Job Discussion Forums

[jamien]

i understand that the budget would be different, but otherwise which city would you recommend living in for a while?
i have been to santiago, and am divided by my likes and dislikes of the city. there are some parts i enjoy, but i don't know whether i will be happy in a long-term living/working situation.
on the other hand, i have heard nice things about mendoza, though i have never been.
of course, second-most important is job availability. in which city are you more likely to find a teaching position?
thanks for your input.
jamien

[matttheboy]

Mendoza!!!! It's cleaner, really pretty with big, green plazas almost every 2-3 blocks, much friendlier, the food is 100 times nicer, the wine is just as good and the women are better looking! It's much easier to get away and into the fresh air (if you enjoy outdoor activities there's pretty much everything you could wish for) and it's all half the price of Santiago. It's a pretty safe place as well and it's very unlikely you'll run into any problems. I've certainly never felt unsafe there, even when visiting friends in so called 'dodgy' areas.

As for work, i'm not sure, there are a few schools there that i've seen in the last 4 months of travelling between santiago, mendoza and buenos aires and there's an entry from a few months back from barrett (i think) that describes the job situation. I can't wait to get back there in september (i'm in santiago at the mo), it's so much more relaxing across the border....

[jamien]

thanks for replying so quickly!

another question- how much are apts. approximately, and what is a comfortable monthly bugdget like?

mendoza is sounding better and better. thanks for the info.

-jamien

p.s. although i am a heterosexual female, thanks for the heads up on the beautiful women. i am sure the men are just as nice..

[matttheboy]

An unfurnished flat, probably around 50-60m2 in size and reasonably close to the centre can be found for as little as 140 pesos/month (about US$50). Nicer and fully furnished places can cost up to 500 pesos a month (about $180). You could live very happily on 1000 pesos a month or $350.

Basically, although 1 peso now =almost $3, internally 1 peso is worth the same as it was when the peso was pegged to the $, unless buying imported or luxury goods (eg paying rent-before the crash rent may have been 400pesos/month which was the same as $400. Now it would be 400pesos but this would be =to $140). It's just that the peso is worth 3 times less when exchanging it for foreign currency. This means that if you have any foreign savings to live on, you're rich! It also means that you're unlikely to save any money to take home with you when you leave....pay is about 8-10 pesos an hour i believe...

As for the state of Mendocino males- i have been reliably informed that, although not up to Buenos Aires standards, they are pretty decent looking...enjoy!

[Munchen]

Enjoyed the general price quotes on cost of living. I can well assume that a US retiree who has access to about $900 monthly on Social Security could live comfortably in Mendoza. I've heard good things about it.

Was a TEFL instructor in Valencia, Spain in the '70s but a bit old for that now.
Why I have an interest in this forum.

Know Spanish, of course, from previously living in Spain and Costa Rica.
Costa Rica is being given strong consideration as I have lived there, also many years ago, like the '60s. Much has changed there since that time.

Mendoza sounds good, particularly what you mention about safety and cleaner, I suppose you mean, than BA.

While in Spain, I enjoyed Valencia, was just the right size. I suppose Mendoza could compare similarly, perhaps, in Argentina to Buenos Aires.

Would appreciate any good input you or anyone may have for someone like me in retirement status.
Many thanks.

[matttheboy]

Mendoza is a million miles from Buenos Aires, Munchen! Quiet and much more chilled out, people are friendlier and more open (like anywhere in the world smaller towns are normally friendlier places to live in, although i absolutely love BsAs). With $900 you could live like an absolute king. A very liveable wage in Mendoza would be about 1000 pesos, you've got almost 3 times that! Of course going home or travelling eats into that but if you'd be able to save at least half of your pension if you just stayed in Mendoza for most of your time.

The population of Mendoza is about 250 000 (in the actual city) and something like a million including all the little towns that are close and almost connected to the city. The centre feels a lot smaller although it has everything you could need-shops, cinemas, a mall and also a Walmart just outside the city...food's great, so's the wine. I'd recommend it to anyone although it might be best to visit first if you're thinking of settling there...

PM if you have any more questions, i'll do my best to answer,

Chau, matt

[OzBurn]

As I plan my next move, perhaps to Argentina, I'm considering Mendoza or BA. Does Mendoza have an old town or an historical center? I read somewhere that it is pretty much bland post-war blocks. True or false?

[matttheboy]

No, it doesn't have a historical centre as such but it's still a very pretty place-the buildings are mostly lowrise and not all concrete boxes by any means, very few highrise blocks (due to earthquake risk i assume), a couple of minutes walk from the centre is all residential with old and new style houses, wide tree lined streets, plazas every time you turn a corner. Not anywhere near as beautiful as BsAs of course but much more chilled out and relaxing. If you're a big city sort of person choose BsAs, if you want to chill out and have a more realxing style of life, choose mendoza.

[OzBurn]

Thanks. I realized after my post that it almost implied that old is good, new is bad, which of course isn't so.

I ask about Mendoza specifically because I've had it with huge cities for a while. Mendoza sounds about right to me. May I ask, how much are you/other native speakers making per hour teaching ESL?

[matttheboy]

For more opinions about mendoza or chile check out this link to the LP Thorntree

http://thorntree.lonelyplanet.com/messagepost.cfm?postaction=reply&catid=22&threadid=610716&messid=5142157&STARTPAGE=1&parentid=0&from=12