Showing posts with label study. Show all posts
Showing posts with label study. Show all posts

Saturday, April 15, 2017

Poll Results: Why Are There So Many Indians and Bangladeshis Interested in Moving to Peru?

Here are the poll results for Why Are There So Many Indians and Bangladeshis Interested in Moving to Peru?
  • Love: 23% with 11 votes
  • Work: 13% with 6 votes
  • The ability to get Peruvian citizenship: 19% with 9 votes 
  • Schooling / Education: 6% with 3 votes
  • Culture: 9% with 4 votes
  • Language: 6% with 3 votes
  • Being far from home: 6% with 3 votes
  • Being able to start over: 4% with 2 votes
  • The Indian community in Peru: 9% with 4 votes
  • Other: 4% with 2 votes
Love conquers all!
In first place is love with 23% of the votes. The ability to get Peruvian citizenship is second with 19% of the votes, and in third place is work with 13% of the votes. Thanks for voting!







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Thursday, January 5, 2017

Internships in Peru

The following is a guest post by Nils Schulz. Nils is CEO at Inside Peru. He lives in Hamburg, Germany and visits Peru regularly.

Internships abroad are increasingly common today and there are many good reasons for that. Broad language and cultural skills are needed in many jobs if you want to succeed in a global economy. Many degree programs require at least one internship as part of the training and many students choose to go abroad. For many people their years of study are the time in their life where they are able to live abroad for a while without much hassle.

There are many ways to do so: volunteering, work and travel, taking a language course, study one or more semesters abroad, or – last but not least – doing an internship. Of course, apart from learning new skills and testing possible future career paths, a given time abroad always enriches ones personality and leaves you with many new experiences, memories, friends, ideas…

At Inside Peru, a placement agency from Germany specializing in Peru, we notice that Peru is also a place which is increasingly popular with young people from all over the world. It’s a relatively stable country with continuous economic growth (which has been a bit slower lately) and the Spanish spoken in Peru is considered to be especially “pure” and easier to learn and to understand than in many other Spanish speaking countries. But above all, Peru is just an exciting country full of colors and contrasts, perfect to discover marvelous landscapes and ancient cultures.

Yet when people start planning their stay in Peru they often encounter obstacles. How do I find the place for my internship that really fits? Why is it so hard to get in touch and they never answer to my emails? These are typical situations many have to deal with. Let alone the language barrier or concerns about security, visa matters, and the like. So reaching out to a place like Inside Peru turns out to be a good decision for many people willing to go to Peru in order to get things done well right from the start. For a modest one-time fee they get professional help planning the trip, finding the right internship and a cosy and secure place to stay. Also while staying in Peru they get follow-up assistance via Internet or with a local contact person and regular activities with other foreign interns.

Many interns going to Peru are social-minded and look for internships dealing e.g. with indigenous people or human rights matters, development cooperation or social work (working with vulnerable groups in society). But also many other work areas like law, teaching, environment or sturdy marketing and economy-related internships are asked for and provided by Inside Peru. If you are interested in a stay in Peru visit Inside Peru’s website and get in touch with us. We are happy to help. -Nils Schulz

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Saturday, November 12, 2016

Why Are There So Many Indians and Bangladeshis Interested in Moving to Peru?

When I started this blog back in 2008, most of the emails and comments I got were from Westerners (Europeans, Canadians, and Americans). Nowadays, the majority of the questions I get come from Indians.

If you're Indian or Bangladeshi, I'd love to hear from you and what made you decide to move to Peru. Please take the poll below. If you can't view the poll, you can vote here as well.




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Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Poll Results 2013: What brought you to Peru?

The 2013 poll was "What brought you to Peru?" Here are the results.
  • Love: 57% with 57 votes
  • Work: 7% with 7 votes
  • Studies: 3% with 3 votes
  • Other: 33% with 33 votes
I'm not surprised that most people choose love. I get far more questions and emails regarding dating and marriage to Peruvians than any other topic. I am surprised to hear that "other" got 33%. What brought you to Peru then?

Be sure to vote in this year's poll: What's your monthly salary?

Recommended Reading




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Monday, July 15, 2013

Reader Request: Alternative Ways to Get Residency in Peru Besides Marriage

From blog.smalltownkid.net
Updated 30 April 2017

About once a month I get an email from someone asking me how in the world they can get residency in Peru. Usually it's due to the fact that a significant other in Peru, but they don't want to or aren't able to get married.

One tip to remember is that speaking Spanish will help you greatly. You'll be treated differently than if you speak English all the time, it'll help you assimilate to the culture, and you'll be able to communicate easier.

