Teaching English—Volunteer in Peru!

this was definitely one of the more interesting programs. I truly had such an amazing experience here. I think If i were going to recomend this program to someone, I would definitely say to bring a friend. when you are in a place where no one speaks english, it can feel quite isolating. but the people are so friendly and kind it will truly change your life.

I came into this volunteering program with scared feelings of what to expect. However, as time went on, I could not have had a better experience than I did. And If time allowed I would do it all over again a second time.

Volunteering was a once in a lifetime experience. Everyone was so friendly and super supportive. I never once felt unsafe or unsure of what to do. Working with local communities was great and they helped me practice my Spanish as I taught them English. Would recommend this experience to everyone and will for sure be coming back to volunteer through Maximo!

This experience was amazing and a once in a lifetime opportunity. We absolutely loved making connections and interacting with the children. Even the man in charge of Un Mundo Mejor was very welcoming and kind in showing us the ropes and helping us figure out our bus stop. This trip would not have ran so smoothly if it weren't for Maximo Nivel. They made it clear from the beginning that they valued our safety and experience within the program. I felt very safe and secure considering the fact that the employees of Maximo Nivel worked hard to ensure that we were provided with good food recommendations as well as information about where to get access to clean water and how to stay away from potential dangers. I am very grateful that we had a family at Maximo Nivel to come to in case we felt unsafe or had any questions or concerns. Overall, I really value my experience within the program and I am glad that I participated!

I spent a week teaching English in the middle of the Andes with Maximo Nivel. I taught at a small local school called Un Mundo Mejor in a small neighborhood on the outskirts of Cusco. It was such an amazing experience. Between the kids coming to class and the help from Maximo I always felt looked after and ready. 10/10

I taught English in the outskirts of Cusco in a small rural community called Puerto Rico. I taught at a school Called Un Mundo Mejor. It was an amazing experience! I got to work with a small class of about 8 students and we learned a lot. Maximo Nivel was with me the entire journey and helped me with everything I needed. 5 Stars all around!

These past 2 and a half months have been absolutely incredible! I'm deeply grateful to everyone who made this experience so magical. Everything about my placement was perfect! The guidance I received, Maximo's constant support in preparing or printing the lessons , and the wonderful local people I got to meet.

The staff of Maximo Nivel, my homestay, and American Inca Trail were wonderful. I felt safe and guided the whole time. The cooking class and salsa classes were nice additions that I took advantage of. Don't hesitate to ask questions and seek assistance when needed. Thanks!

Maximo Nivel has been incredibly accommodating. The staff here are incredibly helpful and friendly, and the volunteering I did (teaching English) was incredibly fulfilling. I cannot recommend Maximo Nivel enough, if it your first time travelling abroad there is no better company to start with. As well as this, the opportunities they provide, such as cooking, salsa and the tandem program are all very fun and a great use of your time.

I had the most incredible experience teaching English at Qosko Maki with Maximo Nivel. I am sad to be heading home so soon. This was my first project with Maximo Nivel and it will certainly not be my last. I already cannot wait to come back. Thank you for the most fantastic two weeks of my life! Until next time, adios.

I have been volunteering with Maximo Nivel in Cusco, Peru, for the past three months and have absolutely loved my time here! I just graduated college and wanted to take a gap year before going back to school. I have several friends who took a similar break but spent it backpacking through South America instead of staying in one location for a length of time. Although there are definitely benefits to both, I seriously recommend spending time in one place volunteering through an organization like Maximo! In these past few weeks I have gotten to know the culture and people of Cusco in a way that is not possible if you spend your time quickly traveling through places or staying in hostels. First, my volunteer projects have been an incredible way to meet locals and make a difference. My project is teaching English and it has been really cool to watch people who initially knew no English improve to speaking full sentences. Maximo Nivel comes by and checks on the projects every week or so to make sure it is going smoothly and is willing to work with you if there is ever a problem with the project. About a month ago I approached the Maximo staff with an idea to start a new project in the area that is more directly related to my academic interests. Instead of dismissing this because it would be a difficult project to start, they went out of their way to make this new project possible and I am currently working with them to help start it! I have met many other people who are here on a gap year between schools as well and Maximo wants to make sure that your experience with them best prepares you for whatever job or school you are hoping to gain entrance to upon your return home. I had to take the Law School Admission Test while I was here and they were willing to work with my schedule so I had plenty of time to study and volunteer! Additionally, I have loved living with a host family here in Cusco. My house mother is incredible and cooks great meals. I was a little worried about living with a family after living on my own in college but my house mom is always willing to help me with things while also giving us freedom to come and go. Maximo also offers Spanish classes to volunteers and can pair you up with a local so that you can meet up with them on your own time to practice speaking Spanish and English. My Spanish has improved a lot because of this! If you are trying to figure out how to spend time abroad or where to spend it, I highly recommend coming to Maximo Nivel in Cusco. Whether you plan to be here for one week or six months, Cusco offers incredible sights to visit in your free time. I became really good friends with my house mates and was able to travel to various places with them on the weekends and during the day when I was not volunteering. The people of Peru are very welcoming and I guarantee you will have an incredible time getting to know both the people and city of Cusco!

