WE’RE
HIRING
JOIN THE TEAM IN LATIN AMERICA
We are always looking for great people to join the Maximo Team. “Rock star” candidates who are most successful in our organization have the following things in common: A positive mindset, organized and conscientious, great computer skills, and a love for study abroad, international education, and languages. You should also be hard working, extremely dedicated, and have a deep passion for great client service.
“Our best people are our greatest asset,
because our best people know the client is our greatest asset!”
ESL TEACHER
COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, PERU
Maximo Nivel is always looking for great ESL teachers to join our teaching team in Antigua, Guatemala; Cusco, Peru; and San Jose, Costa Rica.
Maximo Nivel is a leading language training center and we are very well known for our “Native English Program.” The Native English Program is clearly defined by our our dedication to excellent teaching, professionalism in everything we do, and great client service. Maximo Nivel is a hard-working and professional group—and these are the kind of teachers we look for.
ESL teachers teach 30 contact hours per week, Monday – Friday. Class size is strictly limited to 12 learners. Most teachers teach a range of levels from Basic to Advanced. The majority of our learners are young adults (18-30 years old) and we provide classes specifically for teenagers (12-16 years old) between 4:00PM to 5:00PM only.
We pride ourselves on our teachers, and it is important that you take pride in your teaching. We do not hire tourists for short-term positions; we specifically look for professionals with a passion for teaching. We stress three things in our classrooms:
1. Professionalism
2. Chemistry with our learners
3. Student Talk Time (STT)
QUALIFICATIONS
− Bachelor’s Degree required
− TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certification required (minimum 120 hours)
− 1 year professional experience
− Native speaker of English
− Excellent interpersonal skills and a “love” for teaching; excellent writing skills; strong team skills
− Excellent computer skills
The minimum position duration is 6 months—we are not interested in teachers who cannot commit for at least 6 months.
FIELD MANAGER, INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, PERU
The Field Manager works as part of the International Programs Team—a team of 4-6 people, and reports to the Director of International Programs. The Field Manager provides in-field support, client service, and logistics to ensure service learning and study abroad programs are delivered at the highest level. The Field Manager works closely with international clients providing in-country support, project organization, class scheduling, housing, travel, and responding to any other needs that clients have. The Field Manager helps ensure that international clients are productive, happy, and safe while in-country. The Field Manager is also closely involved with partner management, including regular communication with both international and local partners.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
VOLUNTEER ABROAD—The Field Manager ensures that volunteers are busy and productive at their projects. The Field Manager is expected to make sure volunteers are engaged and actively working at their community service placements.
The Field Manager simultaneously manages a number of social projects (15-22) and a number of volunteers (10-75). The primary goal is to provide structure and organization that results in positive impact at each project. Resources include some limited funding, volunteers, and the creativity and organizational skills the Field Manager brings to the field. The Field Manager manages these projects and provides organization, client service, encouragement, translation, and any other support required to make sure volunteers are productive at the project site.
The Field Manager must develop strong, interactive relationships with the Director(s) of each project. They must work toward creating mutually beneficial relationships—ensuring that Maximo Nivel is a good partner and that Maximo Nivel’s volunteers and the project benefit from the relationship. Benefits include: improved realization of the project’s mission, improved organization, improved cleanliness, improved attendance, construction, food, supplies, improved support for the project Director and staff, etc.
The Field Manager also provides orientation, client service, housing, and scheduling support for all of Maximo Nivel’s study abroad programs.
DEVELOPMENT WORK
VOLUNTEER PROJECT SITES—Field Managers meet with and assess project sites for suitability to host international volunteers and to work with Maximo Nivel. Suitability is determined by assessing: existing organization, existing team, need, ability and willingness to work with international volunteers, and the opportunity for Maximo Nivel and its volunteers to bring positive impact to the project.
FAMILY-STAYS—Field Managers meet with and assess new host families for their suitability to provide housing and food to Maximo Nivel’s international clients. Suitability is determined by assessing motivations of the family for housing international guests, cleanliness, hospitality, number of rooms/beds, ability to provide good food and timely meals, and the family’s willingness to provide a cultural immersion experience.
ADMINISTRATIVE WORK
The Field Manager provides support for overall program management, including:
– Safety and risk management
– Airport pick-up
– Orientation and welcome
– Site visits and problem-solving
– Sales and client service
– Coordinating donations and aid
– Housing support and problem solving
– Sending emails, answering phones, and updating the CRM system
– Scheduling: Volunteers, Spanish classes, family-stays, etc.
– Travel details: flights, hotel, arrival, departure, etc.
QUALIFICATIONS
– Bachelors Degree
– Bilingual English/Spanish.
– 2-3 years professional experience
– Business minded and very strong at managing details
– Must be very client service oriented
– Passion for traveling and helping others
– Excellent computer skills including Word and Excel
The minimum position duration is 24 months—we are not interested in individuals who cannot commit for at least 2 years.
