Job Discussion Forums

[AndyRoofman]

Hi

I'm wondering if somebody may be able to share some insight into two issues. I teach English in South Korea and will visit Chile (where I have many friends) next year for at least a holiday. Obviously, while I am there is the option of teaching ESL in say Santiago or Valpo/Vina, although the pay (between $4500 and $6000 Chilean pesos per hour) is prohibitive. In Korea (and I understand Japan also) I understand it is entirely possible to make a transition from teaching to working in a business field- say working in marketing or public relations for a multinational company, government department with foreign interests or a tourism concern (eg winery, adventure company etc) that has extensive dealings with foreigners.

Therefore the two questions I have are:
1.) What possibility is there of securing a professional position similar to as I have outlined above in Chile (ie what barriers would I need to overcome in hiring, what about pay and conditions etc).. With many Chilean English teachers work in a business English environment with multinational clients- would that lead to opportunities in these areas?
2.) I have an Argentine wife who has joined me here in Korea. She is an IT professional by occupation (obviously not working here), but the pityful wages in her home country make working there prohibitive (damn pity- I like it even better than Chile). How freely can she walk into an IT job in Chile- what immigration hoops would she need to jump through?

Regarding me, I worked in marketing for over five years in my home country and occassionally work in the field in Korea- including freelance writing and consulting. I am commencing a Master's degree in International Business by distance learning this year and speak anywhere between high intermediate/advanced level Spanish (and still learning although classifications are relative).

In short, am I wasting my time holding my breath if I feel I can make a career in my field in Chile or should I just come for what would amount to a 6-12 month working holiday.

Cheers


Andrew

[AndyRoofman]

Hi everyone. I notice there has been a number of views of this post. Is there anybody with any light to shed on my post?

[matttheboy]

Once your wife gets offered a contract she can get legal residency. there's an accord between the 2 countries which makes it really easy for argentines and chileans to get residency in each others' countries based on work contracts. I know a few argentines living in chile and they didn't have any problem finding jobs (in finance) and organising residency.

You, as a foreigner, can easily get legal residency in chile by having someone officially offer you a job. they don't have to follow through with the offer, it's just a letter of intention you need to show chilean immigration that you could benefit the country by working there. you can organise the whole thing from chile without having to leave the country, unlike argentina.

IT pros get paid pretty well here in buenos aires. I have an Australian friend who does contract IT systems work in spanish speaking companies (as in he's not being hired because he's foreign, only for his expertise) who earns around 5000 pesos or around US$1700 a month. That's a fortune in Argentina.

On the other hand, you'll have much more chance of getting a job in business in chile than in buenos aires, where highly qualified, bilingual marketeers and business specialists are a dime a dozen.

Good luck.