Job Discussion Forums

[rezzie]

Salutations globe trotters - I'm a recent graduate from an accredited university in the states (B.A. Psychology, minor in Spanish), and have been looking for an English teaching job in South America. I was offered a position at the Centro de idiomas at Universidad Nacional de Trujillo. It sounds like a great offer, but all I know about it is what I've read on their website and the information I've gotten from the woman who would hire me. Has anyone heard anything about them? What about Trujillo in general?

Your experience and inside knowledge would be greatly appreciated!

Jeff

[Flo]

I had a friend who I belive worked for that university and she liked it. Other than that, I know nothing about it.

As for Trujillo, it is an average Peruvian city. It is close to a beach, Huanchaco, which is a marvelous little town. The weather in Trujillo is not has hot as in some of the other coast or jungle cities of Peru, and it is far enough north so that you don�t have the horrible, depressing Lima climate either. In Peru, Trujillo is famous for its shoes. They are literally everywhere. Trujillo is either the 2nd or 3rd largest city in Peru, so you should be able to find enough things to do between dining and going to Huanchaco. Some of the most famous archeological sites in Peru are also found in Trujillo, such as Chan Chan and Huaca de la luna y el sol.

Being a large city (and in Peru) Trujillo is moderately dangerous to visit or live in. If you would like to PM me I can elaborate on the dangers of living in a poverty stricken country like Peru.

Please ask me if you have more specific questions.
Flo

[naturegirl321]

Peru isn't that much of a poverty stricken country. PM me if you are intersted in a job in Peru.

[grahamb]

From the British Government DFID website:
Peru is a lower middle-income country and has a population of 27 million and a GNI per head of $2,020. But this average income masks great inequality; around 41% of the population are on less than $2 a day and 16% on less than $1 a day. Most of the extreme poor are indigenous people living in the rural areas of the sierra and selva, while the poor are concentrated in urban shantytowns. Both the proportion and the absolute numbers in income poverty have grown over the last two decades, and Peru is unlikely to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) for halving income poverty. Progress is being made in health and education, but there are real challenges to achieving the education and maternal mortality MDGs in rural Peru.
Sounds pretty poor to me.

[Flo]

How do you all define a poverty stricken country? When I was in Peru last year, the minumum wage, which is what most working people make, was around $115 a month. These people work 6 days a week, 14 hour days, and are usually the only person in the family that works. While the average per head may be $2020 per year, I am sure a small handful of people are making an unusually large amount which consequently artifically elevates the value.

The average Peruvian lives on bare minumum...rice, choclo (corn), fish, and bread. Many houses have dirt floors, and in the drier areas lack roof and windows. Of all the people I was friends with in Peru, only one owned a car. Hardly anyone goes on vacation. Medical care is insufficient, and crime has become a way of life rather than the exception.

I have to agree with grahamb...Sounds pretty poor to me.