Job Discussion Forums

[englishtou]

After having been here for 2 yrs(single,M.A.in ESL,Canadian)I can tell you this......
There`s a 2-tier price system here on ALL FORMS OF HOUSING,hotels,hostels,student housing,and apartments as well as in-country plane flights(double for all non-residents)IF you don't have 2 GUARANTEES(only Args have that),it'll be almost impossible to rent an apt.A ROOM in an apt,shared bath,min.$500 usd in a decent,safe area.Apts cost a fortune if you live in a decent area in Bs As.Sn Telmo and Boca are dangerous,but especially at night.
The local transportation system's a disaster...buses(you can`t get change to pay them for openers,and they don`t accept cards in Bs As)and subway(the ugliest and slowest possible in the world,compliments of work slow-downs,strikes,constant labor disputes)The long-distance buses are good,IF you don`t have blocked roads(which we`ve had this year at times)The trains are horrible and dirty.
Institute and Eng-training outfit pay'll never allow you to do anything except pay your for food and drinks(if you drink-I don`t)...and stay away from Wall St Inst(atrocious pay)!
If you've money saved,this is a good place to have fun,but if you need to make money teaching ESL,and don`t have extra money,DON`T EVEN THINK about coming here to work.The country� s beautiful and lots of the people are great too(be very careful in traffic and NEVER leave any valuables loose,either on or off your body here)!I made it because I didn`t have to kowtow to the institutes and others who like to make their money off native Eng.speakers.Good luck!

[tinydizzy]

First of all, I would recommend that if you are truly that frustrated with Buenos Aires, that you leave for your own mental health. It's not worth getting that upset about. I was there last year until June, when I left to find more steady work in Colombia. HOWEVER, you are painting a very one-sided picture of la capital federal for everyone out here in cyberspace, one that I think needs a little more balance. I harbor no illusions about life in BsA as I left for "greener" pastures, but it is a much more vibrant, interesting place than you let on.

Regarding housing, you are right the 2-tier stystem which requires guarantias and 2 years leases is a problem for foreigners. It makes it much harder to find an affordable place.

HOWEVER, to imply that you have to pay 500 dollars (i assume you aren't talking about pesos!) a month for a share is ridiculous. Perhaps that is true if you are only willing to live in Palermo, Recoleta, or San Telmo, but there are a whole lot of other nice places to live in the city (Belgrano, Caballito, Almagro, etc...) where, with a little searching, you can find accomodations. I paid 230-250 a month for a share 3 blocks from the subway in Belgrano and that is a more expensive neighborhood. How did i find it? by looking on craigslist and compartodepartmento.com. That might be a good deal, but there are a ton of places for 300-350 a month. Obviously inflation is (or was) bad, so prices might be slightly higher now, but not 500 dollars a month.

In terms of safety, you sound like all the porte�os I knew who warned me not to go into San Telmo at night. Please. Boca is another story, as I didn't feel great walking through there by day, but I wandered through most of ST at all hours of the night without incident. Yes, stuff happens, it's a big city. But as big cities go it is MUCH safer than american cities like NY (i lived in brooklyn for 7 years), or Philadelphia. Don't make it sound like housing prices are driving you to live in the villas where there really is a crime problem.

As for the busses, how I miss them! they seem sleek, ultra-modern, and efficient compared to the transportation in Medellin. Yes, you do need to hold on to each and every moneda like your life depends on it since they won't accept cards or bills. However, public transport in BsA has a number of things going for it. 1) It's RIDICULOUSLY CHEAP. 90 cents for the subte and a peso for the bus, are you kidding me? 2) the busses will take you anywhere and everywhere you want to go in the system. Almost everywhere is served by multiple busses. 3) The bus system runs all night long and at regular intervals at that. I was always shocked when i didn't have to wait more than 10 minutes for a bus at 2 in the morning (which happened quite often). 4) the subte actually covers a pretty good section of the city (they are "planning" more cross-town lines), and is a very quick way of getting around. Sure there are some wildcat strikes, but you make it sound like that's an everyday occurrence. I actually have nothing nice to say about the trains other than they are cheaper than busses and subte, but the quality is about even with the price.

In terms of teaching English in Buenos Aires, you are right: do NOT come to BsA to make a lot of money teaching English (go to the mid east or Korea for that). It is NOT lucrative. However, to imply that it is hard to get by while teaching English is simply not my experience at all. I found that I could live a fine lifestyle, go out to eat, drink wine, see movies, and even travel a bit in the country on my salary. Sure, it takes a while to get started, and you need to have money to cover that, but after that I found it to be quite sustainable. Institutes were paying 20-25 pesos an hour, and I charged 30-50 pesos an hour for private classes. I worked about 20-25 hours a week and got by just fine, and had plenty of time to pursue other interests (running, spanish courses, cinema...) Of course, my numbers might be off bc of inflation, but not by that much as it was only 3 months ago. I left because I was looking for more steady work in a high school or university setting, not because I was hurting for money.

