TEFL Certification in Manuel Antonio Beach, Costa Rica

I did my program with Maximo Nivel at their Manuel Antonio location. I had worked with Maximo Nivel in Peru on a previous occasion, so I already knew that the institution was "legit" and had an incredibly dedicated and motivated staff. As was expected, it was an absolutely amazing experience, to say the least. My TEFL trainer (Audra) and assistant trainer (Kevin) were PHENOMENAL. They brought an energy and vivaciousness to the classroom that I very rarely see in other learning settings that quickly inspired the rest of us. They demonstrated a clear passion and enthusiasm for their work that made coming to class every day and learning an absolute pleasure. They made the class fun and engaging, while maintaining a very professional demeanor all the while. The staff at Maximo are phenomenal, and constantly looking for ways to support your success, whether that be during your stay with Maximo or while you are looking for careers abroad. All in all, I cannot say enough good about this program. Overall incredible experience that I will never forget. If I could go back, I wouldn't change a thing.

Taking TEFL with Maximo Nivel in Costa Rica has been the most amazing experience! The school overlooks a beautiful beach, the staff is incredibly accommodating, the course is chalk full of hands on teaching opportunities and the culture here is beautiful. My instructors, Audra Wooldridge and Kevin Martinson made all the difference with their encouragement, vivaciousness and love for teaching. I highly recommend this course to anyone with an adventurous spirit, a love for teaching and an appreciation for natural beauty. Thanks to everyone at Maximo Nivel for making this experience so memorable.

The course was quite intensive, and yet, a lot of fun. Our instructor, Audra, was fantastic!! She is a great teacher who makes tough content easier to understand, dry stuff fun, and brings her wonderful attitude to class every day. She is a wealth of knowledge and offers astute feedback. She truly wants everyone to be successful and was always available to help us out. Everyone at Maximo Manuel Antonio was very friendly and helpful: Kevin (assistant extraordinaire!), Barbara, Karen, Jake, and Brandon. A big heartfelt thanks to all of you!!! I hope our paths cross again soon.

I highly recommend this course (ESPECIALLY with this program) to any and all people who are wanting to change up their daily routine, people who want a productive vacation, or anyone who wants to travel and make a living wage and have fun while doing it. The instructors of the program were amazing, and provided me with awesome job finding assistance, more so than I was expecting, and awesome moral support.
This is an awesome program, and well worth it all.
10 out of 10!

I had a great time at Maximo Nivel and learned so much! I definitely felt prepared to be a teacher by the end of the course, and my knowledge of the English language expanded as well. Karen, my TEFL trainer was especially awesome, and made 150 hours of course material (that easily could have been boring and dry) both interesting and entertaining. And being in Costa Rica definitely didn't hurt! Loved it! I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested.

There are so many aspects of the course that I loved. Our class had really great chemistry that led us to challenge and praise each other often. We had fun, everyday, while teaching and learning from one another. The material itself was interesting. Learning how to teach a language that you speak natively really makes you think about that language in ways you hadn’t before. Karen Wilke was a truly wonderful instructor and I am so happy I was able to take the course with her!

Taking TEFL is easily one of the best decisions I have made after college. It pushed me out my comfort zone, led me to life-changing experiences, and introduced me to some of the most wonderful people I have met during my travels. My trainer, Karen Wilke, is such a genuine, professional, and attentive teacher - easily one of the best mentors of any kind I have met and just an overall remarkable human being. The amount of hands-on assistance and feedback I received allowed me to develop the skills I needed to teach ESL.

Aside from Karen, the rest of the Cosi staff, particularly Barbara Roland and Karen Campos, helped me with any issues or questions I had. It is evident that Maximo Nivel hires only the best. The facility itself is large, open, and has a breathtaking view of the ocean. The small perks like free coffee and tea certainly helped during the early mornings and was much appreciated :) The location is also conveniently surrounded by several restaurants and has a bus stop directly across the road, which was a blessing.

The course itself was very organized, fun, and challenging. It consisted of lectures about how to teach, English grammar, observations of live ESL lessons, consistent feedback, and practical teaching for a full week. By the time the course is over, you will have a strong foundation to teach ESL and be prepared to work in the real world. Additionally, Maximo Nivel was VERY helpful in job assistance, writing recommendations, going over all the options of where I could teach, the perks and cons of each location, payment, etc. I highly recommend this class to anyone who is eager to teach, to live abroad and travel, and to have a fulfilling career in which you are helping the local community and witnessing the results of your work firsthand. A+++ experience! Thanks to those at Maximo for making it one of the best months of my life!

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.

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

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!

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

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! :)

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?!

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!

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!