Teaching English in Peru

I am now into my second month of teaching English in Arequipa and I would like to tell you about my experiences of working, both good and bad, in a foreign country.

The college where I teach is a reputable language institution renowned for having good teachers whose first language is English.  It also has built up a partnership with a local university where I also work.  The pay is better than most in the area and my hourly rate is S/.11.50 (£2.65) an hour at the college, and S/.13-15 at the university, which seems low but is enough to pay for rent and support food and living for two people.  I teach between 30 and 35 hours of classes a week, which doesn't include time lesson planning and any extra marking.  My school is one of the better, but by no means perfect, places to teach in the area. 

Working as a foreigner is always risky business.  Most schools in Peru operate an 'under the table' policy when it comes to paying its staff and foreign teachers are recruited as 'volunteer teachers' on holiday visas.  It is rare for a school to hire a foreign teacher legally.  However it seems to be common practice here and it works fine.  All the authorities are aware of what goes on, and I imagine it saves a lot of paper work!

It has been a difficult first month trying to learn the ropes of being an English teacher.  The course that I did before I came out could never have prepared me for the approach that one school might take.  My school focuses much of its attention on grammar and it is common in class that the students will probably be able to tell me the rules quicker than I could find it in a book.  Grammar, as English speakers, is something we take for granted and having to learn your future perfect continuous from your past simple and your zero conditional from your reflexive pronoun is something that seems unnatural.  It is, however, sinking in much faster than expected and in class I am of course the expert.  English is my first language and I can see straight away if something looks wrong without any knowledge of the correct rules.

I have enjoyed the challenge that has faced me with teaching so far.  I get on well with my students and I am starting to find out what works and what doesn't in class.  In terms of learning on the job, I still feel as though I am a student myself and I am always looking for new ways of presenting material and open to hear people's ideas and what they do in class.  A good way to do this is to look on the many forums dedicated to teaching English as a foreign language.

The students I teach are mostly university students with the average age being 18.  The school where I teach is relatively expensive to go to so I find that most of the people that are at the school are from some of the more affluent families.  The students and I get on well and generally I have found Peruvian students to be quite open to try new things and they are not afraid of speaking out in class and getting things wrong.


To sum up, my first month has been hard but enjoyable.  If there is any advice I could give to a teacher starting like me for the first time it would be that the first month is by for the hardest and after that you seem to find a rhythm.  I think the main thing to decide after that first month is that teaching English is something that you enjoy and if you can weigh up the positives and negatives and still want to do it then carry on!

Thanks for reading,

Tom