Spanish Immersion in Antigua, Guatemala | Guatemala Spanish School

Name: Spanish Immersion in Antigua, Guatemala | Guatemala Spanish School
Brand: Maximo Nivel
SKU: 100770
Rating: 4.82 (66 reviews)

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4.82 Rating

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Location

Guatemala
- Antigua

Length

1 to 52 weeks

Language

Spanish

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Program Details

Language Level

BeginnerIntermediateAdvanced

Immersion Level

Intensive Standard

Certifications

DELE (Spanish)

Specialized Courses

Business Medical Professional Specific Purposes

Class Size

Private Lessons Small Class (1-7)

Weekly Classroom Hours

Housing

Apartment Host Family Hostel Hotel

Pricing

Starting Price

What's Included

Accommodation Activities Classes

Last Updated: Apr 15, 2022

Last Reviewed: Jul 19, 2023

Wish List

28 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Come to Antigua, Guatemala—a quaint, colonial town with adventure at its fingertips. Maximo Nivel’s site has a staff of experienced native instructors waiting for you. Courses are intensive, but hours are flexible. Choose between private or small group classes from 1 to 8 hours a day. You’ll receive a free placement exam upon arrival.

What to Expect:
Certified Native Instructors Only
Transportation, Accommodation & Meals Included
No Registration or Processing Fees
Access to Maximo’s Facilities 7 Days a Week

Engage with the rich history of Guatemala! Learn Spanish through true immersion!

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Video and Photos

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Diversity & Inclusion

LGBTQIA+ Support

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.

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Impact

Ethical 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.

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Program Highlights

Free Tandem Conversation Program
Earn University Credits
DELE Exam Prep Available
Explore Central America—On-Site Travel Agency
Add-on TEFL Certification, Surf School or Scuba Certification

Popular Programs

Small Group Spanish Language Classes in Guatemala

Small group classes are designed to facilitate interaction among all learners in the group. These groups help provide a “safety net” and take the pressure off, everyone’s in it together! Other learners may ask questions that you have not thought of and help to bring more clarity to each lesson. Small classes also foster a fun social environment in which it's always easy to make friends and find study partners.

Private Spanish Classes in Guatemala

Move through material at your own pace in our private classes that allow you to focus on material that is especially relevant to YOU. All teaching and feedback will be 100% personalized and you'll enjoy uninterrupted attention from your teacher. We'll tailor the lessons to you and your personal learning style forms the basis for every lesson. We offer private classes that are very flexible in terms of organizing your time in-country

Intensive Language Program in Guatemala

Combine daily small-group and private Spanish classes for a total of 6 hours of language learning per day! In this program, you'll have the added bonus of one-on-one attention to focus on areas specific to you. Maintain structured group classes while remaining flexible with your private classes to help advance your Spanish level more quickly.

University Spanish in Guatemala

Maximo Nivel offers a wide variety of university Spanish courses ranging from 100 to 400 level courses. These programs may be grouped or 1-on-1 private lessons. University courses are 60-80 hours and require 3-4 weeks to complete in order to earn academic credit.

Spanish for Special Purposes

Spanish for Special Purposes (SSP) includes courses in Medical Spanish and Spanish for Business. SSP teachers are some of our most experienced instructors and have additional expertise in Business and Healthcare. SSP programs are intended for medical students, traveling doctors and nurses, and business people who need specialized Spanish for their careers. SSP Classes are best taught in a 2-hour per day format.

Program Reviews

4.82 Rating

based on 66 reviews

Leave a Review

Rating Spread Language

5 rating 89.39%
4 rating 7.58%
3 rating 0%
2 rating 1.52%
1 rating 1.52%

Instruction 4.9
Support 4.85
Fun 4.8
Housing 4.7
Value 4.7

Showing 1 - 8 of 66 reviews

Let me just start by saying the teachers are excellent. They are under paid and have to wear a uniform as compared to the English teaching instructors and they are still willing to teach. The Spanish teacher enjoy their students and made me feel positive about my learning a new language at 59 years old.
The housing is very inconsistent. You can not be assured that you will have any real interaction with the family. The company pays them $10/student/day so you can't blame the families. The food is minimal like one egg, one piece of toast and some fruit for breakfast. Dinner is usually beans, rice or piece of potato and veggies. Eat your protein at lunch.
The volunteer programs are questionable. You pay to volunteer and you can't be assured where the money you invested goes to. Three friends volunteered at a school for only 2 hours a day and only had a white board to work from. They supplies the materials for the students. The fees to volunteer are $680/week. The medical volunteer is more expensive and I am not sure of the hours but it is not a full day.

Pros

Great teachers
Beautiful country
Inexpensive

Cons

Inconsistent housing. I would recommend an ABB.
You have to pay a lot of money to volunteer in any of their programs.
The office administration does not seem to care about the individual when it comes to housing, volunteer placement, housing placement or classroom placement.

