Recommended: A How-to Guide to Living and Working in Peru
I get emails from time to time from people abroad who want to know about resettling in Peru.
Is the job market in Peru good, they want to know? (Tough for a foreigner, unless you’re okay with teaching English at $5/hour.) Can an American buy property in Lima? (Yes.) Is it true that if you put $20,000 in a Peruvian bank, you can get a resident visa? (Not!) Do I think it’s a good idea for a retiree to go in on a scheme with his guru to buy land in Tarapoto and build a vegetarian co-op/ashram on it? (Well, I met two U.S. citizens who lost $60,000 that way in 2007 because the seller didn’t have legal title to the land….)
I sometimes respond with information I’ve gained from my own bungling journeys through the labyrinth of Peruvian bureaucracy. Other times, I do a quick Google search and hazard a guess, crossing my fingers that I haven’t led someone astray.
Really, though, what people need in these cases is los datos — the low-down. Now, I think, I can point them to it.
Next time someone writes to me with residency and work-permit questions, I’m going to recommend them to The Ultimate Peru List. The word “list” suggests that the site just provides names, addresses and links, but really, it is a comprehensive how-to guide to living, working and surviving in this country as a foreigner.
Updated in December 2008, the UPL provides clearly written, accurate information on how to navigate more than 50 real-life situations/potential nightmares, including:
- Finding teaching jobs in Peru;
- Shipping your stuff to Peru;
- Renewing your tourist visa;
- Obtaining a resident work visa;
- Having a baby in Peru;
- Setting up a Peruvian bank account.
And lots, lots more, folks.
I’m happy to be a shill for The Ultimate Peru List because, between you and me, I do not have the time or patience to gather all this valuable dato for the benefit of other potential ex-pats. Peru is a complicated place in which to put down roots, and lately when some innocent soul without job prospects or family connections asks me, Should I move to Peru? I tend to answer cautiously.
But for the nitty gritty questions — I refer those to the UPL.
The hard-working person I can thank for making this American in Lima’s blogging life easier is UPL author Sharon de Hinojosa, a longtime EFL teacher in Peru and a veteran contributor to web sites about Peru and teaching English abroad. The UPL evolved over years from articles she wrote for other sites, as Sharon describes:
I originally created The Ultimate Peru List, or UPL for short, on Dave’s ESL Cafe as a result of the emails I received. Later, it became stickies on Expat Peru, Living in Peru, and ELT World.
Although I don’t pretend that this has all the information you will need to know about Peru, it’s pretty comprehensive. I have decided not to thoroughly address some issues, such as Tourism and History. In these cases, I have given some basic information and websites which should help.
Browse through the Ultimate Peru List and let the readers of this blog know what you think.
7 Comments
Stuart
I am most definitely a fully fledged member of the Sharon/NatureGirl fan club.
Rachel in Peru
She’s really done a great job and has really expanded her product in the past year going beyond just living in Peru.
I know many of us would be lost without her hard work, including myself.
Sharon is one of the nicest and most helpful people you will ever meet on this planet!
Barb
Yes, Rachel, she is helpful. I emailed her six months ago about teaching gigs, and she got back to me with some excellent suggestions.
So, okay, we’ve got three members in the fan club so far…
mitchell
i was just wondering about the cost of living over there
Barb
Mitchell:
See the detailed price list provided by reader Mario at the end of this story:
https://americaninlima.com/2008/10/14/should-americans-consider-moving-to-peru-part-ii/#comment-1274
Hop Skip Jump Peru
Yep she has done a fantastic job. I first encountered her online about 4 years ago when I was thinking of moving to Peru and now she has become a very dear friend. Her hard work has been appreciated by many expats living in Peru or thinking of coming here.
Sharon
Hi,
Thanks so much for writing about the UPL. I just updated for 2010. If you don’t find a topic that you think should be on the list, let me know and I’ll add it.
Thanks again
Sharon