Saturday, 19 September 2009

Welcome to The Ultimate Peru List

Welcome to The Ultimate Peru List

Although I don’t pretend that this has all the information you will need to know about Peru, it’s pretty comprehensive and updated regularly. There is an index on the right to help you find what you need.

Hope The Ultimate Peru List helps you.
Sharon

Sponsored Announcements
Purchase a Sponsored Announcement

The LA Job List. Find work as an English teacher in the Caribbean, Central America or South America. The LA Job List gives you access to hundreds of Latin American schools, institutes and universities that need English teachers like you.

Events
Lots of events are coming up: happy hour, lunches, dancing, book sales, DVD/book swaps, and more. All the info can be found at the Expat Calendar.

Sponsored Links
Purchase a Sponsored Link

TEFL Tips. Useful tips for teachers from writing a CV to getting a good paying job.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Prevent Piracy
A lot of time and effort has gone into making The Ultimate Peru List. I have been gathering info so you can easily find information about life in Peru. Please acknowledge this effort and do not reproduce any material on this site in any way shape or form without prior permission.

All posts and all purchased or public documents by Sharon K. Couzens de Hinojosa are copyrighted in compliance with international law.

Advertise with the Ultimate Peru List

The Ultimate Peru List began in 2006 when I recognised there was a lack of organised information where you could find answers to FAQ questions people that had about Peru. Since I am an active member on a couple of forums, people would often email me with the same questions about Peru. My goal was to compile the most common questions and put the answers in one easy to navigate website, and so The Ultimate Peru List was born. It started on a forum and in 2008, I created this website.

The Ultimate Peru List has been featured in Viva Travel Guides' "Guide to Peru" and their "Living in The Andes" book. Transitions Abroad also published part of The Ultimate Peru List in "The Ultimate Guide to Teaching in Peru".

Why Advertise on The Ultimate Peru List?
Traffic: Averaging 2500 visitors a month, The Ultimate Peru List continually comes up in the first page in Google searches. Limited advertising space means more informed and efficient traffic to your site.

Content: The Ultimate Peru List targets a niche market and as such no one comes close to the information in terms of content, with step-by-step information about visas, a wide array of legal issues, guides to settling in, travel resources and other useful content. This site was designed based on what the viewers wanted and asked for.

Testimonials
"Thanks naturegirl, from all the posts I see you seem to really help people here... round of applause for naturegirl!" Hopeadder, September 2009.

"It has been a long time since I have visited your page, Sharon. I am blown away by how much work you have put into it. People.. if you haven`t seen Sharon`s page recently, check it out. Especially all you English teachers out there. You will find no better local resource. Well done!" Alan, December 2008, Expat Peru.

"I have not found a harder working, more dedicated person devoted to providing newcomers and veterans of Peru alike, the information they need to live here. While some people come and go, you have been here through thick and thin, putting others before yourself. You are both a treasure and a blessing to this magnificent country!" Jamie Babineaux, January 2008.

Read more testimonals

Advertising Options
The advertising space on The Ultimate Peru List is offered at substantially lower rates than other similar sites. There are seven advertising options available that cater to a variety of budgets. To place an advertisement please contact Sharon ( naturegirl321@yahoo.com ). Prices listed are for 2009.

1. Sponsored Links
Sponosored Links are available on the home page in the Welcome section. There is a 20 word limit. The cost of the Sponsored Link is $20 USD per year.

2. Sponsored Announcements
Sponosored Announcements are available on the home page above the Sponsored Links. There is a 50 word limit. The cost of the Sponsored Announcement is $50 USD per year.

3. Sidebar Mini Banner Top
This banner will go at the top right of the sidebar and appear on every page. The cost of this banner is $100 USD a year.

4. Sidebar Mini Banner Middle
This banner will go in the middle of the sidebar and appear on every page. The cost of this banner is $50 USD a year.

5. Sidebar Mini Banner Bottom
This banner will go at the bottom of the sidebar and appear on every page. The cost of this banner is $20 USD a year.

6. Large Banner Bottom
This banner will appear at the bottom of every page. The cost is $20 USD per year.

7. Premium Large Banner
This banner will be placed at the top of one single page. For example, you can place a large banner on the Lawyers page if you are a lawyer. The cost of the large banner is $20 USD per year.

Friday, 21 August 2009

Thanks for Donating

Thanks so much for donating to The Ultimate Peru List.

Wednesday, 10 December 2008

Finding Teaching Jobs

Advertise on The Ultimate Peru List
Prices start at $20 USD per year.

Tips for Finding Work
Updated 5 October 2009

Teaching jobs
You'll find some general information about teaching in Peru below. You can find ways to supplement your salary, in Supplement Your Teaching Salary. If you're interested in jobs besides teaching, scroll down to the "other jobs" section. For more comprehensive information on teaching, try looking in The Ultimate Guide to Teaching in Peru, which was featured in Transitions Abroad.

In general it’s difficult to secure a teaching job before you arrive here, but not impossible. You might try contacting schools before you arrive, and can find a list of schools in The Little Black Book of English Institutes in Peru. Keep in mind that only institutes are mentioned in the link above. If you're a qualified teacher and interested in primary or secondary schools, try IBO or TES.

