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I took the hybrid TEFL course and I can attest that Maximo Nivel’s TEFL trainer Karen is incredible. Right away she makes you feel welcome and integrates you into the work. She is an excellent teacher and is truly there to support you. I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher. Thank you

Overall it was fine, though the volunteering left something to be desired at times and they definitely could've provided more resources. The staff were extremely nice and helpful though! Overall, a pretty okay experience.

I have had an absolutely wonderful experience here at Maximo under the tutelage of my excellent Spanish teachers. I feel I have really learned and improved a lot in the 2 weeks I spent learning here, and was additionally overjoyed with the quality of the textbooks I am returning home to continue my studies with! Highly recc Maximo Guatemala for anyone looking to immerse themselves in Spanish :)

I really like my whole experience with Maximo! I was here for 5 weeks and didn’t know what to expect but it was so much fun overall. I worked in childcare at CETEE school. You can really tell how much the staff cares for the kids and I felt so welcomed! Maximo was very helpful with everything:)

Taking this course was one of the best decisions I have ever made. This course stands out because of the practical teaching week. I had so much fun with the high basic English class that I taught and gained so much practical teaching experience. My teacher toolbelt is so much fuller now, and I feel ready to attack anything that EFL teaching shows at me!

I did the hybrid TEFL course in June 2026 in Antigua Guatemela. My first two weeks were self paced online and the second two were in person. It was located in the beautiful city of Antigua with create culture and food, I really enjoyed living here. My instructor was Lewis Murphy, he was very English: lots of energy and very experienced and knowledge. There were 4 other onsite students and I joined half way through their 4 weeks in person. I am graduating today and very happy I did this course!

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My expectations have definitely changed, although I’m not quite sure I have a solid set of expectations now. TEFL has really taught me to be prepared for anything and everything, and for that reason I think I’m having trouble setting expectations for the rest of the course. What I can say is that my expectations regarding how I’d be teaching have changed drastically. I’ve always relied on my explanations and speaking skills to teach, so having that taken away and replaced with eliciting and CCQing was quite a challenging task. Though, as said in the faithful TEFL certification manual, the best teaching method is eclectic, which in my terms means : trick question, there isn’t one. Every student, every classroom, and every situation will differ, and that will require multiple different methods in different moments. After being “TEFLed” myself, I really started to understand how and why the method works. A standout moment in this realization was when our instructor, Lewis, taught us a TEFL class as if we were native speaking students. He did this by teaching it entirely in German. I speak English and French, and I’ve learned Spanish, but without that one simple hour I don’t think I’d ever truly comprehend how it feels to be a student in a TEFL class. As you can imagine, it was very confusing and overwhelming at first, but with good elicits and CCQs, I actually felt like I was beginning to understand in a language that had absolutely no meaning in my brain. It was incredible, and since then I’ve been holding on to the compassion I felt in that mock class. So yes, my expectations have changed, but I think it’s fair to say that change is purely positive

Lewis Murphy was my TEFL teacher in Antigua and it was really awesome. I never even knew what TEFL was and I had so much fun with my friends and I will teach in honour of Lewis he isn’t dead but he is leaving Maximo so RIP

I had an amazing time! I thought that my host family was very sweet and accommodating, and loved the way that they handled everything. The school was fantastic, and the kids were able to stay engaged the whole time.

This is one of the best schools hands down. You learn so much and its definitely worth it no matter what time of year you come. The instructors are very patient and open to helping you! I was originally supposed to be 1 week but ended extending for a 2nd week. 1 week was not enough! Love Elaine, Rosa, Sarah, Jorge and etc!

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Great experience here. Had amazing support from Maximo Nivel staff and the host family. Kids were lovely at the school I taught at and it was great to meet the children and form bonds with them. I would definitely recommend Maximo Nivel!