I learnt so much in my week in Anitgua, the class material was excellent and the teacher friendly and full of energy. I took group lessons and had a private which were both very useful. I was well placed in my class based on my ability. Highly recommend the photography tour Maximo arrange each week- very funny and fascinating local history! I had an issue with my accomodation and the Maximo team were supportive and resolved it very quickly. The staff a friendly and the school itself is just a beautiful space to spend time in!

Pros

Great value teaching
High standards of teaching
Beautiful location!

This is a very professional organization. I was greeted at the airport by a staff member and was promptly driven to my house.The staff at home prepared delicious meals twice a day.
All the housemates were fun to be around. Often we went out together. Also the entire staff of teachers and administrators was excellent and made for a pleasant stay. I never had a bad experience with anyone. I had many questions and everyone went above and beyond in ensuring all my needs were met. I would highly recommend this program to everyone interested in learning Spanish!!

Pros

administration and faculty

Cons

I think having a more collaborative partnership between Maximo and the hostel would be beneficial for students. For example, having someone to practice with in the home would be nice.

The native Spanish program at Maximo Nivel was awesome!! My teacher Evelyn was so great, and very patient with me when I made errors. Antigua is my 2nd home and I encourage everyone to come check it out! The staff at Maximo Nivel was so kind and helpful whatever I had questions. I didn't have any issues at all while I was there, but it was great knowing that Maximo was available 24/7. Go! Study Spanish! I 100% recommend this program.

My friend and I have had a blast studying with Maximo Nivel in Antigua. The housing is secure and the family is beyond sweet. The staff has been more than helpful, and they communicate frequently about weekly activities and class schedule updates. Our teacher Evelyn has been amazing planning lessons that work for both my friend and I as we are different learners. Definitely consider Maximo Nivel in your Spanish learning adventure!!

Maximo Nivel has done an amazing job facilitating a safe learning space for their students. My friend and I came together and were welcomed by our amazing host family. They have been very patient with us practicing our Spanish and they actively talk to us about our day, plans we make and share funny stories. The teachers here are helpful and give you voice in guiding topics that you find to be your weakest. My friend and I are taught by Evelyn and she tailors her lesson towards our strengths and weaknesses as they are not always the same. The staff has been incredibly helpful and knowledgeable about the program and Guatemala as a whole. If you have the opportunity to study abroad, you should definitely consider Maximo Nivel in Antigua.

Maximo Nivel offers a great immersion program and the staff is wonderful! My friend and I were placed in a home with the most loving family and they are so patient while we stumble over Spanish words (mostly conjugations) The house is conveniently located and getting to school is easy. Our teacher Evelyn is superb! She has tailored the class for my friend and I because we have different learning styles and have different strengths/weaknesses. We both leave class at the end of the day feeling accomplished in learning new skills or in refreshing previously covered topics. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly. They can assist you with any questions or placement. If you have the opportunity to learn Spanish in a Spanish speaking country, you should seriously consider Maximo Nivel in Antigua.

My best friend & I came to Maximo Nivel to learn Spanish and immerse ourselves in the culture of Guatemala. We studied in Maximo Nivel for 4 weeks. We felt safe in our housing, the family was amazing! We also fell in LOVE with our teacher, Evelyn! She is creative, fun, light-hearted and excellent at meeting the needs of various types of adult learners. Furthermore, the entire staff is helpful, supportive and very kind.

What would you improve about this program?

Perhaps giving more options to take tours with various companies.

Questions & Answers

How much cash USD (spending money) do you recommend bringing for a 4 week course?

Hello! It depends on which country you are interested in but generally speaking we recommend $50-$70 per week for spending money on daily lunches, snacks, and transportation. If you are interested in buying souvenirs or doing tours, we recommend more than this ($100-$200 per week depending on the tours you are interested in).

By Maximo Nivel on March 12, 2018

Is an intensive 4-week stay worth it?

Yes, it’s certainly worth it. You could opt for a program where you have classical (approx. 4 students per class) lessons in the morning (9AM-1PM) and return in the afternoon for individual classes (2PM-4PM), which would still leave you plenty of time to explore the town and its surroundings in the evenings and weekends. I did a 6-week stay in the summer of 2015 with only the classical lessons in...

By Yoran on December 12, 2016

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How big was your class size? What was the school like?

My class size varied a bit during the six weeks I took Spanish lessons there (June/July 2015), but it was either 3 or 4 people including myself. The school itself is split up in two different buildings which are very close to each other (about 100m apart) and contain roughly 20 classrooms in total. One building has a nice garden, while the other one has a pleasant roof terrace. The atmosphere is...

By Yoran on September 18, 2015

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Are the teachers locals or Americans who are living abroad?

In our Native Spanish Program, all of our classes are taught by experienced, certified, native Spanish instructors.

