The Ultimate Peru List

Cost of Living is Going Up

2012-02-24T20:30:00.001+09:00

It should come as no surprise that the cost of living is going up. Afterall, inflation happens. Yet the problem with Peru is that because it IS a third world country, it's hard to live ok. You either have to fight the idiots on the combis or get a crazy taxi or your own car. There's no middle ground.

Housing costs are going up and that bubble's going to burst soon.

Transport fares are on the rise as well.

Food is getting more expensive.

Seems like the only thing that's not going up is salaries.

Teach English Abroad

2012-02-23T00:22:00.001+09:00

Knowing English opens up a world of possibilites as far as jobs and travel go. Due to this, more and more people are studying English and therefore need English teachers. Teaching English is a great way to travel the world and get paid to do so.

Whether you're looking to teach for two years or twenty, Teach English Abroad: The Complete Guide has everything you need to know. With 3 books and access to a members-only website you'll be on your way to teaching overseas.

The Guide to Countries is one of four parts of Teach English Abroad: The Complete Guide and it will give you the lowdown on 62 countries around the world. Countries in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East are all covered extensively. You'll find out about the salaries, cost of living, paperwork involved, and chances of getting a teaching job. Popular countries such as Korea and Japan as well as lesser known ones such as Laos and Paraguay are included in this guide.

The second part of Teach English Abroad: The Complete Guide is The Guide to Jobs tells you how to find the best ESL job out there, whether it's advertised or not. You'll find out where to look for job and what the most popular ESL job boards are. You'll also learn teaching methods and the truth about TEFL certificates. Included in this ebook are sample CVs and cover letters to help you create a stellar CV that will stand out from the rest. Many teachers teach private lessons and there's a whole chapter on how to get private students. There are also insider tips that tell you how you can make even more money by teaching online and freelancing.

How to Teach English as a Foreign Language is the third part of Teach English Abroad: The Complete Guide and contains valuable information such as how to teach the four skills, sample lesson plans, and tips on classroom management. The 111 page guide also has information on placement tests and where to look for material on the web.

The last part of Teach English Abroad: The Complete Guide is the Members-only website has thousands of links. All 62 countries mentioned in the Guide to Countries can be found here with links to job offers, language schools, embassies, or even English newspapers. You'll also find general links such as ESL job boards and recruiting agencies. There is also an active discussion forum, so you can find out about your chosen destination before you arrive.

So what are you waiting for? Click here to get Teach English Abroad: The Complete Guide and soon you'll be on your way to living your dream. With a 60 day money back guarantee you've got nothing to lose and everything to gain.

30 Days to Move Abroad

2012-02-20T00:18:00.004+09:00

If you're thinking of moving abroad you're probably feeling daunted about everything that has to be done, from packing to visas to finding a job. 30 Days to Move Abroad makes moving overseas a breeze.

Their guide is chocked full of information. You'll find tips on what to pack and what to leave behind. Learning the language, budgeting, and finding a job is also covered. Of course, you'll want to travel in country so they discuss driving tips as well. If you're going with your family, you'll find their section on bringing children and pet particularly useful. You'll also learn what documents you should bring with you and who to contact in case something goes wrong.

Written by a team of expats in Portugal, 30 Days to Move Abroad is exactly what you need to take the stress and anxiety out of moving abroad. Included in their guide is the A-Z of Moving Abroad, which covers how to choose the right country, setting up a business, buying foreign property, your children's education, and much more.

Everything you need to know about moving abroad can be found in this book. They also offer a 60 day money back guarantee, so you've got nothing to lose. Click here to go to 30 Days to Move Abroad and in a month from now you could be living in your dream destination.

Naturalised Peruvians on the Rise

2012-02-18T20:21:00.004+09:00

More and more people are getting Peruvian citizenship. I remember when I got mine a couple years ago, people questioned me about it. My motivates weren't the best, but some of the people had been in Peru for much longer than I had and swore that they'd never get citizenship, but things changed.

I think the elections of 2011 caused people to get citizenship. They wanted to vote because they were scared of the outcome. While getting citizenship from a first world country, like England, France, or Spain is one thing, I really don't understand why first world citizens get third world citizenship.

When I was in the naturalisation office I had to deal with idiots who told me I HAD to change my name, yet a friend of mine didn't. Actually, no man I know has had to change their name, seems like only women do.

In addition, everyone there was there because they were Peruvians born abroad and were trying to get citizenship. This was back in 2008. Now I've been told things have changed.

I know one thing's for sure: my motivates for getting citizenship weren't the best and I'd much rather have citizenship from a first world country: one in Europe would be nice.