PROGRAM ADVISOR, ADMISSIONS & CLIENT SERVICE
COSTA RICA
The Program Advisor works as part of the Admissions & Client Service team and reports to a Team Leader, and works directly with the Director of Admissions & Client Service. The position is based in San Jose, Costa Rica. This is an inside sales and client service role and is responsible for managing enrollment–helping clients, students and travelers choose the best program(s). The Program Advisor works with individuals and groups who want to participate in Maximo Nivel programs—providing advice and support throughout the enrollment process to help potential clients better understand the program options we offer, and which program is best for them.
This is an inside sales and client service role and is responsible for managing enrollment–helping clients, students and travelers choose the best program(s). The Program Advisor works with individuals and groups who want to participate in Maximo Nivel programs—providing advice and support throughout the enrollment process to help potential clients better understand the program options we offer, and which program is best for them.
This person leads all email, LiveChat, and phone follow up with potential clients, students, travelers, and partners in order to tell them about Maximo Nivel’s programs and help them better understand the program options. This requires frequent emailing, phone and Zoom
usage, and working with our CRM.
Program booking support includes:
– Maintaining excellent relationships with customers, agents, and partners worldwide.
– Processing enrollments, collecting applicant documents, and database management.
– Screening applicants and ensuring “best fit.”
– Answering applicant questions by phone, email, and LiveChat.
– Finalizing all details of a participant’s program to ensure a rewarding experience.
The Program Advisor also provides marketing support including attendance at fairs and conferences and helping to update and maintain promotional documents. Other marketing support duties include processing payments and refunds and ensuring that all program balances are paid on time. Some travel may be required.
QUALIFICATIONS
– Bachelor’s Degree
– Inside sales experience is preferred.
– Organized and detail oriented.
– Excellent communication skills, both spoken and written.
– Professional and friendly phone etiquette.
– This person must be very client service oriented.
– Fluency in English; Spanish language skills preferred.
– Excellent computer skills including Word, Excel, and database experience.
– Global awareness and a passion for travel.
The minimum position duration is 24 months—we are not interested in individuals who cannot commit for at least 2 years.
MEDICAL SPECIALIST, INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, PERU
The Medical Specialist works as a highly specialized Field Manager in the International Programs Team—a team of 4-6 people, and reports to the Director of International Programs. As part of this team, the Medical Specialist works to improve the medical placements for volunteer abroad and international internship programs. The Medical Specialist works closely with international students and faculty providing training, project structure, program organization, and overall in-country support. The Medical Specialist ensures that international participants are well-trained, safe, productive, and happy while in-country. The Medical Specialist is also closely involved with partner management, including regular communication with both international and local partners.
PROGRAM MANAGEMENT
VOLUNTEER ABROAD & INTERNATIONAL INTERNSHIPS—The Medical Specialist is focused on delivering great volunteer and internship programs for international students and participants. Maximo Nivel believes strongly that “a busy volunteer is a happy volunteer” and the Medical Specialist is expected to make sure participants are engaged and actively working at their medical placements.
The Medical Specialist simultaneously manages a number of projects (15-22) and a number of participants (10-75); and the primary goal is to provide basic training, structure, and organization that results in impact at each project and creates a significant learning experience for the participant. Resources include some limited funding and the creativity and organizational skills the Medical Specialist brings to the project. The Medical Specialist manages these projects and provides organization, training, client service, encouragement, translation, and any other support required to make sure volunteers are productive at the project site.
The Medical Specialist must develop strong, interactive relationships with the Director(s) of each medical project. The idea is to always work toward creating mutually beneficial relationships—ensuring that Maximo Nivel is a good partner and that Maximo Nivel’s international program participants and the project benefit from the relationship. Benefits include: improved realization of the project’s mission, support for the project Director and staff, improved worksite organization, intercultural and language exchange, and, of course, significant learning on the part of the program participant.
DEVELOPMENT WORK
PROJECT SITES—Medical Specialists meet with and assess medical project sites such as clinics, hospitals, schools, and rural communities for suitability to host international students, volunteers, and interns and to work with Maximo Nivel. Suitability is determined by assessing: existing organization, existing team, need, ability and willingness to work with international students, as well as Maximo Nivel’s ability to bring impact to the project site.
ADMINISTRATIVE WORK
The Medical Specialist provides support for overall program management, including:
– Orientation and welcome
– Basic medical training
– Site visits and problem-solving
– Coordinating donations and aid
– Scheduling: Participants, medical campaigns, and Medical Spanish classes
– Sending emails and updating the CRM system
There are several reports and administrative tasks that the Medical Specialist assists with on a regular basis using Microsoft Excel: Monthly program registration, Weekly Arrivals, and participant feedback summary.