The school year goes from March/April until November/December. International schools may start looking for teachers as early as May to start in February. Recruiting usually starts in May and runs until the first week of February when schools are desperate to fill vacancies. Universities may wait until the beginning of the year (January or February) to start hiring. Many institutes hire year-round.

Although it might take a lot of work at the beginning, you soon build up a solid schedule. Try looking at the advice in What to do Upon Arrival to find out how to get a good job quickly. If you're a single parent or have children, you'll have more things to take into consideration. Be sure to read TEFLing as a Single Parent and Teaching with Kids in Tow.

In most places, employers will want to meet you before having you sign a contract, they might also have you take English or psychological tests and do a demo lesson. Don’t worry too much about TEFL certs. Having a degree and being a native speaker are usually enough to get a job. Experience and is also a big help. And if you have a teaching license, you can get a job just about anywhere. Watch out for chain schools, although some are good, they may not treat their teachers as well as other places. And remember don't just accept the first job offer just because you need a job. Look at the article, Things to Consider Before Accepting a Job before you sign a contract.

Sending your CV works, but going in person is better. You will probably have to have an interview and might be asked to do a demo lesson. For tips on how to make a good impression, see The Interview and Demo Lesson. Also, with lots of places, you will need Recibos de Honorarios, and unless you are legally here, you can't get them. You’ll have to find someone who does have these. They're like receipts. Many people won't want to give you theirs since there's a limit on how much money you make a month without paying taxes. So if your recibos de honorario total more than 2550 soles a month, you have to pay taxes. So if you don't have these, start looking for someone who does.

Other Jobs
If you can get hired in your own country and get transfered to Peru, all the better. You'll have a better salary and benefits. If you want to try to get a job while in Peru, checking El Comercio the local paper is good. Contacts and connections help as well. Try going to Living in Peru and Expat Peru and seeing what kind of jobs are there. Jobs which cater to foreigners and rich Peruvians pay better. You could also work online, read Supplement Your Income Online.

The type of jobs you can get here are endless: secretary, tour guide (see Amazing South America or Peru for Less) financial advisor. You can even start your own business.

Where to go: Some people are certain what city they want to live in while others aren’t. Many people want to go to Cusco. Keep in mind that there are lots of tourists and is similar to Europe, so if you want the real Peru experience, I would advise against Cusco. Smaller towns are an option. Piura and Chiclayo are close to the famous beaches. Trujillo is a uni town. Lima is the centre of everything. Arequipa is famous for its volcano. Puno has snow. Iquitos is in the jungle. Do some research; what appeals to some many not appeal to others. Read more about Peruvian cities in this article.

Teach online: Nowadays there are many places that need online teachers. Usually you will be a conversation teacher, but there are other positions available, such as assisting with writing. Pay varies, but is around 10USD an hour. Here are some places to look at. You can find more info at Teaching Online.
Smart Thinking
Berlitz
Global English
English Everywhere
UB School
English Town
EFL Job France
Native 79
Avatar Languages

Job Placement: If you’ve done a TEFL certificate programme or are planning on doing one, often they have a lifetime job placement service that you can use. If this isn’t an option for you, there are places that specialize in job placement for teachers. There’s usually a fee involved, but they tend to have good contacts with schools. Some good places are Innovative English and TEFL Job Placement , they have placements in Cusco. Lastly, although it may be a long shot, try your local college or university. If they have a career service centre, they might be able to provide you with some places that are looking for teachers.

Short-term: If you want to come here for a short time it's difficult to get a job and a visa before you get here. It's not impossible though. Look at Working Holiday Visas and Short-term Teaching for more info. However, if you want to stay for six months, you could sign a year-long contract with a school and simply leave after six months. It’s not that honest, but it is an option. And chances are that they would get you a visa. But, if you have a work visa, the school has to give you papers in order to leave the country to prove that you have paid taxes. See Leaving Peru and taxes for more information.

Many people simply come here and hand out their CVs. You will probably make about 5-10 USD an hour. Keep in mind working without a visa is illegal. However, this being said, many people do it though and chances are slim that you will run into problems. You get up to 183 days upon entry. There are no visa extensions, you'll have to border hope. Some places hire people on tourists visas. Expect to get around 6-10 USD an hour. For lists of schools try , Breaking into the TEFL Market in Peru, and The Little Black Book of English Institutes.

Networking:
Many jobs aren’t even advertised and are filled by word of mouth. Learning how to network is key here in Peru, look at Using Connections to Get a Great Job to find out more about networking. People often find jobs through friends of friends and that it especially true here in Peru. Be sure to tell everyone that you’re looking for a job. Who knows, your cousin’s girlfriend might know of a perfect job for you. You can also make contacts through forums as people tend to help each other out.

