Job Discussion Forums

[nineisone]

Does anyone have any feedback on the TEFL course they offer? I am unable to locate an e-mail contact for them outside of a phone number. Much of the information I have located on the internet discusses 2005 course offerings. Does anyone know if they are still offering the TEFL course? Any other TEFL courses in Northern Peru? Anybody have knowledge of ESL opportunities in cities like Chiclayo or Piura?

I'm still exploring options for studying and teaching in either Peru or Ecuador and am open to any recommendations from posters. Thanks in advance and I apologize if this query is covering repetitive ground. I am still going through old posts but have not gotten too far back yet.

[naturegirl321]

HI,
I'd encourage you to check out the link below. As for Piura, I know that the University of Piura is looking for teachers to start within the next month or so.

AS far as TEFL courses go, I think there is one in Cusco, but I'm not sure, maybe someone else could help you with that.

[Justin Trullinger]

Have heard of various courses offered in Peru, but don't have first hand info on any. If they don't even update their website, that may not be a good sign, but you never know.

If you're interested in a course in Quito, PM me.

Best,
Justin

[nineisone]

Thanks Naturegirl and Justin for your replies.

Naturegirl, I appreciate the link to the listings you have put together. Will be a great resource as I prepare to make my journey, wherever I shall end up. From reading your other posts, I wish you the best of luck in finding a good match for spanish teaching outside of Peru. Any additional impressions of living/working in Trujillo? All of my reading thus far points to the city and region as an area that is progressive in outlook and a breeding ground for artists and intellectuals.

Justin, thanks for your feedback on my query. I have also read many of your previous posts and am interested in your training program and astounded by what appears to be a bountiful ESL market in Quito. I may PM you in the near future as I continue my research. Thanks again.

[naturegirl321]

I don't know about Trujillo,
But keepwalking has been there since Feb. Try emailing her.

[keepwalking]

I'm here! Info on Trujillo, right, here goes.

Plenty of work but hard to get one job which has decent hours and pays well enough to keep you busy. You often end up teaching at several places. That send, pm me with some details about your experience etc and I'll let you know where to look.

Trujillo is not a big city and it can get a bit boring. Three cinemas, only one shows the kind of movies your gran could watch! The other two show 'adult only' movies. There's one decent bar. And i have done an extensive survey on bars here and there really is just one.

That said, Huanchaco is just 15 mins away and it has great bars and restaurants plus the beach and surfing school. Trujillo is well connected in terms of transport, so you can get away for long weekends etc. And if you are without a visa, the ecuador norder is only about 9 hours away.

Hope that helps, any specific questions, pm me

[nineisone]

Thanks for the information, keepwalking. Please keep your ear to the wall for information on any TEFL or CELTA courses in Trujillo or anywhere in Northern Peru. I guess an alternative is to seek a TEFL course in Lima or Cusco and then make my travels towards Trujillo. However I am not finding anything in Lima, which would be a moderate 8 hour bus trip to Trujillo according to the various travel guides. Cusco appears to be another world away. Possibly I will start looking into Ecuador options. Pardon my thinking out loud.....

Trujillo being a bit on the aburrido side does not bother me. I am 30 and have gotten most of the partying out of my system. Finding a good English language bookstore or good reading material is a priority for me.

Thanks again, and naturegirl I apologize for misplacing your presence in Trujillo, I will be PMing you with a further question soon if you don't mind.

[naturegirl321]

I' m looking forward to your PM

[JZer]

[keepwalking]

There is a bookshop in Trujillo with an English language section but it is expensive because of the import taxes. Amazon is now an option - in the last few months Amazon US have added Peru, the source of the Amazon, to the list of countries it delivers to. BUT it is hideously expensive, postage costs more than the books themselves. I would recommend bringing your 'can't live without' books with you.

There is another option - Trujillo has a thriving trade in photocopied books! Lots of second hand spanish language bookstores have a crate of photocopied books and if you hunt through there you can find some classic English language books.

