Job Discussion Forums

[dmacdougall]

Greetings from Chile.

After teaching over two years in Chile, I am looking for a change of scene. I want to move to Peru to teach sometime next year, however, seeing that I am planning on buying a motorbike here in Chile for the trip up, I am interested in knowing: How rainy is rainy season? as well how difficult it is to land a teaching job after the summer break has come and gone?

Thanks in advance for your help, I have visited this forum many times and it always seems to be full of great people.

D.

PS. If anyone is interested in coming to Chile from Peru for a change of scene, please message me. Maybe I can help.

[naturegirl321]

WEll, depends on where you go. Here in Lima, it hardly rains ever. Maybe a bit of drizzle in August. IN the north where I was, it was about the same. No rain.

It's difficult to get a school job after summer, however there are plenty of language schools.

Where exactly are you thinking of going?

[nineisone]

Rain appeared to fall heaviest in the mountain area and fringe jungle areas. Huancayo and the San Martin state that includes Tarapoto both were hit hard with flash flooding. All that standing water is causing great concern for the rise of dengue fever cases. The mosquito borne illness was the subject of an article in the current "Economist" which details its growing prevalence in South America.

Good luck on your journey and take it slow.

[dmacdougall]

Hi folks:

Thanks for your speedy reply. I said before I thought this fourm was full of great people, and it seems that I wasn't wrong.

I am not sure where exactly I am looking at going at this point, but I do have some criteria. First, I am outdoorsy and enjoy being a short distance from some good trekking trails, and second I want to be in a city with a fair amount of business. My reason for the second criteria is that I have a degree in Business Administration and really enjoy teaching Business English.

I have been on this forum before and heard a lot of good things about Ariquipa and Trujillo. But I am still concerned about the difficulty of finding a job after the summer. Why is it difficult? In Chile you can pretty much get a teaching job year round, it might be a little harder, but teacher turnover is very high, so there is always an opening somehwere. Couldn't I find the situation the same in Peru?

Thanks again for you help.

D.

PS. I am checking out the dengue fever article in the Economist now.

[naturegirl321]

[nineisone]

I would second naturegirl that working at a school or uni. is preferable but working at a language institute could be an attractive option to help you get by until you get settled in and are able to find the right school/uni. to commit to. Trujillo seemed to have quite a few language schools, but most paid poorly. Not certain on Arequipa. I believe Vin1127? was in Arequipa for a time. He might be able to give you some info.

The Dengue fever thing seems to have hit Paraguay and Brazil the hardest. No need for anyone to be overly worried, but a FYI nonetheless.

[naturegirl321]

I know that sarahb12345678 is there now doing volunteer work. YOu could try PMing her about Arequipa.

[keepwalking]

If you want the outdoor life try arequipa ahead of trujillo. If you want to be somewhere where people stare at puddles with awe and wonder, trujillo is your place! Been here two years, rained three times. And that includes what was apparently an el ni�o event!!

another option would be chachapoyas, loads of great treks, rarely visited but a small, thriving EFL trade. Not much business though. a better bet for that would be Cajamarca, loads of mines and related business, lots of on the side teaching

[dmacdougall]

Hey folks:

Wow, thanks to all for the loads of information and the contacts. I really like nineisone's idea of just using the institutes to tie me over. But just to clarify, the reason I asked about the institutes is because that has been my sole experience here in Chile. But when I say institutes I mean institutes that specialise in Business English (other institutes pay crap). I am assuming these exist in Peru, and if so does anyone know about the pay?

Thanks again for all the info, especially the info of outdoors activities; two years in smog filled Santiago is just too long for a country kid.

D.

[naturegirl321]