Job Discussion Forums

[bubbles1]

Hello everyone,
I've been reading the threads and find them really informative but I had a few questions I was hoping that someone could help me out with. First of all I will be graduating in June and receiving my degree in Anthropology. I wanted to teach in Buenos Aires right after I graduate, because my goals are a) to perfect my spanish (i'm at the intermediate level) and b) to be able to travel latin America. Most people on the threads seem to agree that Buenos Aires is incredibly expensive to live in and that the salary isn't very good. Do I need to have a lot of money saved up in order to travel and live comfortably (if so, how much?..in us dollars please) or would my goals be better served in another spanish speaking country? Also, from what I've read it seems that the schoolyear begins in march...as I said I graduate in June and wanted to head down to Argentina fairly quickly...are there schools open around this time or do I have to postpone my plans for a while? Also, I was planning on doing the online tefl course for 300 dollars because it's cheaper....is it just as accepted and reputable? Sorry for all the questions I just want to be as informed as I can be before I make such a life altering decision.
thanks and all the best,
kaia

[Phil_b]

From personal experience I would say that TEFL certs aren't really recognised as such in Argentina, because the majority of Argentines have studied for at least 5 years at university to be teachers... So it's probably best to think of what a certificate can do for you rather than what your future employer will think of it....

I'd be very very very suspicious of an online course - I don't know them, so I can't really comment - but I know that by far the most useful part of my CELTA course (far from a comprehensive course) was the observed teaching practice - Frankly if you're not going to be observed teaching, you're probably better off buying a few books for the money. I can't really see how an online course can offer you observed teaching, so I'm not sure they're worth the money

[bubbles1]

thanks for your input,
can anyone way in on any of the other questions i had?
thanks,
kaia

[Jetgirly]

"way in"? And you want to TEACH English?

[bubbles1]

In response to my substituting the word 'way' for 'weigh' I apologize.... it was a typo. I am human and do, on occasion, make mistakes. I would, however, still appreciate any information regarding teaching in Buenos Aires and being able to travel Latin America. I also would like to improve my Spanish and want to know if this is feasible if I am in a setting where I am speaking English the majority of the time.
Thanks again,
kaia

[Phil_b]

Take this with a pinch of salt - because I've never actually worked in BsAs - but you will have a long summer with little work which could be good for travelling the continent...

Just don't expect to do it with your pesos..... a teacher's salary in BsAs is probably not going to be enough for a lot of international travel.... If you've got dollars/euros/pounds/yen/etc saved up beforehand that'll help - how much depends on what you want to do.

As regards learning Spanish - that's up to you really... it's easy to enclose yourself in a "gringo ghetto" when you're in any country - if you stick with English speakers all the time you will have fewer opportunities to learn Spanish - if you make a conscious effort to get out there and learn Spanish (maybe taking a few classes) then you should be able to... It's probably a sensible idea to make sure you know some Espa�ol before you get there.... but you say that you're at an intermediate level so that shouldn't be too hard for you.