The good news is that after three years of residency you can apply for inmigrante status (permanent residency) or become a Peruvian citizen.

Here are some other alternatives to residency besides getting married.
  1. Get a work visa. If you can score an expat package, all the better.
  2. Start your own business. It'll get you a visa. You'll need $30,000 and there's a lot of paperwork involved.
  3. Get a student visa. You will be able to work part-time as well. married.
  4. Get a retirement visa. You'll have to prove a steady source of income, not from a job. (ex, government retirement scheme, private retirement scheme, etc.)
  5. Get a family visa. If you have children that were born in Peru, they can become Peruvian citizens. If your kids are Peruvian, you might be able to get a visa through them. Get a lawyer. I've heard it's possible, but don't know anyone who has done it.





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Sunday, May 19, 2013

Jumping Through Hoops to Get Your College Diploma in Peru

http://21cccs.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/cap-and-diploma.jpg
From 21cccs.org
I've gotten degrees from universities in North America, Europe, and Australiasia.

For the unis in North America and Australiasia, all I had to get my diploma was make sure that I didn't owe the uni any money. That was it. I didn't have to do anything or pay a fee. I had my diploma in hand 2 weeks after I graduated from the uni in North America and 3 months after I graduated from the one in Australasia.

For the uni in Europe I had to pay a couple hundred dollars and wait nearly a year for the actual diploma (which came stamped, sealed, apostillised, and what have you) and to top it off the first diploma that they sent me had mistakes in my personal info. However, I didn't have to fill out any paperwork for any three of these unis.

Peru, however, is different. One tip to remember is that speaking Spanish will help you greatly. You'll be treated differently than if you speak English all the time, it'll help you assimilate to the culture, and you'll be able to communicate easier.
Why make something simple when you can make it difficult and create jobs (as well as stress and frustration)? The answer is simple: that's just the way Peruvian culture is. I honestly don't understand why they need most of these docs because . . .
  1. They should already have them on file since they needed them when you applied to the university.
  2. It shows a lack of communication between departments. The departments should simply send the info on to whichever department is in charge of seeing if students are able to graduate rather then each individual student going around to multiple departments and getting the required paperwork to hand in to the department in charge of graduation.
Paperwork You'll Need
Here are some requirements needed in order to get your diploma from a Peruvian university. This is a bit extreme since it's a public university. You can find more examples at San Marco and Inca Garcilaso de la Vega. Other documents that you might need are your birth certificate and transcripts from other universities if you transferred

Step 1: Get permission from your department / faculty to graduate
  • Certificate of your studies*
  • A formal request asking permission to get permission to get your degree. (i.e. they have to say that you've completed all the course requirements)
  • Proof of not owing the university any money*
  • Proof of completing any required internships*
  • Proof of required final projects*
  • Photos*
  • Photocopy of your DNI*
  • Receipt for the right to have finished your courses (grado academico)
  • Receipt for your diploma*
  • Receipt for the calligraphy on your diploma*
  • Receipt for the paperwork*
  • Receipt for the certificate that proves you have finished your requirements

Step 2: Permission from the university to graduate
  • Formal request
  • Certificate of your studies*
  • Certificate from your department / faculty saying that you have permission to graduate
  • Receipt for permission to graduate
  • Receipt for your diploma*
  • Receipt for the calligraphy on your diploma*
  • Receipt for the paperwork*
  • Photos*
  • Proof of not owing the university money*
  • Proof of required final projects*
  • Proof of completing any required internships*
  • Photocopy of your DNI*
  • A folder to put it all in
Step 3: Requesting your diploma
  • Certificate of your studies*
  • Certificate from the university saying you can graduate
  • Proof of not owing the university money*
  • Proof of completing any required internships*
  • Proof of required final project*
  • Photos*
  • Photocopy of your DNI*
  • Receipt for the certificate that proves you have finished your requirements
  • Receipt for your diploma itself*
  • Receipt for the calligraphy on your diploma*
  • Receipt for the paperwork*
  • Receipt for the right to ask for your diploma
Those are a lot of documents you need!

* From the asterisks you can see that most of them are asked for again and again.

It's time consuming and expensive. Each of these steps requires you to pay for multiple things. A national university will probably cost you about $200 to graduate from, a private university could be double or triple that. After going through university and spending money on an education, you shouldn't be asked to pay more just to graduate.

Peru needs to simplify things. They need to create less paperwork, less hassle, and less frustration. You shouldn't have to ask your faculty for permission to graduate. It would be a heck of a lot simpler if the faculties gave the head department a list of people who can graduate. Ditto for owing money. Each department, such as the library, should print off a list of people who owe money.






