Location
  • Costa Rica
    • San José
    • Playa Blanca
Length
150 hours
Training Type
Classroom

Program Details

Teaching Practicum
Yes
Job Placement
Yes
Certifications
TEFL TESOL
Housing
Apartment Host Family Hotel

Pricing

Starting Price
1495
Price Details
Airport pick-up
Program and safety orientation
Walking tour
Official TEFL Certificate
Letter of recommendation
Lifetime job-finding assistance
Tandem Conversation Program
Office-wide WiFi and computer lab
Salsa dance classes
Cooking classes
Free coffee and tea and on-site snack bar
Institute is open 7 days/week
Emergency contact number 24/7
Lifetime Job Finding Assistance
What's Included
Activities Airport Transfers Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare Travel Insurance
Feb 12, 2025
Apr 15, 2025
55 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Become a certified English teacher by earning a TEFL certification with Maximo Nivel on the beach in Manuel Antonio. TEFL Certification is your passport to living and working as English teacher anywhere else in the world!

The 4-week/150-hour certification program includes more than 15 hours of practical English teaching and observation of experienced teachers.

The TEFL Program consists of 14 modules:
1. Approaches to Learning & Teaching
2. Critical ESL Techniques
3. Class Management
4. Lesson Planning
5. English Grammar Review 1
6. English Grammar Review 2
7. Teaching Grammar
8. Teaching Vocabulary
9. Teaching English with Games
10. Teaching Speaking & Writing
11. Teaching Listening & Reading
12. Assessing Learners
13. Introduction to International English Exams
14. Practical Teaching

Maximo Nivel is internationally accredited and the Maximo Nivel TEFL Certificate is accepted by institutes, language schools, and universities around the world.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion 💙

At Maximo Nivel, we deeply value diversity in all its forms. We maintain an open-minded approach, recognizing the significance of varied perspectives, intelligent discourse, and the transformative power of a positive mindset. We warmly welcome and respect individuals from all backgrounds, irrespective of politics, gender, gender identity, age, race, color, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, or disability. Whether it’s volunteering, Spanish immersion, TEFL certification, international internships, university courses, or GAP year experiences, members of the LGBTQIA+ community are wholeheartedly invited to participate in our programs.

Impact 🌎

At Maximo Nivel, we work in close partnership with our local communities in Latin America to ensure that volunteer projects align with genuine local needs, fostering meaningful and relevant impact. We emphasize sustainable initiatives designed for enduring change, rather than short-term interventions. By promoting cultural sensitivity, we facilitate enriching exchanges rooted in mutual respect, and our commitment to local employment further integrates and supports the communities we serve.

Program Highlights

  • Accredited certification accepted worldwide
  • 15 hours of practical teaching and observation
  • Teach real ESL classes
  • Guaranteed Job Placement
  • Lifetime job-finding assistance

Program Reviews

4.95 Rating
based on 256 reviews
  • 5 rating 94.92%
  • 4 rating 5.08%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Benefits 4.9
  • Support 4.95
  • Fun 4.25
  • Facilities 4.3
  • Safety 4.7
  • Instruction 4.95
  • Support 5
  • Value 4.8
  • Academic Rigor 4.6
  • Job Assistance 4.8
Showing 241 - 248 of 256 reviews
Default avatar
Phillip
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing course that opens so many doors

I have never learned so much about myself in such a short amount of time. It was amazing how this course and my instructor Karen Wilke not only taught me how to teach, but also why we teach. This course has been the starting point to so many opportunities all over the world. To be given the power to teach has changed my life by being able to help others accomplish their goals. I was able to make so many life long friends and the entire facility was just a nice place to be. Thank you Maximo Nivel and Karen for everything.

55 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Reem
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing experience !

Amazing program loved every part of it. Met amazing people. Feel really prepared to be an amazing tefl teacher! Had the best teacher ever ! I absolutely loved Karen! Although difficult at time I would highly recommend everyone to go through with this program

36 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Kayla
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing experience!

I loved my time in Manuel Antonio getting certified in TEFL. It is such an amazing experience and you learn a lot. It is a way to travel while helping to put back in the community. The staff at Maximo Nivel are super friendly and accommodating. Karen our TEFL teacher is amazing! She makes the course so fun and interactive. I loved it so much. The local students, the people in my course, teaching, Manuel Antonio. I love it all. It became home for a month and it was super bittersweet to leave. You cannot go wrong with choosing to do your TEFL here. Pura Vida!

What would you improve about this program?
Emphasize how heavily you will need a computer / should bring a laptop if you have one even though computers are available. And to bring folders to organize all your papers.
32 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Gail
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Spoon the Moon!

To Karen, Barbara, Suzanne, Sarah and all our basico learners:

I will miss all of you so much. Thank you for sharing the most rewarding 5 weeks of my life. Maximo Nivel's TEFL program exceeding my expectations. Becoming a TEFL teacher is a demanding experience. But the expertise and professionalism of the staff at Maximo Nivel made it all worthwhile. They were there 24/7, if need be. They want you to succeed and to become the best you can be.

My muse, my mentor, my friend, Karen Wilke, made it all possible. She was the most amazing teacher I have ever had. She is the angel on my shoulder and, now that I am a TEFL teacher, she is there to continue to support me in every way. Thank you, Karen. Thank you Maximo Nivel!
I would recommend this program to anyone looking for a life-changing experience. So pack your bags, hop on a plane and come to beautiful Costa Rica and become TEFL certified! It was the best thing I have ever done for myself.

