TEFL Certification in Antigua, Guatemala

I just finished a one month intensive TEFL course at Maximo Nivel and I truly enjoyed my time there. My home stay was lovely, more of a bed and breakfast/inn vibe than a proper homestay and I had the best time there, great food, strong wifi, clean home. The staff at Maximo go above and beyond to make sure their clients have everything they need. They know most people my name and often check in to make sure everything is going smoothly. The facilities are great. There is a beautiful courtyard with a fountain in Casa I and a lovely terrace in Casa II with weekly social activities, salsa lessons, cooking lessons, chips and guac. What made the experience so wonderful, however, was the TEFL Trainer, Karen Wilke. She is an inspiration and a true joy to be around. She paces the course so well and is very knowledgable. Karen reinforces the ESL methodologies she is teaching by using them to teach. Her observations and feedback were so detailed and really did help me become a better teacher. I would highly recommend this program, most importantly because Karen Wilke is the trainer.

The Maximo Nivel TEFL course in Antigua was an excellent experience. The support Maximo provides, from airport pickup upon arrival to providing space to store your luggage while you travel after the course, and everything en between, was superb. The Maximo team works hard to ensure that you will feel comfortable and have everything you need while completing your program in a foreign country.

The course itself was intensive- you can have fun, but be prepared to work hard and learn a lot too. Upon completing the course, including a week of practical teaching in a real classroom, I felt well equipped to teach English myself. Karen Wilke, the teacher, was an amazing example of what a teacher can and should be, in a class about teaching. What more can you ask for in a teacher? She consistently utilized techniques that she was teaching us to to be able to utilize, so we understood firsthand just how effective they are. She truly cared about our success in the course and in our teaching careers afterward, and provided and continues to provide invaluable support with her extensive TEFL experience.

Guatemala is a beautiful country with warm, friendly people and tons to see and do. Antigua is an excellent home base for experiencing what the country has to offer. I am very happy with my decision to take the TEFL course there and would highly recommend it to anybody else interested in TEFL.

This was honestly an eye-opener for me I had no idea what I was going into when I decided to take this course I was unprepared for the amount of love and support I was going to receive when coming to this course. Choosing to go to Guatemala was a stressful point for my parents and I'd be lying if I said I felt safe visiting Guatemala. Media portrays it as a place of violence and turmoil, but I can say with confidence that a lot of those rumors are untrue. This is coming from someone who walked home at least twice a week after 1 in the morning and I'm a female ( I'm in no way advocating for people to do this, I HAD NO DATA FOR AN UBER, which is dirt cheap here, invest in a sim card guys, also really cheap I was just lazy). Any ways my point is don't believe everything you see or read, this place is beautiful and the people even more so. My trainer Karen was one of a kind and such an inspirational figure she pushed each and everyone of us and the people at Maximo international department were truly angels. If you're thinking of going anywhere give Guatemala a go who knows you might just love it.

The TEFL certification course was well organized and interesting. Our TEFL Trainer, Karen Wilke was full of energy and great knowledge and experience. She recognized our strengths and worked towards that rhythm. Initially, I was very nervous as I was going back to study after decades. But within a week I was very comfortable and looking forward to this new adventure. It was well balanced with the assignments and lots of examples and demonstrations were shown before we went into practical teaching. We made some good friends during this course and met people from different cultures and beliefs. In the end, we became very comfortable and I partly wished this never ended. The practical teaching on the first day was nerve wrecking, but very quickly I felt at ease. The Students were very friendly and warm. I enjoyed the course and would recommend it to anyone looking to get this certificate.

First of all, don't think of Antigua, Guatemala as a place to avoid. It is a beautiful colonial city in a developing country. Everywhere in the world has dangerous pockets and safe pockets and Antigua is definitely one of the best spots in Guatemala. Of course, take precautions when it comes to your safety but you should do that anywhere. Plus, Guatemala has Lake Atitlan and Tikal to check plus a bunch of other things that I would check out if I had more time.