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Sunday, February 12, 2012

Lack of Libraries in Peru Leads to Low Literacy

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 exempt. I couldn't believe it! Sometimes Peruvian culture really ticks me off.

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's 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!

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Thursday, February 9, 2012

For Better or For Worse: Peruvian Education


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. I have issues with Peruvian culture and schooling is one of them.

Image source
Now, I'm not 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.



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Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Student Visas for Peru

Updated 5 May 2017


 ***Be sure you ask at immigrations about your visa as rules and fees seem to change often. You now need an appointment in order to go to immigration. Make the "derecho de tramite" payment in order to schedule your appointment right away.***

You are allowed to spend a year in Peru as a student, but according to Peruvian laws, you are NOT allowed to earn money while on a student visa. Student visas are for those who have paid to study. All you need to do is study Spanish at a language institute accredited by the Ministry of Education, for example, ICPNA or a university. Info can be found at Migraciones. It's called "estudiante". Try looking at this article about studying Spanish.

You need
  • F007
  • Pay the fee for F007
  • The original and copy of your passport
  • Proof that you are enrolled at a language school studying Spanish
  • Proof that you have paid the tuition, and proof that you have enough money to live on (usually $2500 for a year).
Do This
  1. Make copies of everything so that they can stamp your copies. Leave the originals at the Mesa de Partes at Immigrations come back when they tell you to.
  2. While you're waiting, go to INTERPOL Steps can be found here.
  3. In theory, you no longer have to leave the country to pick up a residence visa. All the paperwork can now be done in Lima. However, some people have been asked to leave to get their visas. I'm not sure why. Peru seems to change their rules often. I think it's on a case by case basis.
  4. Pick up your visa, bring copies of your passport and 2 passport photos. Call ahead and ask how much the visa will be. They might want you to go to a bank first and deposit the fee for the visa. You'll also need a carne sized photo when you pick up the visa.
  5. Then, follow the steps to get your carne de extranjeria.




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Saturday, October 4, 2008

Studying Spanish in Peru

Updated 1 May 2017


Studying in-country gives you an advantage over those who simply stay at home. Not only will you practise Spanish while in the classroom, but you’ll get added real-life practise while doing daily activities, such as going shopping or even asking for directions. If you decide to come to Peru to study Spanish, you’ll have three options available to you: studying in an institute, studying an a university, or studying with a private teacher. There are pros and cons to each of these options.

Institutes
You’ll find that there is no shortage of Spanish schools here in Peru. There are two types of institutes, private ones and cultural ones. Let’s look at the private sector first. No matter if you want to go to a big city or out in the country, you’ll be sure to find an institute or two to choose from. The good thing is that classes tend to be small, start often, and you can meet people from all over the world. Flexibility is often key as well. Institutes usually have course that range from an hour or two a day to complete immersion courses that are eight hours a day. In addition, most will provide home stays at an additional cost. The downside tends to be the cost. People usually do intensive study for a couple of weeks, so prices tend to be high. The quality of the programme also tends to vary greatly. A good place to look for institutes is through Study Abroad.

Next are cultural institutes. ICPNA and Britanico are the main ones here in Peru, they offer classes at more affordable rates and classes are usually longer than the private ones (which tend to be a week in duration). Programmes are pretty structured at these institutes. The downside can be the schedule as these classes are targeted at long-term residents who are only looking for a bit of Spanish a week. However, you can easily meet local expats at these types of institutes, but this may also be a downside, since you won’t be forced to practise your Spanish skills. If you want to study at a cultural institute, you’ll have to contact that institute directly.

Language Exchanges
And don’t forget about trying to set up language exchanges. Find a Peruvian that wants to speak your language and you’re good to go. Arrange to meet at a café and spend half the time speaking in your language and half the time in Spanish. Try looking at Conversation Exchange to find a language partner.

On Your Own
Fluenz Spanish Latin America works so well that it is being used by the US Navy, senior personnel at the UN and UNICEF, executives of Fortune 500 companies, students at Harvard Business School and other leading universities. Rosetta Stone is a tried and true method that has been around for a while and consistently gets good reviews. Living Languages allows you to learn Spanish completely and is backed up by linguistic studies.

Private Tutors
Lastly, many people find that a private teacher is the way to go as the teacher can tailor the lessons to your needs and schedule. Cost might be a factor, but it might be well worth it. The downside is finding a private teacher is you’re only going to be in Peru for a short time. Most teachers want you to sign up for a month’s worth of classes and will often have the classes in your home. Another downside is finding a reliable teacher. If you’re interested in finding a private teacher, try asking around at Expat Peru or Living in Peru.