Pura Vida!

Gail Doyle
Connecticut, USA

What would you improve about this program?
Quepos/Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica is HOT! Swelteringly HOT! Be prepared for sporadic power outages and deluge rain. Thankfully, the TEFL classroom is air-conditioned. I wished my Tico home had AC as well. Now in San Jose and no need for AC :)
37 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Suzanne
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

TEFL Certification in Paradise...

Obtaining my TEFL certificate in Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica was a life changing experience. If there is one thing that I will take with me after completing this program, it is the understanding that being a great teacher is one of the most challenging professions, which we often take for granted. Fortunately, I chose the right program to prepare me with the various skills and strategies required to teach ESL. Maximo Nivel and specifically my instructor, Karen Wilke, taught me about what it really means to nurture and foster learning, let alone acquiring a second language. As a global thinker who has been to University twice, I've often reflected on the ways that traditional classrooms are taught and whether I retained the information. There are only a handful of teachers/classes in my lifetime that could compare to this past month in Karen's class. She was constantly engaging and knew exactly how to adapt each class to suit each student's learning styles or our moods that day. There was never a time that the tools she taught were forgotten or hard to grasp, because she made learning fun. At the same time, she was constantly demonstrating to us exactly how to teach our own classes.

I will not lie, the program was intense, however, Karen is extremely compassionate and is the ideal teacher you want to model yourself after. I say that this program was a life changing experience because it changed my outlook on teaching and how I can impact the lives of my students. If you are planning to take a TEFL certification, do not even consider completing an online program. There is no way that an online course can prepare you to walk into a classroom and teach, especially if you have no experience like myself. This program gives you the opportunity to teach several classes and even teaches you how to set up your own private lessons (if that is what you are looking to do). This TEFL program was worth every cent and the administration, Barbara and Karen, were amazing as well and extremely accommodating. Overall, great people and great program with a great view! :)

46 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Hayley
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Just do it!!

Studying for my TEFL certificate in Manual Antonio was such a challenging and rewarding experience. I never once thought back to my 'deciding' time in Australia and reading countless reviews. But if that's you right now- just do it!! You will quickly discover if teaching English is for you. I definitely did... And I love it! I can't believe I didn't do it sooner. Plus, studying in tropical paradise ain't so bad! I used to take my lunch breaks looking out over the ocean from a hammock! And back in the classroom we had the luxury of air-conditioning so life was easy. Costa Rica is amazing, manual Antonio gorgeous and Maximo Nivel a dream. The team there would have done anything for us- went so far as to call us "VIPs". The night out after graduating certainly made me feel like it! I don't want to give it all away, but that one night makes the whole 4 weeks worth it! Have I convinced you yet?!

What would you improve about this program?
If I could change one thing... That time didn't go so quickly!! Can't believe how fast it was all over.
48 people found this review helpful.
Dave Garner
Dave
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

TEFL certification Manuel Antonio

My experience was really good, I felt really looked after and supported. I received a welcome pack at the airport pick up which had details and contact numbers in. In the course, my trainer, Karen, was amazing. She was really supportive and loved teaching, she would always be honest but always fair and wanted us to do well and she came in every morning and made grammar enjoyable even! Everyone there was really friendly and supported us, every time I asked for photocopies they were there for me. The location was really nice and a great area to be. Luckily the room we trained in was air conditioned as its very humid! At the end of the course, we celebrated and I was informed that a bus ticket back to San Jose was part of the deal which I didn't realise so was a bonus! I got lots of text books and notes to refer back to as I take teaching forward. I have just accepted a job offer too so this whole experience has been great! In fact, it would be nice to work for Maximo one day as a teacher as feel they are really good!

47 people found this review helpful.
Read my full story
Default avatar
Justin
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

100% quality omg wow best TEFL certification course great people good vibes

I cannot say enough positive things about the month I spent with Maximo Nivel completing their TEFL certification course. The quality of the instruction, the organization and helpfulness of the staff, and the ease of coordination was all impressively top notch. The course is intense, but richly educational, and the instructor is always available and eager to help. If you want to teach English, this is your best jumping block. I landed a full-time teaching job just two weeks into the course thanks to a connection through Maximo. The experience as a whole was professionally and personally profoundly life-changing. I will (and have already begun to) recommend Maximo Nivel to anyone interested in teaching English, studying Spanish, or volunteering. Also, being on the best beach in the world at Manuel Antonio isn't bad either! Stop your search, you have found the creme of the crop!

45 people found this review helpful.

Questions & Answers

Apart from what the others have already suggested, I would also advise that any travel you intend on doing, you are prepared to leave until you've finished or to start beforehand. Manuel Antonio is a beautiful place, and you will certainly have beach time. But don't be fooled! The classes are intensive and require outside-the-classroom prep time. Good luck and have fun!

Thanks so much for your reply. I'd love if you could connect me with them! I'm going to be studying at Maximo in January 2017 and am very keen to teach :)

I would definitely recommend a laptop. You'll need it to work on assignments and lesson plans out of class. The building can get pretty hot, so being able to relocate to cooler locations is a must. Regarding clothes, I wore decent shorts and collared shirts for the classes. For interviews, I would recommend something more business casual.

The cost of the program varies by location and what type of stay you prefer (apartment, hostel, or homestay). I have added a link to the estimated program costs below that you may find helpful. In general, the cost will be somewhere between $2000-$2500, not including your flight. http://www.maximonivel.com/tefl-tesol/prices/