I Teach English Online

2012-02-17T00:16:00.003+09:00

Teaching English online is a great way to earn extra money from the comfort of your own home. John Buchanan has written How to Teach English Online and Get Money.

He'll take you through each step and show you how to start and maintain your very own online teaching business. Teaching English online is extremely popular and this is proven by all the online teaching adverts out there. The problem with that is that you have to deal with a middleman and they take a cut of your earnings. However, by setting up your own school you can avoid the middlemen and keep all the profits.

Online English teachers usually make between $15 and $30 an hour. The best part is that you don't have to waste time or money commuting to work. Teaching online allows you the freedom to work from anywhere in the world.

You'll get valuable information, such as a checklist of what you need to do, conversation questions to ask students, vocabulary words to teach students, how to attract students, how to get students via youtube, and more. Whether you want to make a little extra cash by teaching online or are ready to make it a full time job, click here to go to I Teach English Online.

Lack of Libraries: Low Literacy

2012-02-12T20:01:00.012+09:00

I didn't miss food so much as I missed libraries when I lived in Peru. I guess I was spoiled to grow up near one of the best libraries in the state. Peruvian libraries just can't hold a candle to US ones. In an early post I wrote about the low literacy rates in Peru and how the government was fighting against illiteracy, but in my opinion, is making some big mistakes.

First off, I used to live across the street from the National Library. One day I decided to go visit and I didn't even get to see one book. Getting into the building is hard enough due to the lack of signs and security guards asking you what you're doing (Um, trying to get books?). So I went into a massive hall and went to the desk and asked to go in. Nope, I was refused entry. (Remind me again WHY I pay taxes if I can't even use the library). They said that I needed two reference letters and a letter from my university saying I was studying. There were fees, but since I was technically a student, I was extempt.

I couldn't believe it!

To make things worse, I later found out that you couldn't even TAKE the books out of the library. Kind of defeats the point of a LENDING library, doesn't it?

Needless to say, I left, extremely pissed off, yet completely understanding why so many Peruvians are illiterate.

So I decided to go to Britanico and ICPNA and buy a membership to their libraries. I never actually used the Britanico one, but I did use the ICPNA one: I wasn't impressed.

You could borrow 2 (TWO: whoop-dee-doo) books and they had to be returned in prestine condition. I was slapped with a 30 soles fine and banned for two months when one of the pages bent on a 40 year old book. Seriously? I'd hate to think of the poor kids who check out kids' books. To make things worse, I had joined so I could research for my thesis and none of the books I needed could be checked out. Of course there was no copy machine either; you had to request copies: max of 10 and it took 2 days to get them. Again: seriously?! Oh, and you had to check your bags, they were so afraid you'd steal something.

And don't get me started on the toilets there. No soap and no TP was the norm. I went to complain once, it was a Saturday morning. I was told that the kids from the children's classes must have used up all the soap and TP for the day. They weren't allowed to use more than the quota for the day. Once again: seriously?! That's gross. Peru's not exactly a clean country, I can't believe they don't care about all the germs that would get on their precious 40 year old books.

Britanico library is supposed to be nicer. I know it's bigger since I had a tour. Though I lived farther away. I guess there's always a next time!

Free Inca Trail Packaged Tour

2012-02-11T10:15:00.000+09:00

Details can be found at http://www.karikuy.org/contest. Contest is open to everyone and ends this February 29th. Wish you all the best.

For Better or For Worse: Peruvian Education

2012-02-09T20:14:00.002+09:00

My husband has recently told me he wants our daughter to study in Peru for 3 to 5 years. I nearly fell off my chair when he said that. Before he said if we had kids, he wanted them to go to Peru for 6 months to experience the culture. 6 months in one thing, 5 years is another.

Now, I'm not getting on my high horse and saying that I want our daughter to study in the US either.

However, education in Peru is a bit of a nightmare. Private schools are ok-ish, though high grades are handed out like candy. I was told to change Bs to As, since my students were in therapy and a B would "undo everything the therapist had done". When I refused to change the grades, the homeroom teacher changed them for me. Nice.

Public education in is horrid, especially after the results came out a couple years ago saying the average teacher in the public schools knew just as much as a fifth grader did. The way they care for schools is atrocious. Graffiti, overgrow school yards with weeds, rotting buildings, broken windows, and unhinged gates are just a couple of examples that I saw at the school on Benavides: in Miraflores to boot!

Alan gave 25 schools money to fix things and there were banners proclaiming all this. Though if you took into account the amount he gave and the number of schools, it came out to about $3000 per school. Not much, even in Peru.

Hopefully things will change, though it's going to take a while. One thing I know for sure, is that students who study at home are a heck of a lot smarter than those who go to school. No matter where that school is located.