So why come to Buenos Aires to teach English if not for the money?

delicious empanadas
ridiculously cheap and excellent Malbec (red wine)
to learn Spanish
to learn Lunfardo
Palermo's parks for running, biking, or people watching
Argentina's underrated and cheap cinema
reading Clarin slam Christina every day
Asados with friends on the weekends
listening to tango on Defensa sunday afternoons
bife de chorizo
bife de lomo
choripan
sharing a mate with friends in las Lleras
Boca in the Bombonera and River in the Monumental
free spanish classes in Lenguas Vivas
Rock shows on Niceto Vega, salsa in Azucar
cacerolazos and bocinazos in the streets
corrientes' bookstores and theaters
wandering the streets of Recoleta
chill lounges in Palermo
the most beautiful women in the world
carpetas in congresso
dulce de leche helados en Freddo

As Kevin Johansen says about the city... "And all the people that aren�t from here would like to come and stay. And all the people that are from here just want to get away."

dt



After having been here for 2 yrs(single,M.A.in ESL,Canadian)I can tell you this......
There`s a 2-tier price system here on ALL FORMS OF HOUSING,hotels,hostels,student housing,and apartments as well as in-country plane flights(double for all non-residents)IF you don't have 2 GUARANTEES(only Args have that),it'll be almost impossible to rent an apt.A ROOM in an apt,shared bath,min.$500 usd in a decent,safe area.Apts cost a fortune if you live in a decent area in Bs As.Sn Telmo and Boca are dangerous,but especially at night.
The local transportation system's a disaster...buses(you can`t get change to pay them for openers,and they don`t accept cards in Bs As)and subway(the ugliest and slowest possible in the world,compliments of work slow-downs,strikes,constant labor disputes)The long-distance buses are good,IF you don`t have blocked roads(which we`ve had this year at times)The trains are horrible and dirty.
Institute and Eng-training outfit pay'll never allow you to do anything except pay your for food and drinks(if you drink-I don`t)...and stay away from Wall St Inst(atrocious pay)!
If you've money saved,this is a good place to have fun,but if you need to make money teaching ESL,and don`t have extra money,DON`T EVEN THINK about coming here to work.The country� s beautiful and lots of the people are great too(be very careful in traffic and NEVER leave any valuables loose,either on or off your body here)!I made it because I didn`t have to kowtow to the institutes and others who like to make their money off native Eng.speakers.Good luck!

[englishtou]

This isn`t ruining my mental health,but I stick by what I said before.....and it`s up-to-date....you may THINK you know what`s been going on with the economy in the last 15 mos.,but it`s PRECISELY during these last 15 mos that the sitch went south,and it`s headed a lot farther south.
By the way,a TINY(jarrito chico) cuppa`s at 6-7pesos now(higher than or equal to most of Europe),and room rents in BELGRANO are at 500 USD/MO.,NO BULL.Have fun in Medellin.Best,Frank

[tinydizzy]

Frank,

I hear what you're saying about inflation. I really do. When I arrived an empanada was 1.50 (pesos), when i left it was 2.50. It's crazy stuff.

But just to clarify, I was there until June, 3 months ago. I lived through the smoke, the "campo vs. gobierno", the election of Christina, the cazerolazos in April. I'm sure prices have gone up a bit since i left 3 months ago, but in June my roommates were renting my old room for 250 dollars in Belgrano.

No matter what you say, I think BsA is a great place to be, and is liveable for english teachers. I hope you enjoy it.

best of luck to you,

dave

[englishtou]

I live in Belgrano too,and am losing my apt in Nov,have heard of nothing even close to 250usd/mo..thanks,Frank

[che2007]

I'm getting worried.. the cheapest I can find is $500/month for an apartment...and that is in capital federal! is that sustainable working as an English teacher? Making only 20 pesos an hour... how many a week do i have to work to make $500 a month? sounds difficult..
any help..comments would be great!
thanks!

[englishtou]

I`ve been here for 2 yrs,got lucky,and somebody rented me an apt w/o a guarantee,at $400/mo(very expensive).And now I`m going to lose it.Go to www.mundoanuncio.com and look for "habitaciones en alquiler"(bedrooms for rent".Also,but the Sunday newspaper El Clarin,go to Rubro 3(Classifieds)and you`ll find less expensive bedrooms,some with bathroom.You can`t live in any decent apt in Bs As making 20 pesos/h.Inflation`s eating up all the salaries here.Low wages,high inflation,the Arg.economic story.Good luck!Frank

[jpvanderwerf2001]

BA is the best city I've ever lived in!