I went to Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica to get my TEFL, and it was one of the greatest experiences of my life. My professor was Audra Wooldridge who is such a brilliant, energetic, and compassionate human. She made the long classes a lot of fun, and she had such a strong passion for what she was doing. I cannot wait to teach English professionally and inspire my students the way she has inspired me. The workload was difficult and heavy, but now traveling to other countries and working in English seems easy because I am prepared. If you are thinking about doing your TEFL in Manuel Antonio, please do it. You will not find another teacher like Audra, and the culture of Manuel Antonio was welcoming and all around beautiful. I will never forget my afternoons at the beach and sunsets with new friends.

From start to finish you are incredibly well looked after. So well organised and ready to help. Audra is an amazing teacher - along with studying in paradise you get the best teacher your will ever have! I hadn't anticipated how much work there is, but it is do-able! Not a reason not to do the course. Obviously its very hot but nice A.C class room. Stunning views, doesn't feel like your'e at school...Very chilled way off life, great sense of achievement when you complete the course and you will be eager to get going - the job opportunities are real!Lots of information and assistance provided. All the staff here have been very friendly and helpful, always providing information of what you can do with your time off....I would recommend coming a week early or staying a week after the course so you can have a holiday! There isn't much time for chilling on the beach...!You wont regret taking this course. Well worth it.

I just finished with this course in Feb and it was a fantastic experience. TEFL Trainer, Audra is an absolute joy! She is always filled with light and makes coming to class everyday, easy. Manual Antonio is not a bad place to have a backdrop either, incredible beaches, friendly people and lots to do! I am glad to have chosen this location, lots to see and the ocean is incredible. The chill environment in Manuel Antonio provides a great backdrop for homework, or a fun night out.
If you are debating this program, just do it, so worth the month and you have a blast doing it. You will have a great time with Audra and your classmates while learning all the skills and practices to become an incredible TEFL Teacher. Get certified and travel the world!!

I chose the Maximo Nivel program in Manuel Antonio because of a Facebook recommendation that said the instructor is AWESOME. (The fact that a glorious beach is just a 10-minute, 56-cent bus ride away didn't hurt.) And the instructor IS awesome -- Audra Wooldridge may be the best instructor I've ever been lucky enough to learn from in my life! Audra teaches TEFLers by expertly using the techniques that we'll use on our own future students, so we were able to experience first-hand how effective they are. Plus she is energetic and witty ... every day was exciting. I finished the program 1 week ago, have had 3 job interviews, and feel confident that at least 1 solid job offer will be made. If you're wondering whether the TEFL certificate is a worthwhile, I say it absolutely is -- esp if you train with Audra at Maximo Nivel!

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!'