Overseas Faculty Manual - Clothing

You will be arriving in Lima during the winter season. Winters in Lima are gray, damp and misty with temperatures in the low 50's at night. There is no central heating in the homes, although at times some people like to use small electric space heaters---even though it will raise your electricity bill. If you are accustomed to central heating, you will find it cold during the winter. Bring several turtlenecks and warm underclothing. Warm undershirts for women, men and children are available here.

In spring and fall, temperatures are mild, and you will be dressing in layers, as the nights are much cooler than the days. Summers are hot and humid, with temperatures usually in the 80's.

Remember that seasons are reversed south of the equator so June, July, August, and September are the moderate winter months (very little rain, but foggy, humid and quite chilly). December, January, February, and March are the warm summer months.

Bring comfortable teaching clothes and shoes. Accepted dress code for school is generally more conservative than that found in North American schools. Some men wear ties, but shirts with slacks are acceptable. Women wear skirts, slacks or dresses. Sweat suits are only permitted for PE teachers.

Casual dressing is worn for the most part during the day, but there are occasions for dressier clothing especially during the evening. Men should have at least one suit, ties, a blazer and pants for such occasions, and women should have a couple of cocktail dresses. Peruvians like to dress up for important occasions so come prepared. For example, the school throws a fancy big Christmas party, and we all dress up for this occasion.

Halloween is a big school holiday too and everyone dresses up. Teachers might consider bringing a costume if they own one, or tailors can make them for a very reasonable price.

Beachwear and hot weather clothing is advisable for the summer months (Dec. - April). Bring good quality flip-flops. Caps and summer hats are recommended for the beach.

Jackets for winter are a must. Beautiful alpaca and cotton sweaters can be purchased locally but bring something to have when you arrive. Some people wear heavy wool jackets on cold winter nights. Also bring slippers.

Generally, if you have specific tastes, bring your favorites. Otherwise, most clothing articles are available here at reasonable prices. Note: The larger sizes of clothing and footwear are very hard to find in Peru for both men and women.

Clothing can be tailor or seamstress-made here, and is good quality and reasonably priced. However, you will want to take the following into consideration in planning what you bring. Peruvian dry cleaning (which runs about $10 for a suit and $3 for a shirt) and hand washing can be very hard on clothes. You may want to bring extra socks, underwear, bras, swimwear, and pantyhose as these tend to wear out quickly.

Only during the warm months do men and women wear shorts in Peru. Long pants are most often worn, with the only exception to this rule being when it gets hot in January and February or there are sports or beach ware being worn.

There are no climatic extremes in Lima. You will generally need the sort of clothing which would be suitable for a North American summer or autumn, although you should also take into account the city's high humidity in summer and chilly dampness in winter. If you are planning to visit the Sierra, be prepared for cold weather and for rain between October and March. Also, if you are going to the rain forest, as many of us do, be prepared for heat, high humidity and heavy rain.

Back to Index - Click here