QUALIFICATIONS
– Licensed Medical Professional: Medical Doctor or Nurse (RN)
– Bi-lingual English/Spanish.
– 3 years professional experience in respective medical field
– Business minded and service focused, very strong at managing details
– Must be very client service oriented
– Sincere desire to help train future medical professionals and to help others in the local community
– Passion for international travel
– Excellent computer skills including Word and Excel
The minimum position duration is 24 months—we are not interested in individuals who cannot commit for at least 2 years.
DIRECTOR, INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS
COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, PERU
The Director is responsible for all of Maximo Nivel’s international programs, including: Volunteer Abroad, International Internships, TEFL Certification, Native Spanish Program, and Adventure & Culture. The Director is also responsible for managing Maximo Nivel’s non-profit activities and humanitarian budget.
The Director leads the international programs business and ensures excellent client service and program management. The Director works closely with international clients providing in-country support, project organization, class scheduling, housing, travel, and responding to any other needs that program participants have. The Director is also closely involved with partner management, including regular communication with both international and local partners.
The Director, International Programs is one of two business managers within the Maximo Nivel organization (the other is Director, National Programs). It is critical that the Director views their position as that of “business manager” and understands that their position leads 50% of the entire in-country organization.
QUALIFICATIONS
– Bachelors Degree; Masters Degree preferred
– Bi-lingual English/Spanish
– At least 5 years professional experience
– Experience leading and motivating a busy team
– Must be very client service oriented
– Business minded and very strong at managing details
– Passion for traveling and helping others
– Excellent computer skills including Word and Excel
The minimum position duration is 24 months—we are not interested in candidates who cannot commit for at least 2 years.
DIRECTOR, NATIONAL PROGRAMS
COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, PERU
The Director of National Programs leads the Native English Program in either San Jose, Costa Rica; Antigua, Guatemala; or Cusco, Peru. This person is responsible for sales, marketing, client service, enrollment, placement testing, and class scheduling.
A major component of this position is managing the front office (‘the store’) and the logistics of opening, closing, cashing out, and selling ESL classes. It’s also important to generate excitement, both within the staff and the client base, about providing great client service and meeting matriculation goals each month!
The Director works 1-on-1 with individuals to matriculate them into Maximo’s Native English Program. The Director also works with B2B clients to sell our English programs to tourism operators, hotels, banks, and other businesses.
The Director of National Programs works very closely with the Academic Director in terms of providing great service to students and clients, scheduling classes, and maximizing enrollment. The Director manages a shared team of 3-5 client service representatives, and also provides management support to the Academic Director who leads a team of approximately 25 ESL teachers.
QUALIFICATIONS
– Bachelors Degree
– Bilingual English/Spanish
– 2-4 years professional experience
– Outstanding administrative and organizational skills; exceptional attention to detail
– Results focused: increasing enrollment and providing great service to students and clients
– Must be ready to lead and manage a cross-cultural team
– Must have a high energy level and strong work ethic
– Business minded and very good at managing details
– Must be very client service oriented
– Excellent computer skills, especially Excel
The minimum position duration is 24 months—we are not interested in candidates who cannot commit for at least 2 years.
ACADEMIC DIRECTOR
COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, PERU
The Academic Director manages all daily operations of the Academic Office. The Academic Director is the lead manager for all teachers and all academic programs at Maximo Nivel. This includes the Native English Program, Spanish Immersion, TEFL Certification, Service Learning, Internships, and all other study abroad programs. The Academic Team provides support for all other areas of Maximo Nivel in terms of books, materials, exams, quizzes, photocopies, and rooms. The Director is responsible for a team of 2 to 4 [shared] staff members, 10 to 25 English teachers, and 5 to 15 Spanish teachers. The size of the staff depends on the institute location—Costa Rica, Guatemala, or Peru.
The Director is responsible for teacher recruiting, teacher management, curriculum management, support materials, and quiz and exam administration. The Academic Director also leads all new teacher orientation and onboarding of academic staff.
Teacher management includes coaching, scheduling, payroll, and time off, among other things. The Director is responsible for holding teacher meetings on the 15th and 30th of each month; and organizes 2 hours of in-service training for English and Spanish teachers every month.
The Academic Team manages client service with respect to exam re-takes, grade reports, certification requirements, and attendance records. The Academic Office has very close contact with learners, clients, and their families; the Academic Director must be excellent at dealing with the public!
The Academic Director is a member of the in-country Executive Team and works closely with the Country Manager, Director of International Programs, and the Director of National Programs.
Whereas the Academic Director does not carry his/her own schedule of classes, they are responsible for substituting and leading classes when regular staffing does not meet the needs of the institute. The Director must generate reports using Excel and Word including: Teacher Feedback Summary, Teacher sick days, Teacher payroll, and other ad-hoc reports as needed.