Answer Adverts: Advertised jobs in Peru are few and far between. If you’re in Peru try buying El Comercio on Sunday. The good jobs can be found in the Empleos section. Here are some more websites for finding jobs.
Teach Abroad
Volunteer Abroad
The Peru Job Bulletin
Living in Peru
Expat Peru
Laborum

Cold Calling: This comes in many forms. Applying to schools can be discouraging. Many places won't reply. This may be because they usually hire in Jan or simply because they would rather have you come in person before they hire you. Don't give up. Being persistent pays off. You can try emailing places. Another option is calling or better yet going to schools in person. If you’d prefer to work in a school or university than an institute, check out the Education section for links to Peruvian schools and universities. Top Institutes in Lima might also help you if you want to work in an institute. The Little Black Book of English Institutes has info about the pay for the best institutes in Peru. The Ultimate Guide to Teaching in Peru has info about schools, institutes, and universities around Peru. Try also contacting top hotels as they often need to train their staff English.

Private lessons: Another option is coming and teaching private lessons. Try posting at private schools and universities. You can also try posting your advert at Expat Peru and Living in Peru . Expat Peru also has a Listserv, you will have to join first, but around 1000 people: expats and Peruvians read it. So consider posting your advert there. You can also post in the local paper. Privates outside of Lima pay around 5-10 USD the hour. In Lima they can pay up to 20 USD an hour. Another thing, MAKE them pay AHEAD Of time. There's nothing like giving a months' worth of classes and never hearing from the student again. Charge more if you go to their house. Make a minimum time, ex. lessons must be at least 1.5 hours.

Word of mouth, the yellow pages, and business cards work well. Sending out fliers, business cards to your target area. If you want to teach Business English, go to Businesses, if you want kids English, stand outside schools. Try posting in El Comercio, OR read the classifieds, students post there and are looking for teachers, so you could call them. Read more about private students in this article.

Volunteering: Volunteering can be expensive and some places charge very high fees. The places below don't charge a fee or have a small fee. AYNI, Awaiting Angels, Cross Cultural Solutions, The Colour of Hope, and Habitat for Humanity. See Section 5 and Volunteer South America for more volunteer opportunities. More can be found at the Business Directory at Living in Peru and Trabajo Voluntario.

Working legally: Getting permission to work legally is difficult, however, this is Latin America, so laws tend to be shades of grey rather than black and white. Some options are getting a permission to sign a contract visa, see Permission to Sign a Contract Visa for more info. Have your work get you a work visa: schools and universities are more likely to get you a work visa than institutes. Or if you’re married to a Peruvian and get a llamado de familia / marriage visa, you can work legally. There might be other visa options for you that let you work legally, such as student, independent, artist, immigrant visa, and religious, so see DIGEMIN for more info. Or simply work under the table and border hop. If you’re only planning on staying for a short time, it might be the best option for you.

Share/Save/Bookmark

Prevent Piracy
A lot of time and effort has gone into making The Ultimate Peru List. I have been gathering info so you can easily find information about life in Peru. Please acknowledge this effort and do not reproduce any material on this site in any way shape or form without prior permission.

All posts and all purchased or public documents by Sharon K. Couzens de Hinojosa are copyrighted in compliance with international law.

Teaching Tips

Advertise on The Ultimate Peru List
Prices start at $20 USD per year.

Teaching Tips
Updated 10 December 2008

You can find out more about the TEFL market in different cities across Peru by reading, Breaking into the TEFL Market in Peru. If you're new to teaching or TEFLing, you can find good tips at Learning about TEFLing and Teaching. And be sure to look at Know Before You Go as well so you know what to expect before you arrive in Peru. Even if you can’t arrange a job before you arrive, you should be able to secure one within a few weeks.

Money's always an issue. Tips on getting a great paying job can be found in this article. But if you don't find a job with your dream salary, don't despair, there are plenty of ways to earn extra money. Just take a look at Money Matters for a complete list. Below you can find some ideas for teachers to earn extra money.

● Look at this article about supplementing your teaching salary
● Teach online. For a list of good schools to teach at see Teaching Online
● Teach night classes at a university or institute (About 5-10USD an hour)
● Teach private classes (About 15-25USD an hour). Here's info on Getting Private Students.
● Sub at primary or secondary schools.
● Give teacher training sessions. Check with local publishers.

Learning How to Teach
There are plenty of one month training courses out there, though not every institute will require one. Look at Is a TEFL Cert Necessary? for more info. Make sure the course has at least 100 teaching hours and 6 hours of teaching students. Your library is a good place to start researching about TEFLing. In addition, you can find plenty of resources online, such as
The Peace Corps Guide
TEFL Boot Camp
TEFL Tips
Learning about TEFL and Teaching
Teaching Beginners
Sites for Lesson Planning
Teaching Writing
Maintaining Discipline
Teaching Young Learners
Teaching Large Classes
Teaching Mixed Level Classes
Teaching English

Share/Save/Bookmark

Prevent Piracy
A lot of time and effort has gone into making The Ultimate Peru List. I have been gathering info so you can easily find information about life in Peru. Please acknowledge this effort and do not reproduce any material on this site in any way shape or form without prior permission.

All posts and all purchased or public documents by Sharon K. Couzens de Hinojosa are copyrighted in compliance with international law.

El Sol Spanish School

El Sol Spanish School
 
Clicky Web Analytics