Job Discussion Forums

[Mike Jones]

I'm thinking about making the move to Peru and I am hoping someone could help me out with a few questions. Most international schools have probably already started, but does anyone know if they are still hiring? Is it even worth trying to apply to an international school if I only have seven months experience teaching adults? (I am TEFL certified as well) Or should I just look at language institutes.

After reading some posts my top places to live would be:
Trujillo- Beautiful, outside of the city, lots of jobs.
Arequipa- Similar to Trujillo right?
Lima- Lots of jobs, but kind of dirty. Nicer weather than Cusco
Cusco- Beautiful, but very cold and too touristy
Any and all advice welcome. Thanks in advance.

[naturegirl321]

First off, try www.expatperu.com and www.livinginperu.com

Intl schools aren't hiring and with no license, sorry, but you can't get in.

I'd nix Lima, it's horrible. See my PM

[ghostdog]

Honestly, I wonder where some of these posters get these ideas. Trujillo is beautiful and out of the city? It is a city, distinctly smaller than Lima, but either the second or third largest city in the country (depending on who's counting the population of Trujillo and Arequipa on a given day). And it's hardly beautiful -- ignore the picture postcards views of the Plaza de Armas, which is attractive but seems somewhat starker and colder in person. There are some picturesque blocks, with old-style lanterns and the like, but on the whole lovely it's not.

And "lots of jobs?" There is very little on offer there, and almost nothing of the high-falutin �nternational school variety the OP seems to be hoping for. As seems to be the case almost everywhere in Peru except Lima and possibly Cuzco (though I could certainly be wrong about the latter), English language training in Trujillo is concentrated in a handful of places, pretty much university "language centres" and the local version of a US binational centre. There is one "international" school but they would pay at best a third of what one might be offered for a comparable post in Lima. There's little corporate work of the kind that fuels the market in Lima (and most South American capitals), and privates are hit and miss, certainly not something to depend on if teaching is your only source of income. And you may well be on your own for a work visa, especially if you are only a part-time teacher, which is likely with most of the opportunities in Trujillo. And without a work visa, most of the places won't touch you. The assumption of language schools in Trujillo is often that a teacher must be married to a local or why else would s/he be living in Trujillo.

If I may be allowed to summarize: there are lots of reasons to appreciate being in Peru, but job conditions for expat English teachers are generally not one of them. Any number of people seem to stay in Lima for the improved employment market there though they don't much care for the city itself, and any number of people put up with a lot (and get paid a pittance) to stay out of Lima.

This is not to pick on the OP, because his comments are reflective of a number of questions to be found on this forum recently, particularly the SA pages, which suggest some prospective teachers really don't know what they are getting into, or what it's like to work in the developing world. It's unfortunate that a lot of countries (including, apparently, Ecuador) are forcing teachers to arrange their visas from outside, because it would behoove a lot of people to come down and see the situation for themselves in a given country before they commit themselves to a move, even temporarily.

Good luck to the OP. I hope he finds what he is looking for.

[windowlicker]

Lima has nicer weather than Cusco? I haven�t spent much time in Cusco, the weather in Lima is the absolute pits. Nice weather is definitely NOT a reason to move to Lima.

[naturegirl321]

Lima is overcast and drizzly for about 9 months, but in Cusco it pours, though just for a bit, not all day like Lima

[naturegirl321]

[ghostdog]

Re Trujillo, the US binational centre, El Cultural, will let you work for awhile as a volunteer, then may or may not decide to help you sort out a visa. The language centre at the national university may or may not care, or might even help you out if they so desire, or are desperate. But Nature Girl is right, it's 5 USD an hour, less now that the sol has weakened. The private unis will expect work papers -- they're not likely to put themselves out for what is likely to be part-time work. The one international school would probably sort out a visa for a full-time teacher, but that's one school and a handful of teachers in the whole of the city.

What many newbie teachers don't seem to realize is that on this continent most of the opportunities lie in the capital or (for Brazil) principal cities of a given country, and they are often not the most pleasant places to live. Think Lima, Santiago, Bogota. There is some other work out there, yes, but the odds drop exponentially once you get outside the capital. Forewarned is forearmed.

[cindygettis]

We live in Cusco and it is quite nice here, though what you said about it being touristy true. It is entirely possible, though, to find an area of town where there aren't a lot of tourists. We live in a suburb just outside of town and we are the only foreigners around. The city center is where all the tourists are. As for teaching jobs, there are several institutes here where you could find work. The weather gets chilly at night but is warm and sunny during the day. We arrived in March and there hasn't been too much rain. Mostly it just rains for a little while and then the sun comes out. We are now heading into the dry season. Cusco is a nice city to live in, as it's close to some wonderful sites, like plenty of Inca ruins and the Sacred Valley.

[Mike Lee]

Hi all. I am looking into a move to Peru pretty soon to teach English. Really excited!!! I'm TESOL certified, but its 60 hours and I'm considering taking a CELTA course. There's one offered in Buenos Aires by International House and I'm wondering if anyone has any info on it. How easy is it to get from Argentina to Peru once I'm done? I sent an email to them and haven't heard back...

[naturegirl321]

[Belluomo]

[naturegirl321]