I volunteered with Maximo Peru in Cusco for 3 weeks teaching English in October 2017 and what an amazing experience it was! From the moment I arrived to the day I left I was given all the help and support I needed from the superb Maximo team on the ground in Cusco. My living accommodation was great and my host family were so hospitable I felt like a member of the family! I was teaching English in an after school program to children between the ages of 6-12. They had an infectious happiness and willingness to learn that it made my time with them enjoyable and fun everyday whilst I was making a real impact to the quality of their written and spoken English. I would highly recommend Maximo Peru for any volunteer program you´re thinking of doing! Karim (London)

After teaching English to young children in Bolivia(who were lovely but also a little too rambunctious at times!), it was a delight to teach such studious adults who were also so relaxed and enjoyed a good laugh. Classes varied between 6 and 8 students and many had worked long hours before class so it was inspiring to see how hard they worked so that they could improve their English and eventually improve their career opportunities down the line. Most classes are focused on speaking and listening which made it more fun and we shared a lot of good times. Thank you to Maximo and thank you to all the great students who we worked with at Qosko Maki!

This was my first experience and I can only rave about what a wonderful experience it was. The support and encouragement offered by Maximo Nivel staff certainly enhanced my experience, they were always available and so appreciated. Being a part of the community at qosqo maki was heart warming and the people I worked with were so incredible and so bright and oh so willing and motivated, i gained so much from this experience and it is one I will not soon forget. This is the way to travel, and having the opportunity to become immersed in the community has made this such a valuable experience.

I taught an adult class at Qosqo Maki and it was a fabulous. Lots of support from Maximo Nivel and had a wonderful time. we missed some of the social activities that took place in the evenings as our classes were in the evening but Maximo Nivel let us come back the week after and we had so much fun, took a cooking class, silversmithing demonstration etc. We met some wonderful people and even though most of the other volunteers were decades younger than we were, I just enjoyed it so much.

I spent three months in Cusco during my gap year volunteering at an after school program for children in a poor neighborhood. The establishment provided students ages 4-15 with help from teachers and access to computers with wifi. I went not knowing what to expect in terms of teaching English classes. It was hard to organize formal classes because children's main priority was finishing homework. This meant the classes had to be entertaining to capture their attention or sometimes they simply did not have time to devote to learning English. However I would help out in whatever capacity I could - lending a hand with English homework, reading with them, helping the staff with things that needed to be done around the building. All this to say that although I wasn't doing exactly what I had pictured I was still able to form connections with the children and to work with them in a meaningful way - something that was most valuable to me. I would definitely advise keeping an open mind, striving to be flexible and being active in offering to help in whatever capacity you can. If you are able to do that you will no doubt walk away with a meaningful experience to carry with you for the rest of your life.

"Yijia, shall we play Chaba on Christmas Day?" "Oh I won't be there at that time ..." "Porque!!!!!" Frankly speaking, I burst to tears at that moment. I went to Peru for the English teaching programme around Cusco for one month. It was my first time travelling to Latin America, but I felt a strong sense of belonging very soon. The children I worked with were really impressed. They were kind, passionate and strong in their hard lives. It was really hard to express how much I loved them, how much I wanted to make a difference for them, and how much I was eager to stay there for long-term help and never leave. Before going there, my dream was to be a secondary math teacher in New Zealand. Now I am still keen on mathematics and education, for their great power to make the world a little better. I have realised that coming back to uni and the normal life is not only a sad farewell to those cute children, but also an opportunity to improve myself. I am longing to have more multicultural horizons, be more professional in my major studies, and set foot on a higher level of the life. Only when I make my experience enriched enough in all aspects can I give the children, who are forgotten at the edge of the world, more material assistance. This year I am 20 years old. I have some new life goals. Thanks for the valuable experience, as well as Maximo Nivel, I met a group of great dreamers at the international office there. ❤

I spent three weeks teaching English to kids at Inti Runaqunak Wasin in Cusco and it was such an amazing adventure! Those kids are just awesome. I had so much fun with them as they were always smiling and full of energy. They were divided into two groups and we had classes four days a week, Mon – Thur. Friday was a sports day and we would usually play football or fly kites. I think the best part of this whole experience was to watch how the kids are willing to learn, help each other and fulfill their duties. They were always incredibly polite and you could really see that they were very grateful and generous, as they would share everything they had with you. Inti would not work so well without its staff. They are wonderfully warm and welcoming people with hearts of gold and they run the place with great passion and dedication. Also, a big thanks to all the Maximo staff, especially Daja, my project coordinator, who was always very supportive and encouraging.

I've had another experience teaching English (unofficially) overseas, but I must say, Maximo Nivel was head and shoulders above the other organization. I was very impressed with the individual attention, starting with emails while I was still at home. Once in country, the orientations and introductions to the individual assignments were incredible. This can be a very "flexible" experience, as we are volunteers, plans change, life "happens." The thing that stood out to me was the sincere goodwill of the staff, their on-going attempts to provide us with answers, reinforcement and support. I was also especially happy to be working with adults-- my previous experience was with a summer school program for 6th and 7th graders. What a delight to teach people of all ages who were anxious to learn English, to improve their English! And what warm-hearted people I found in Cusco! Thanks Maximo Nivel!

Learning any language requires a good reason for doing so,and in Cusco one of the reasons is that 2,000 vistors a day visit Machu Picchu - a fair percentage of them speaking english - and a vasr majorit transit through Cusco. Helping the girls study English,one can only hope that they can eventually tap into these numbers to get them employment and a secure future. Let alone English being a massively useful language in itself for the internet and business and travel. Our classes - of which we had 3,1 hr classes one after another,were teaching workers at the old people's home and teenage girls - about 16 in all - and we gave them opportunities to speak and use as much english as they could.Considering it was at the end of the day,I felt they were dedicated students - they were polite,happy and gave us warm smiles and good feedback. Overall, the experiemce was great fun and I hope that in the short time I contributed,that they gained something.Thanks to Maximo Nivel for organising this, Peter Cole Gold Coast Australia