Synergy Spanish

2012-02-05T13:19:00.001+09:00

Think you need to study for years to get by in Spanish? Synergy Spanish disagrees. Traditional ways of learning languages don't work. It all boils down to grammar. Something that both students and teachers hate.

Sitting in a classroom and memorising verb conjugations just doesn't cut it in the real world. Traditional methods put way too much emphasis on getting the grammar correct and totally ignore the way that people naturally learn a language. Marcus Santamaria (in the picture on the left) has put together Synergy Spanish based on his years of language teaching experience.

By starting with 138 words, you'll begin to branch out and be speaking Spanish before you know it. Phrases can be built to form sentences and thousands
of phrases can be learnt based on the initial 138 words. For example, learning the cognates helps since many English words that end in "ify" can be changed into Spanish by changing the "ify" to "ificar". Marcus has divided these words into 30 categories and you can learn over 3000 Spanish words this way. Synergy Spanish is divided into 5 sections.

Talking about yourself. Instead of memorising useless vocabulary like animals, he starts you out by having you talk about yourself.
Sentences starters and sentence builders use the knowledge you have from the 138 words he starts you off with.
You'll learn useful words and phrases related to travel so that when you go to a Spanish speaking country things won't get lost in translation.
Speaking to groups of people is next.
You will learn to communicate in any situation. By learning Spanish naturally you won't be stuck trying to conjugate verbs or translate from English to Spanish.

Marcus created this course based on his experience as an English teacher and Spanish student. He has made learning Spanish fun and easy so that you can start learning today. If you have any questions, you can even email him. Take a look at the course Marcus Santamaria created: Synergy Spanish.

Housing Prices are on the Rise

2012-02-04T19:48:00.002+09:00

If you're looking to rent or own a place in Peru you're in for a shock as prices are going through the roof. You'd think they'd learn from other people's mistakes: mainly the US. However, they haven't. Things are going well now for people as mortgages are easier to get and owners are charging high rents.

The bubble's going to burst though. Maybe not right away, but give it a couple years and it will. My advice: pay off your mortgage. Save the rent you're getting from your tenants if you're renting your place out. Things will get tough in a couple years and this is partly due to the fact that more and more places are being listed in dollars rather than soles.

Surprisingly Pleasant Experience at the Peruvian Embassy

2012-01-04T14:47:00.000+09:00

In order to cancel my POA (power of attorney) I had to get documentation from the Peruvian embassy here in Seoul. The embassy is more like a small office in a buildling near the major shopping area where Japanese come for the weekend. No security guards, metal detectors, no appointment, and you can use your cell phone inside.

I'd been twice before and I had come today because they had made a small mistake which neither they nor I caught. I was told that I had to pay for 4 pages to be printed and stamped and that would run me about $40. I paid, not too happy with the fact that I should have read the info more carefully the first time.

Then I sat down and waited.

The head of consular affairs came over, apologised, gave me 5 key chains as souveneirs, and said the embassy would cover half the cost, since it was kind of their mistake as well.

That was nice and it made the fact that I had to travel 3 hours round trip a bit more bearable.

Poll Result for What Will Ollanta Do?

2012-01-02T21:22:00.000+09:00

35 people voted in the poll. 60% (21 votes) thought that he would go back on his word. 25% (9 votes) thought that he would keep his promises. 14% (5 votes) choose other. So for those of you who choose other, what do you think he'll do?

Link Exchange

2011-12-04T19:35:00.002+09:00

It's pretty straight forward: you link to my site and I'll link to yours. Once your link to The Ultimate Peru List is up, please email me at naturegirl321@yahoo.com letting me know the url where you've placed my link and tell me your website so I can add it to the list. You might also be interested in writing a guest post or a link exchange.

● American in Lima
● Articles about Peru
● BootsnAll Independent Travel
● Capital of Peru
● En Peru
● Life in Peru
● Peru for Less
● Peru Travel
● Streets of Peru
● TEFL Tips
● The LA Job List
● Transitions Abroad
● Viva Travel Guides
● Volunteer South America
● Waloetz

Guest Posts

2011-12-03T19:34:00.002+09:00

Guest posts allow website owners to expand their readership base and promote their site. For more information regarding guest posts, please contact me at naturegirl321@yahoo.com . You might also be interested in advertising or a link exchange.

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The article can't be longer than 350 words. Please add $25 to those prices if you would like us to write the 350 word post.

$125 per post with 1 link that would stay active for one year
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$300 per post with up to 3 links that would stay active permanently

Advertise on The Ultimate Peru List

2011-12-02T19:34:00.002+09:00

Years of writing on forums giving advice to those in Peru or wanting to come to Peru has helped me to develop an solid readership base. The Ultimate Peru List is PR3 and gets visitors from all over the world. If you have products, services or courses geared towards travelling and Peru, then please read on and find out how we could work together. You might also be interested in writing a guest post or a link exchange.