Universities
Studying at a university is another option available to those who want to study in Peru. Private universities are the way to go and there are usually a couple of prominent ones in cities around Peru. The positive side is that there’s a structured programme and often people involved in these classes are exchange students. Prices tend to be decent as well. The negative side is that you might only receive a couple of hours of instruction a week and that many studying at a university are college-aged students taking a semester abroad. Universities in Peru can be found at Universia, Universidad Peru, and Bulter.




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Monday, September 8, 2008

Education in Peru

Updated 28 January 2015

If you're going to be moving to Peru with kids, you'll need to know about the educational options available. There are public and private schools in Peru and the majority of the private ones are religious. As expected, private schooling is more expensive and can range from $200 to $1000 a month, depending on the school. Most of the English speaking ones are in Lima, but you can also find some in the provinces.

Schools are broken into Primary (grades 1-6) and Secondary School (grades 1-5). There is also “Nido” which is Nursery school and usually starts around age 2. Since school is only 11 years, university is five years. A list of schools in Peru and International Schools (at the bottom) can be found in the LA Job List and this Guide to Peru. There's also, ExpoUniversidad which publishes a yearly guide for Peruvian schools. If you're considering homeschooling, you might want to look into virtual schools. You can also find helpful info at Moms help Moms.

Lima: Schools
International education can be very expensive in Lima. Some schools can cost more than $25,000 a year. Here's a list of the 10 most expensive schools. More schools can be found at the LA Job List and TEFL Tips.
Lima: Nursery Schools
Schools often have nursery schools that start at age two. However, if you're looking for places that just offer nursery school, try the places below.
  • Beginners: Los Pinos 308, Camacho 4376242
  • Donde Leslie: Alameda Corregidor 1310, La Molina 4953382
  • Garabatos: Los Laureles 447, San Isidro 4410040
  • Kids First Nursery School: Redon 134 San Borja 3461377
  • Little Villa: Jose del Llano Zapata 454, San Isidro 4405835
  • Medalla Milagrosa: Av Monte de los Olivos 145, surco 2791736
  • Nido John Arriman: Av Nicolas de Rivera 948, Surco 4221084
  • Nido Playschool: Islas Aleutianos 120, Planicie 4791058
Provinces
Here are some English schools in the Provinces.
Special Education
Although there are only a few special education schools, they have high standards and will help make your transition to Peru easier.
Universities
Peru has one of the oldest universities in the Americas, San Marcos. It’s very difficult to get in, about 60,000 apply but only a couple thousand are actually admitted. University is considerably harder than in many English-speaking countries. The reason for this is that most grades are based on the midterm and final exams.

Some professors expect students to buy their books, memorise them and write their exact words on the exams. They may even take off points if they paraphrase, which is why many students think nothing of copying and pasting and then not giving any credit in the form of a bibliography. Here are some websites with statistics, such as the admission rate and number of students as well as other helpful information.




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Friday, August 8, 2008

Studying Spanish and Other Languages in Peru

Updated 14 April 2014

Try looking at this article about studying Spanish. If you’re looking to study formally there are plenty of options from studying online to at a school or with a private teacher. If you want to study long-term in Peru, try looking at this info on how to get a student visa.


Arequipa: Institutes

Cusco: Institutes

Intercambios / Language Exchanges
You could also try to arrange an “intercambio” where you speak Spanish for half the time and they speak English. That way both of you will get better and won’t have to pay a teacher. Try finding one at Conversation Exchange or My Language Exchange.

Lima: Institutes

Lima: Private Tutors
Expect to pay about $8 to $20 an hour. If you want to take Spanish classes for an extended period of time or for many hours a week, ask for a discount. Discounts are normal for these cases and if you don't ask for a discount, you're paying much more than you should. Don't always go for the cheapest option. Remember you get what you pay for. If possible arrange to meet with the teacher ahead of time, see their materials and see if you think you'd feel comfortable taking lessons with them. Language schools also offer private classes. You can find more teachers advertised at LIP's Classified.

Listings of Language Schools
Look for places with small classes and try to talk to current students to get an idea of what their methodology is like. Here are some more lists of language schools.
On Your Own
Online Resources
The Spanish Resources Section has dictionaries, cognates, Peruvian slang and a vocabulary section. Here is a list of Peruvian Slang. Spanish Word of the Day sends you daily emails with Basic to Advanced Vocabulary. If you download Vuze, you can then get programmes like Michael Thomas Spanish and Learn Spanish Like Crazy.

Other Languages
If you're in Lima, you should have no problem finding a teacher to teach you other languages. You can try looking on the Expat Listserv through Expat Peru. Or try contacting one of the places below.





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