Karen is a very experienced trainer that will help you out through this process. The program spends a week covering teaching theory and philosophy, a week of English grammar, a week putting this together, and then a week teaching an actual class. Before I took this course I had heard from many people to avoid a lower hour number course and I'm glad I listened to that advice because I don't know how I would feel prepared to teach with much less training plus I have noticed on many job postings from Asia that they will not accept TEFL certifications below a certain hour number or without actual teaching. I definitely recommend this course specifically but if you choose a different course make sure you choose a higher hour number course or you will be wishing you had.

The whole team at Maximo Nivel was amazing, and for the sake of time I will just say this: any positive superlative (a subject I presented on in Maximo's TEFL program) you could think might apply to an international TEFL program applies to Maximo. They are truly great!

Karen Wilke, our TEFL instructor, was amazing and gave so much of herself in helping everyone in the class put forth their best work. She's knowledgable, makes the material relatable, and does it in a way where class was often fun and funny. Not something I expected from a TEFL program.

I left this program feeling like a better teacher, and would highly recommend it to anyone who is interested in become a better teacher, getting a TEFL certificate, and experiencing a new country.

I had an AMAZING experience during the TEFL course at Maximo Nivel in Antigua, Guatemala!

I came to Guatemala on vacation and had not wanted a job so that I could decompress and reflect. However, a week and a half before the course started I fell into a teaching position somewhat arbitrarily. I hadn't yet volunteered in Guatemala so I felt that teaching achieved this because of the difference in pay that I had been accustomed to.

I had also wanted to apply myself to some activity, have fun, and contribute to society. After a week of teaching English for the first time, the administrators told me that I needed a TEFL certification. This course allowed me to achieve these goals!

I decided to take the TEFL course at the last minute and I'm very glad that I did! Karen Wilke was my instructor and she proved to be the best teacher that I've had in my life. That's saying quite a lot given that I'm 39 and have had many academic and professional instructors.

Karen had an excellent blend of "art and science" and she helped me draw ideas from her varying methods to develop a hybrid teaching approach of my own.

Karen also made the course fun, which was essential given it's rigorous nature. Several of us students said that we would have been completely miserable if the course hadn't been fun.

Our teachers were phenomenal in all aspects! The course was tougher than what I expected but the support was great! Maximo Nivel is such a professional organization, I can’t recommend them highly enough!

Antigua, Guatemala is such a beautiful destination - I would definitely suggest taking more time to explore either side of the course to explore more of this wonderful country!

There are so many great activities that Maximo provides on a daily basis too, you honestly feel like part of a big family. The graduation event was a really special end to a wonderful month!

I can’t thank you Maximo Nivel enough for providing such a great ambiance for us all to learn all aspects of TEFL! I can’t wait to get out there and use everything I learned to teach, teach, teach!!!

Maximo Nivel's TEFL course in Antigua exceeded my expectations by a long shot. Everything was clear, organized, and packed with info and prep to become the best TEFL teacher as possible. Karen Wilke is the instructor and is extremely experienced. She directs the class in a fun, personable way, while constructively encouraging her students to work harder to perform better. The first day she said, "I will give you 200% and I expect half of that." By the end of the course, that statement was completely true. I would suggest this course to all my family and closest friends if they were interested in taking TEFL.

Also, GO GUATEMALA! It's the most beautiful country I've seen. Furthermore, Antigua (look it up!) is a beautiful historic city that feels like a vacation all the time with all its restaurants, cafes, panaderias, and terraces within walking distance.

I highly recommend the course with Maximo Nivel in Antigua. This TEFL course is very hands-on and prepares you to teach in the classroom. This course includes learning teaching strategies and methodologies specific to teaching English as a foreign language and includes practical experience that gives you the opportunity to teach starting the first week of the course. Each week we taught mini lessons and during the last week of the course we were student teachers. At the end of the course my cohort and I were confident and prepared English teachers. Out TEFL teacher Karen was extremely knowledgeable, energetic, creative, and fun, but most importantly supported us throughout the course in growing as English teachers, providing us with valuable feedback along the way.