I was incredibly fortunate to have taken the TEFL class at Maximo Nivel in Antigua Guatemala. What a fantastic class! It was rigorous in a way that you wanted to learn and work hard. The teacher, Rebecca, was one of the best I’ve ever had. She made the content so engaging and hands-on, and modeled her teaching in a way that showed us the engaging ways to teach our English students. The practical teaching we were able to do with Guatemalan students was so fun and so helpful and I learned so much. I highly recommend this course.

My TEFL program with Máximo Nivel Guatemala was a fantastic experience. I learned so much throughout the course and really valued the strong practical element that helped me build real classroom confidence. The lessons were engaging, well-structured, and supportive. The instructors, Becca and Claudia, were excellent—knowledgeable, patient, and always encouraging. Their guidance made the whole experience enjoyable and truly rewarding. Highly recommend this program to anyone considering teaching English abroad!

I had a fantastic experience completing the TEFL program at Maximo Nivel in Antigua. It was truly a wonderful opportunity to develop valuable skills and learn so much in such a short period of time. I’m incredibly grateful for the amazing staff and the quality of the course, it’s been an unforgettable experience. Keep in mind, though, the program is quite intensive and requires real commitment, so only go for it if you’re ready to take it seriously

I honestly feel super prepared to teach ESL. The class is hard, but it is super rewarding and you learn valuable and relevant things to teaching ESL. Just be prepared for a lot of homework! If youre going to get a tefl, máximo is a great place to get it.

I took the 4-week TEFL course at Maximo Nivel Antigua and loved it. It was a lot of work, but I learned so much in such a short period of time. My teacher Karen was amazing. She has so much experience and knowledge and she is so generous and will do anything to help you succeed. She made the course 100% worth it. I also really liked the real practical teaching aspect of the course where I taught for one week in an actual English class at Maximo. I also took private Spanish lessons and Maximo was accommodating to make sure it fit in with my TEFL schedule. My teacher Sandra was a blast. She was so funny and nice to practice with. Overall, my experience at Maximo was excellent and super rewarding.

Wayne, my tutor was excellent throughout the entire course and helped massively in getting us to the finish line. It is a very difficult program, but the benefits of the hard work become clear towards the end. Everyone involved was absolutely lovely and great to talk to. The structure of the course is also great, moving methodically through grammar, teaching experience, eliciting skills etc. Overall, although tough, it is very rewarding and taught almost flawlessly, so I would certainly recommend this program.

The TEFL program is a hard one, this is for sure. However, Wayne is one of the most wonderful people I have had the pleasure of knowing. He is the best instructor, so very helpful, encouraging, and enthusiastic. This experience would not have been the same without him or his support. Through this course, I was able to learn more about the English language, and also how to efficiently teach the subject. Currently, I am employed at a language institute in America, and could not have felt more prepared. I owe it all to Wayne, the course, and the wonderful people I met along the way.

It's very hard to describe just in a few words how great studying with Maximo Nivel was! Everyone in the institute is genuine, kind and very supportive. Completing a TEFL course is a lot more intense than I could have imagined (probably the most challenging 4 weeks of my life) but 100% worth it. I feel so grateful I had the best teacher: Wayne Summerbell :) Be prepared to feel challenged (this is definitely NOT a holiday), and more important: be prepared to feel satisfied and happy with yourself once you've made it :) Antigua is the most beautiful city too! It's very easy to get around. As a woman travelling alone, I felt safe during my whole stay there . You'll feel at home in no time :)

My experience was as full of challenge as it was with stress. But the Maximo team was always there to support. It's truly an intensive course to complete in just four weeks, but if you are studying with TEFL trainer Wayne Summerbell, have no fear. The man is genius who brought the best out of all of us TEFLers, regardless of our experience level. Know that through this experience you will meet great challenges, but you will come away with great friends and still have time to experience Antigua or the rest of Guatemala on the weekends. It's a good idea to come a week before the course, or stay a week later so that you can see more of what Guatemala has to offer. You may not have time while taking the course to many tourist activities, but you're sure to enjoy Wayne's wonderful and humorous approach to teaching! I hope some of his magic rubs off on me as I enter the field of ESL!