I use my family as postmen and mules too - I order from Amazon and then they post them on and don't declare there are books inside, thus avoiding taxes. Or whenever anyone is visiting - family of friend�s, friend�s friends, next door�s cat.... they bring a stack more books. PLus there is quite a good bunch of Brits and Yanks around and we swap and lend, so you'll survive!

[nineisone]

Good suggestions, I will keep them in mind. Sounds like a little creativity is all that is needed to quench my reading jones in Trujillo.

[Justin Trullinger]

Quito has a couple of second hand English book stores- good places, nice people, great selection, at least to my taste. BUT, compared to what you think of for second hand books, they're quite expensive. Taxes, shipping, bribes, etc, make it hard to get things into the country. There are a few other bookstores with English sections, but they aren't cheap either. Still, everybody buys a few, and we wear them out swapping, and get by.

Books in Spanish are definitely much more affordable- especially if you don't object to the illegal pirate copies. (The trick is getting to the point where you can really enjoy leisure reading in a second language. I'd say anywhere from 1 to 4 years is a good target.)

Best,

Justin

[LittleDev]

Hi nineisone (if you are still checking this thread) and everyone,

I just completed the VivePeru course, at El Britannico, during the month of June. Since I don't have experience with them I can't compare this program to other similar programs, but though I have no regrets about completing the course, my experience was a little mixed.

On the positive side, the cost was low, and individual teachers were very helpful. And I really enjoyed the students, and everyone in the family I lived with, as well as the other house guests, were very friendly.

On the negative, I thought, considering the amount of work and study required, especially on days where I had 4 hours in class in the morning, and 4 hours teaching 2 separate sessions and subjects in the afternoon, better organization and preparation of materials to help teach the classes could have been provided. The Britannico workbooks needed (needed, but which had lots of errors and were not sufficient by themselves for preparing for and teaching most particular classes) were only provided on occasion. Little things like having to find a copy shop to make copies of materials took up valuable time. Coming up with good lesson plans took time.

The result of all this was a couple of the classes I taught I simply didn't have the time or energy to prepare and as a result they didn't go well. Teaching gerunds was especially bad; I just didn't yet understand them myself before I had to try to teach them. It was all quite exhausting at times. And frustrating too, because I knew with ample time I would have had little problem mastering the materials and doing a good job teaching.

There was only one other student taking the program with me, and she felt the same at times, but for me it seemed harder than for her, perhaps in part because unlike her I don't have prior teaching experience. I am also one of those people who, by 10 PM at night, is totally "done" (especially when class begins at 7 AM the next morning).

But Fridays, being activity days, were easy, and I did have the weekends to rest and catch up on studying the material I didn't have the time to study during the week.

The cultural adaptation of being away from home so long was not so much a problem, since I have travelled to Peru many times before, and my Spanish language skills are fair. Oone issue I had (probably a non-isse for most) was that I did have to request a diet change (personally I don't do well with the starchy hi-carb meals the lady of the house served). Luisa was kind anough to accomodate me and prepare salads, my favorite centerpiece of most of my meals.

It did bother me when the next door neighbors decided to have a big party one Thursday night, and loud music continued until 7 AM (thus, no sleep, and I was already exhausted from the workload). But such is life in a Peruvian neighborhood; very social but at times lacking peace and quiet.

That's it for now. I hope this report of my experience helps someone!

- Paul

[naturegirl321]

whoops

[nineisone]

Thanks Paul for the report. I have sent you a PM about contact info. for the Institute.

Thanks Naturegirl for affirming El Britanico's reputation as being legit. I suspected such and the program seemed attractive for the price, homestay options, etc... which along with my interest in the Northern Peru coastline, caught my fancy.

Thanks Justin for your post. I had come across a lot of info. on Quito and english language reading material in various guidebooks, and while it sounds like a wonderful old colonial town that is perfect for getting a cert, I am somewhat adverse to the altitude. Is EIL going to be offering its SIT TESOL in Guayaquil anytime soon?

Continuing to do a lot of research and I appreciate all the information.