Marbella, Spain · Founding Cohort 2027
Marbella Montessori Institute, a new training center in the Costa del Sol area, offers an internationally recognized Montessori teacher education course — designed around the reality of educators who are already in the classroom and intend to stay there.
Register Your InterestThe Programme
Marbella Montessori Institute offers a Montessori Early Childhood (3–6) Teacher Education Program leading to an internationally recognized Montessori credential — preparing educators to become confident, credentialed Montessori guides for children aged 2½ to six. MMI is the first program of its kind in Spain.
The course combines self-paced online study with regular live sessions with your trainer and cohort — then culminates in a two-week residential intensive in Marbella. Designed so you study around your teaching life, not instead of it.
All instruction, materials, and live sessions are in English — the international standard for Montessori teacher education and the language of the credential. A Spanish-language track is available for candidates who prefer to engage with coursework in Spanish.
Graduates are eligible to receive a Montessori Early Childhood credential from a leading North American accreditation body — internationally recognized and accepted by Montessori schools worldwide. Two pathways available depending on academic background.
Online study from anywhere. The Marbella intensive is hosted inside a beautiful, fully equipped Montessori school — an Early Childhood environment serving children from birth to twelve, shaped by ten years of daily practice.
Structure
The program follows the internationally standard two-phase model for Montessori teacher education — an Academic Phase and a Practicum Phase — structured to fit around working educators.
Online — from early 2027. Self-paced study modules combined with regular live sessions with your trainer and cohort. Work at your own pace between sessions.
Marbella intensive — summer 2027. Two weeks of hands-on, in-person training inside a beautiful functioning Montessori school. This is where you learn the material presentations — working with real Montessori materials in a prepared environment that has been in daily use for a decade.
Coursework covers the full curriculum:
Completed in an approved Montessori setting over a minimum of nine consecutive months. We will help you find the right practicum school — and if you are already teaching in a Montessori environment, your own classroom may qualify as your site.
Field consultant support throughout. A qualified Montessori guide visits your classroom a minimum of three times across the practicum year, observing your practice and providing written professional feedback. This is a standard requirement of the credential — and a genuine support structure for your development as a guide.
The Qualification
Upon successful completion of both phases, graduates are recommended for credentialing by the MMI program director. Two credential levels are available, depending on your academic background — both result from exactly the same program content.
The internationally recognized Montessori Early Childhood credential, awarded by a leading North American accreditation body. Accepted by Montessori schools worldwide, and a standard requirement for lead-guide positions in accredited Montessori environments.
International degrees are evaluated for equivalency through a recognized credential evaluation service — holders of non-US degrees are fully eligible.
Available to candidates who hold a high school or secondary diploma but not a bachelor's degree. Same program. Same intensive. Same credential body.
Candidates without a bachelor's degree are encouraged to pursue one within seven years of credentialing, to access the full credential at that time.
A recommended English level of B2 (CEFR) or above applies for the English-taught track.
Why MMI
Every structural choice in MMI — the hybrid format, the Marbella intensive, the language options, the inclusive practice strand — was made with one person in mind: the qualified, working educator in Spain and southern Europe who wants a genuine Montessori credential without pausing their career to get it.
Until now, educators in Spain and southern Europe wanting an internationally recognized Montessori qualification have needed to look abroad — often to other continents. MMI brings that same standard of training to Marbella, designed for the educators who are already here.
Online study from early 2027, live sessions around European time zones, then two weeks in Marbella in summer. The format was designed from the ground up for educators who are employed and intend to stay that way. You build this training into the life you already have.
The Marbella intensive takes place inside a functioning Montessori school — serving children from birth to twelve, with a prepared environment built over ten years. You spend two weeks working inside a real classroom. No other program in this region offers that.
MMI's program director brings over ten years of daily Montessori classroom experience to the training, backed by a founding team who have run a Montessori school throughout that same period. The curriculum reflects Montessori as it actually works in a living school — not an idealized version of it.
Neurodiversity, special educational needs, and inclusive Montessori practice are embedded in the program from the start. This is not an optional module. Modern Montessori classrooms include every kind of learner — MMI trains you for the classroom that actually exists.
All instruction and materials are in English — the language of the credential and the international Montessori community. A Spanish-language track is available, making MMI the only program of its kind accessible to both the international and local Spanish-speaking community.
MMI is Phase 1 of a Montessori training ecosystem for southern Europe — with assistant, leadership, infant & toddler, and family programs to follow. When you join the founding cohort, you are part of the institution from its first year.
Marbella is one of the most internationally diverse areas on the Costa del Sol — home to families and educators from across Europe, the Middle East, Latin America, and beyond. Training here means learning Montessori pedagogy inside a real multicultural context. Not as an abstract topic, but as the lived environment of the program itself.
Founding Cohort · Summer 2027
The first MMI cohort launches Summer 2027 — small by design. Founding cohort places carry a launch tuition rate. Registering your interest is not a commitment to enroll: it places you first in line for full program information, priority access to the application, and direct contact with the program director.
If you are an educator in Spain, southern Europe, or beyond — working in an international or Montessori setting and considering a Montessori qualification — this is the moment to put your name forward.
No commitment required. We will contact you with full details as they are confirmed.
Interest Registration
Completing this form registers your interest in the MMI founding cohort. You are not committing to enroll. We will follow up with full program details, answer your questions, and let you know when applications open.
We have received your registration. You will hear from us with full program details as they are confirmed — including application dates, the complete curriculum overview, and information about the Marbella intensive.
If you have an immediate question, write to us at info@marbellaMontessoriinstitute.com