Job Discussion Forums

[chuchaqui]

I was wondering how safe it is in Latin America, specifically Ecuador, to own valuable electronics like laptops, digital cameras, PS2's. Is there anyone who has lived and taught in LA that can offer advice about whether or not to purchase property insurance? Is it best to get it abroad or in your home country? What are the risks of bringing along these valuable items? Is it a MUCH greater risk to get robbed in LA than stateside? Also, is travel/medical insurance readily available in LA, or should it be purchased in your home country? I have heard that many times, it is best to get in the host country, as the the home country insurance is not valid in certain cities/countries.

Thanks.

[naturegirl321]

I'm getting deja vu, hasn't this been discussed already?

Crime is all over. Don't flaunt your stuff. And if you are very worried either get it insured or don't take it with you. The risk is that it will get stolen.

BUy medical insurance there, cheaper and you know that it will cover you there.

[TeresaF]

[ls650]

Maybe the smartest (and easiest) thing to do is to be "self-insured"; don't take anything you can't afford to lose!

If you need to take a computer, buy a cheap used laptop for a few hundred dollars - if it gets stolen you're only out that small amount of money.

I bought a cheap used PII-400 locally for about $100. It is fine for email, internet surfing, word processing, etc. You really only need a more powerful machine for playing games!

[naturegirl321]

Go to a travel agent, they should have a list of insurace agencies. It dependson how long you will be there, and what you take.
You can buy insurance when you get there, but then you are taking the risk that they insurance agency knows where you live and what you have. . . .

[minamimary]

the posts in this thread have been interesting. i am planning to move to ecuador in a few months, and as the time approaches i am finding that i actually know very little about the current situation in ecuador. not that much english language news trickles this far north! i just read some somewhat disturbing posts on the lonely planet thorn tree about frequent muggings and busjackings. a few of these posters made comments about the situation in ecuador becoming 'increasingly unstable' due to the longterm effects of dollarization on the economy. while i am aware that there is a significant amount of streetcrime in many latin american countries, i am curious if anyone PRESENTLY living in ecuador feels that the situation is becoming increasingly unstable, if anyone feels significantly less safe in recent weeks/months, or (perhaps most importantly) if it seems that the economy is on the verge of collapse.
thank you very much for your imput.
m

[matttheboy]

Insurace you can get online for health and computer insurance (at least you can in the UK) and it is 100% recommended.

Having recently been working in Ecuador (up til december) and back for a week or so last month i can tell you that yes, Quito is a dangerous place to live if you�re not very clever. I wasn�t very clever once and got mugged at �gun point�(it was actually his finger in his pocket and i told him so before being surrounded by 5 more short ugly men rifling through my pockets). The thing is, if you give them what they what they don�t harm you. I had to ask for my house keys back and i got them. It was 3am and i was drunk walking the 200m back to my house in �Gringolandia�/ Mariscal having lived there for some weeks. I got over confident and punished for this.

Generally, however, you should be ok, especially during the day when i felt happy enough to wander around with my Ipod. People look and stare at you but you get used to it.

Work wise, i can personally recommend trying to get a job at KLS, the bosses are without doubt the best bosses you could ever, ever hope for (Gill, Sandra and Clare) and they pay well-$7 an hour. Another recommendation is at the politecnico where you get $6 and a regular 4 hour shift everyday. There are almost always jobs there.

Overall, Quito is a pretty fun place but you do have to watch your step especially after dark and especially after leaving a bar or club as this is where the thieves hang around, waiting for people to get over-confident (like me) and walk home. Always take a taxi, always.

Enjoy and if you want anymore info, contact me via this site, cheers, matt

[moonraven]

I spent four months in Ecuador last year--most of the time, unfortunately, in Guayaquil. Che Guevara was stranded with no money there in the early fifties--and said it was a hell hole; it is now a hell hole with several expensive shopping malls. The profs working for me at the university there wanted to leave their laptops in my office--because the laptops made them a target on the street--but my office was not a secure spot, either. Two of them were held up at gunpoint in an Internet cafe. I never had even the whisper of a problem there--but I lived in an area next to the hospitals that had a lot of security guards roaming around.

Rule of thumb in Ecuador is not to run around anywhere with anything valuable. The other thing you need to know is that nobody keeps money in the banks--they have failed in the past and folks have lost their savings. This means hiding money under your mattress or wiring it out of the country--which is fairly expensive. It is also one of the few countries where you need to buy an exit visa before you can leave....

[VanKen]