I specifically enjoyed my time in Antigua, Guatemala, which lies below the shadows of three volcanoes, is a quaint Spanish colonial town with cobble-stoned streets, friendly locals, great food and nightlife, and an exciting local market. It also is a great base to go to various places including the beach and Lake Atitlan, which can be visited on weekends during the course.

Maximo has an international team which supports you with anything that you need throughout your course - from housing, to activities to participate in during your time in Antigua to helping you find medical advice and treatment if needed. Overall this organization as a whole is organized, helpful, with friendly staff to help you with whatever you need while in Guatemala.

Our instructor Karen Wilke was knowledgeable and she was always there to help. I love her energy too, kind, good-hearted, intelligent, funny and smart :) You'll enjoy taking your TEFL there.

Maximo Nivel is a good school (I took Spanish there). The location is incredible, you're close to museums, libraries, the Parque Central where the banks are, restaurants, market, stores, everything you need.

After I took TEFL there, they interview you in case you like to work there. They have TEFL schools in Guatemala, Costa Rica and Peru so lots of possibilities.

Antigua, Guatemala was a wonderful place to take TEFL. It's safe, secure and very beautiful there. Maximo Nivel had everything I needed too. We have a computer room there, tutoring, coffee/tea (all free to students).

Really wonderful course that has me feeling fully prepared and equipped for a new career. Karen is empowering and inspiring as a teacher and gives us a lot of resources and support. It is a challenging course that really gives us the full experience so we are ready for anything. I really appreciated the flexibility of the Hybrid program since I couldn't take much time off my current job. This was new territory for me so I wanted extra time with the first online portion of the class, to really let it marinate in my mind. The onsite portion was intense but engaging and very hands on. Karen really led by example and was always available for support.

Antigua is a wonderful exciting city to do TEFL, I would recommend spending some extra time before or after your course to do day trips since this course will keep you busy!

This isn't your typical TEFL/TESOL course. The entire month is a beautiful growing experience that I would recommend to anyone and everyone. Even if you don't plan on teaching English full-time or long-term, the certification is almost like having additional job security. The TEFL instructor here in Antigua is completely qualified, very knowledgeable in all things English, linguistics, teaching, traveling/ living abroad, etc. NOT to mention, she's just one of those amazing people in your life whom you will never forget.
Maximo provides so much support outside of the classroom. The facility is gorgeous, clean, perfectly-located, and peaceful. Antigua is a beautiful little colonial town, full of welcoming locals, fellow travelers, and comfortable accommodations. Endless restaurants, hidden gardens, beautiful ruins to explore during your free time. With awareness and precaution, you shouldn't have any problems of safety.
As far as the STAR of the review goes, the course itself: I can't properly convey how much information, wisdom, methodology, confidence, friendship, and experience I gained from this month-long TEFL program. The course work didn't always feel like a breeze, but I also never felt too overwhelmed at any point. Many Antigua-based TEFL students end up staying longer than planned.
I'm so glad I made the leap. If you're looking for a the best TEFL course all around, congratulations because I strongly believe you've found it.

I had a wonderful time at Maximo Guatemala! I met wonderful new people that I am still close friends with 2 months later. I loved it so much in Antigua that I am now living here full time. The course was thorough and prepared us well for our coming job search. The academic office was very helpful in resolving any issues we had during our time in Antigua from finding the best coffee in town to signing up for Spanish classes during our TEFL course. They allowed me to make last minute changes to my living situation and helped my transfer the extra money from housing to Spanish courses. My host family was AMAZING and we are still great friends. The highlight of the course was Karen, of course, who made each day fun even when there was plenty of work to be done. 10/10 would recommend!

I took the TEFL certificate course last month and it was amazing. Karen, our tefl trainer, made the whole experience a wonderful learning process. You get to do a lot of practical teaching since the beginning of the course til the final week which was my favorite one! The practical teaching week is challenging but rewarding in the end. Karen will make sure you feel motivated all the time! Antigua is THE place to get your TEFL certificate because Karen is THE teacher :D !