QUALIFICATIONS
– Bachelor’s Degree required, Master’s Degree preferred
– TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certification required (minimum 120 hours)
– At least 3 years professional experience, ideally as a Head Teacher, DoS, or Institute Director
– Fluent English; Advanced Spanish required
– Excellent computer skills including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.
– Excellent interpersonal skills; excellent writing skills; strong team skills and a “love” for team training
– Focused on results—learner success, learner satisfaction, and building an excellent teaching team. Be the owner of the Academic function!
– Adept at setting goals and managing competing priorities.
– Metric driven; able to understand, analyze, and present data to support institute decisions
The minimum position duration is 24 months—we are not interested in individuals who cannot absolutely for at least 2 years.
TEFL TRAINER
COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, PERU
The TEFL Trainer is responsible for teaching and managing Maximo Nivel’s internationally-accredited TEFL Certification program. This position is based in one of 3 locations: Antigua, Guatemala; Cusco, Peru; or Manuel Antonio, Costa Rica.
The TEFL Trainer is responsible for delivering the TEFL Certification program including the onsite (4 week course), the Hybrid TEFL course, and the online TEFL course. The Trainer often needs to balance training in all 3 modalities each month. The TEFL course is fully-developed and the program has been functioning on a monthly basis since 2004. The course is offered 11 months per year—mid-January through mid-December.
The primary goal of the course is to train new ESL teachers, who will accept teaching positions with language schools and institutes around the world. Maximo Nivel’s TEFL Certification course is well-known and is exceptionally well-reviewed by past participants. Maximo’s TEFL Certification program is known for being 1) intensive and demanding, 2) fun and entertaining, and 3) very supportive. The TEFL Trainer is expected to maintain these high standards!
The TEFL Trainer leads the certification course on a daily basis, grades papers, and manages participant scheduling onsite and online. The Trainer provides coaching and feedback to trainees—this is the most important part of the position. Trainers also provide feedback and coaching on résumés/CVs and job-finding.
For the onsite course, the TEFL Trainer works Monday-Friday from 8:00AM to 6:00PM. The first 3 weeks of the course are easier as no long evening hours are required other than regular course management and required office hours. During the final [4th] week of the course, the Trainer must also work in the evening to observe and evaluate trainees. Note that this often requires 12 – 14 hours per day.
For the online TEFL course, the TEFL Trainer schedules online meetings with participants on a regular and as-needed basis. The exact schedule is determined by each TEFL client. The TEFL Trainer simultaneously manages both onsite and online courses and this requires excellent scheduling and priority-setting from the TEFL Trainer.
EXPERIENCE & EDUCATION
– Bachelor’s Degree; Master’s Degree is highly preferred
– TEFL, TESOL, or CELTA certification is required
– At least 5 years of ESL teaching experience
– Strong work ethic; Happy to work long hours and deal with “tough” days
– Passionate about teaching and training people; Capable of setting a high standard, consistently modeling that high standard, and holding trainees to attaining it
– Excellent sense of humor and ability to laugh at yourself
– Professional and self-confident
– Teaching Style: Energetic and passionate; Organized and well-planned; Empathetic to trainees; Fun and entertaining—you must enjoy humor and making people laugh
The minimum position duration is 24 months—we are not interested in individuals who cannot commit for at least 2 years.
Client Service Manager (CSM)
COSTA RICA, GUATEMALA, PERU
The Client Service Manager works as part of the International Programs Team—a team of 4-6 people, and reports to the Director of International Programs. The Client Service Manager works to improve overall international programs, sell Spanish classes, tourism services, and ensure excellent program management. The Client Service Manager works closely with international learners, clients, and volunteers providing in-country support, sales, client service, class scheduling, housing, travel, and responding to any other needs that clients have.
This person is in charge of all participant management. This includes:
– Sales and client service
– Airport pick-up
– Orientation & Welcome
– Housing support and problem solving
– Sending emails, answering phones, and updating the CRM system
– Scheduling: Volunteers, Spanish classes, family-stays
– Travel details (Flights, hotel, arrival, departure, etc.)
There are also several reports and administrative tasks that the Client Service Manager assists with on a regular basis using Microsoft Excel: Monthly program registration, Weekly Arrivals, Families & Beds, Spanish class schedule, and participant feedback summary. The Director is also involved with collecting payments, basic invoicing, and proactively liaising and working with the Academic and Accounting departments.
QUALIFICATIONS
– Bachelors Degree
– Bi-lingual English/Spanish
– 1-2 years professional experience
– Business minded and very strong at managing details
– Must be very client service oriented
– Passion for traveling and helping others
– Excellent computer skills including Word and Excel
The minimum position duration is 24 months—we are not interested in individuals who cannot commit for at least 2 years.
