole, take the time to meet with trainees individually on a regular basis. She was incredibly clear about what she needed from us in terms of our assignments and practical teaching, and more importantly, she knew what we needed to do to best teach our learners. Finally, she made the course fun! If you are having trouble deciding where to get your TEFL certificate, the team at Manuel Antonio is the one to work with. Plus, the view from the school is beautiful (Pacific Ocean and mountains)--a toucan flew right up to me while I was on the school's patio! I can't believe this course was only four weeks long; it was such an immersive experience.