Learn to TEACH English with TECHNOLOGY. Free course for American TESOL students.


TESOL certification course online recognized by TESL Canada & ACTDEC UK.

Visit Driven Coffee Fundraising for unique school fundraising ideas.





Texas ISD School Guide
Texas ISD School Guide







Travel in Latin America

Communication in Peru
By:Sharon De Hinojosa

General
The country code of Peru is 51. All city codes begin with 0, however, we someone wants to call to Peru, they have to drop the 0. In order to call out of Peru you will have to dial 00 then the country code followed by the phone number. If you want to make phone calls, the best thing to do is to go to a Locutorio, which is a place that has phone booths. They charge much less than if you use a public phone.

Land lines
If you want to get a land line, you will have to go to Telefonica or Telmex and ask for one. I recommed Telmex over Telefonica, prices are better and it takes less time to get the line installed. Fees vary between 40 and 120 soles a month. Americatel is another option or Millicom. You will need your ID and a water or electricity bill. If usually takes between one and two weeks for the phone to be installed and then you can make a certain amount of free local calls. It's free to receive calls. Be aware that you will usually sign a contract for six months. If you cancel early you will have to pay for the remaining months and a fee.

Cell phones
Cell phones are very common and there are three servers: Telefónica/Movistar, Claro and Nextel. Telefonica and Claro have similar rates and offers and Nextel tends to be more expensive and is used for businesses. You can either buy a post-pago or a pre-pago cell phone. Post-pago means that you sign a contract and Pre-pago means that you buy phone cards and can use your cell phone as long as it has money on it.

Internet
Internet cafes or cabinas can be found just about everywhere and charge between .50 soles to 2 soles a half hour depending on where you are. Internet connections tend to be fast and many have USB ports as well. If you want to get internet at home, you will have to contact Speedy, which is part of Telefonica. Fees vary, but are around 100 to 200 soles a month.

WiFi places are popping up all over the place. Starbucks and MacDonald's in Parque Kennedy have it. As well as Parque Kennedy itself, just be wary of taking your laptop there out in the open. Vivanca also recently installed WiFi

Fax
Fax services can be found in cabinas and locutorios or photo copy places. Faxes inside the same city are around 1 or 2 soles. National faxes are around 2 and 3 soles and International are about 3 to 5 soles. Make sure that the fax feedback form says that the fax was sent and double check the number that they sent it to.

Post
The national postal service is called Serpost. Postal service is iffy, so you might want to have things sent to your work, rather than your house. UPS is also available, but it is more expensive. Try also TNT, Olva Courier, Fed Ex, UPS, or DHL. It is usually safe, however, be wary of sending money. I ask for my mail to be sent to my school as it's more likely to arrive to a business than a home address. Things usually take about one or two weeks to arrive. If you need to pick up a package, you will need your original ID, a photo copy and have to pay a fee of about 7 soles. When having things sent to you, have your last name written in capital letters.

If you're moving to Peru, you can have your mail forwarded to you. DHL , USABox, Skybox, Earth Class Mail, all have mail forwarding services. Prices vary so shop around.

Newspapers/Radio/TV
In Ovalo Miraflores in front of McDonald's they sell foreign newspapers, such as The Guardian and some German papers.

Radio Stations vary city to city. But here are a couple. RPP, Studio 92, CPN, Filarmonia, Radio San Borja

There are a couple of local TV channels with news, talk shows, and comedy. Cable is available from your telephone company. Cable Magico from telefonica is a popular cable company. Direct TV is also an option.

Sharon de Hinojosa (naturegirl321) has lived and worked (mainly teaching English) in the US, Scotland, Spain, the Czech Republic, China, Korea, and Peru. As well as teaching short-term in Venezuela and Taiwan.

She has created The LA Job List http://www.thelajoblist.blogspot.com which lists schools, institutes and universities in 19 Latin American countries which offer English teaching positions.

Since living in Peru since August 2006, she wrote The Ultimate Peru List http://www.theultimateperulist.blogspot.com With 60 pages it's a comprehensive guide for those living in or moving to Peru.






Go to another board -