Discounts are available for 3 month, 6 month, and 1 year terms. For more information regarding advertising opportunites, please contact me at naturegirl321@yahoo.com .

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I Love Peru News

2011-11-10T12:24:00.000+09:00

If you're looking for news about Peru, then you've got to check out the new site: I Love Peru News. With info about business, community, features, headlines, news, sports and more, you'll be sure to find something to read about!

About The Ultimate Peru List

2011-10-27T00:50:00.001+09:00

Updated 27 October 2011
The UPL was started to help people get information about living and moving to Peru. I'm not a lawyer, so be sure to check with immigrations or get legal advice if needed. Although I don’t pretend that this has all the information you will need to know about Peru, it’s very 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

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● Transitions Abroad

Fighting Illiteracy

2011-10-23T19:43:00.000+09:00

When I saw a huge poster on the National Library about how 1 million Peruvian adults had learnt to read I have to admit that I was shocked. At that time, there were 28 million Peruvians, so if 1 million had just learnt to read, that didn't speak well for Peru.

I'm glad that Peru is fighting against literacy, but I have to admit they have a lot of changes to make, starting with the horrible libraries which I'll write about in more detail later.

Thanks go to Wikipedia Commons for this chart on the left. Nowadays, world illiteracy is still pretty high: 20%. Even with all the technical advances, the fact that people still can't read is baffling. Governments must take a stand against this.

Ollanta is OK

2011-10-17T19:38:00.001+09:00

Elections have come and gone and the chaos seems to have died down a bit. All the mass hysteria about Ollanta seems to have melted away. I didn't vote in the elections I'll end up paying the fine, but that's ok with me.

After talking to people who did vote for Ollanta, I was surprised to see that it wasn't just the poor or uneducated that voted for Ollanta. Surprisingly, many well educated people voted for him. The reason for this is that they want change, even if it has to come at a cost.

While I was sitting on the edge of my seat waiting for Ollanta to wreck havoc like Fujimori did, nothing happened. I know it's still early in his presidency and he's had some issues, but I'll have to say, nothing major has happened like I thought it would.

Decreasing Dollar

2011-09-12T19:35:00.001+09:00

Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that the dollar's buying power is slipping away while the sol is getting strong. I hear peopl be moaning and groaning about this a lot. And while I understand that the dropping dollar is problematic, I think that people in Peru need to move away from the dollar and have more faith in their own currency.

Historically, the sol has had lots of issues. Afterall, this is the nuevo sol, the old sol is worthless. You had to bring bucketfuls of sols just to buy milk in the 90s. However, times have changed. If people in Peru want the sol to remain strong, they need to start saving in their own currency. The dollar may be the official currency of Ecuador, but it's not in Peru.

Teaching English to Young Learners

2011-09-10T22:59:00.000+09:00

Teaching English to Young Learners
Teaching English to Young Learners can very rewarding. Most teachers love teaching the young children because they learn SO fast. They're like little sponges.

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● Working with parents, school administrators and co-teachers
● PLUS much more!

How much is it? US$9.95 Get Teaching English to Young Learners today!

Easier to Navigate the UPL

2011-07-23T18:15:00.000+09:00

I've updated the labels / tags that are in the left column. There are fewer and more specific ones, so you should be able to easier find what you're looking for.

New Facebook Page

2011-07-23T13:51:00.000+09:00

The Ultimate Peru List has a new Facebook fan page. Hope you like us! You can join by clicking here: The Ultimate Peru List's FB fan page. Or go to the Wibiya toolbar at the bottom of your screen and click on the Facebook logo.

The Language Hacking Guide

2011-07-23T13:45:00.011+09:00

Stop wishing you knew another another language and do something about it. Benny the Irish polyglot has created a language learning technique that'll decrease the time you need to study while increasing your knowledge of the language. Need more proof? He speaks 8 languages. Take a look at The Language Hacking Guide by Benny the Irish Polyglot, the owner of Fluent in 3 Months.

So what does he say about learning a language? He says that you don't need to spend years studying grammar, need expensive and complicated software, or a “magic pill” to master a language while you sleep, you just need to speak it. Speak it regularly, speak it confidently, and speak it immediately. The more you speak, the quicker you will improve.

Even though this may be obvious, how speaking a language that you have just started to learn seems impossible to many people. But it’s not actually that hard! If you're serious about learning another langauge, then check out The Language Hacking Guide right now!

Now on Twitter

2011-07-23T12:33:00.001+09:00

Follow me on Twitter: @SharonTEFLtips