By Maximo Nivel on November 2, 2015

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

James Apostolidis

Program

Spanish Immersion in Antigua, Guatemala | Guatemala Spanish School

James Apostolidis is a 24 year old Australian currently living in the United States. He has a degree in civil engineering from the University of Queensland and has worked professionally in both Australia and the United Kingdom. He volunteered with Maximo Nivel and As Green As It Gets in Guatemala with his partner Kayla Dill from October 2012 to February 2013, and enjoys hiking, travelling, Japanese food, playing guitar and rock climbing.

Why did you decide to volunteer with Maximo Nivel in Guatemala?

James: We were set up with Maximo Nivel in Guatemala through another volunteering agency called IVHQ. My partner and I are in the process of moving from the UK to Australia, and we have a 5 month wait for her visa to Australia to be approved, and so we were taking a break from work and living temporarily in the US in between the move. Its all a bit confusing really, but the gist of it is that we had some time off and wanted to do something useful with that time. We did some research, and the volunteer program in Guatemala sounded great and didn't break the bank.

Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

James: Our day to day life volunteering in Guatemala usually consisted of waking up early and eating breakfast with our host family, then catching a chicken bus from Antigua to San Miguel Escobar where the As Green As It Gets office is. By 8am we either hike up with the farmers to help harvest or tend to their crops, or hitch a ride in the back of a pickup to one of the construction projects on Volcan Agua.

We usually then work doing manual labour until 12:30 - 1:00pm, and get back to Antigua for a quick lunch and our Spanish lessons in the Maximo offices at 3pm.

After that, we get back to our host family for dinner at around 6pm, and from there on the night is ours. Depending on how tired we were / what our local friends were up to, we might spend the night taking salsa lessons, meeting people at a bar, seeing one of the many fiestas constantly going on or just relaxing with a book or a movie. This is our Monday-Friday routine, with the weekends usually set aside for travel to other parts of the country.

What made this experience unique and special?

James: Our volunteering experience was really made special by getting to spend so much time with local farmers and workers - developing genuine friendships with them and getting to share in some genuine cultural experiences. Volunteering for as long as we did, we also got very close with the NGO that Maximo set us up with, and really felt like part of the As Green As It Gets family. We were travelling to fun locations on weekends with the people from AGAIG, as well as taking part in week-long stints in remote areas of Guatemala and helping in the design and implementation of various projects that we feel most shorter-term volunteers may not get the opportunity be involved in.

How has this experience impacted your future?

James: The experience has really impacted the way I view the aid/volunteer industry. There is a seedier side that exists that I hadn't really considered - we were lucky being with great and legitimate organisations such as Maximo Nivel and As Green As It Gets, but spend enough time in the volunteer circuit and you'll also see some less encouraging organisations at work - particularly those centred around working with children. It also makes you realise that attitude is everything - and arriving with a sense of entitlement about volunteering your "free labour" may actually hinder the people that you have arrived to help.

You will also be exposed to a variety of social and economic issues which you may not have considered before - which is generally valuable to experience and broaden your world view. We did so much manual labour and learned a lot of practical construction skills, which will come in very handy when we eventually want to renovate our own house. Additionally, my partner and I are both engineers - so being able to see the difference between design and implementation of various projects was very valuable from a professional standpoint - you really see the value in community involvement. It really is useless to just give a community some new infrastructure without involving them completely - if you want a project to work you need to have the locals understand exactly why they need something, as well as how it works - else it will fall into disuse or disrepair.

Location

Location:

Antigua

Currency:

Guatemalan Quetzal

Weather:

Jan-Mar

81 F / 54 F

Apr-Jun

82 F / 59 F

Jul-Sep

77 F / 61 F

Oct-Dec

75 F / 55 F

Airports:

La Aurora International Airport

( GUA )

Antigua was the capital of Guatemala prior to a major earthquake that left most of the city in ruins. Guatemala city then became the capital, and Antigua city returned into a small town until the whole city was deemed a UNESCO world heritage site. Attractions include monuments and buildings, as they preserve Guatemala's historical beauty and showcase the Spanish influence in the area.

About Maximo Nivel

Founded in 2003, Maximo Nivel is a leading organization in study abroad and educational travel. We are an internationally accredited organization with 4 locally based institutes in 3 of the most beautiful countries in the world—Costa Rica, Guatemala. and Peru. At Maximo Nivel, we strive to set ourselves apart and provide the best education and...

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Program Details

Pricing

Program Highlights

Small Group Spanish Language Classes in Guatemala 

Private Spanish Classes in Guatemala 

Intensive Language Program in Guatemala 

University Spanish in Guatemala 

Spanish for Special Purposes 

Alumni Interviews

James Apostolidis

Why did you decide to volunteer with Maximo Nivel in Guatemala?

Describe your day to day activities as a volunteer.

What made this experience unique and special?

How has this experience impacted your future?

Small Group Spanish Language Classes in Guatemala

Private Spanish Classes in Guatemala

Intensive Language Program in Guatemala

University Spanish in Guatemala

Spanish for Special Purposes