Job Discussion Forums

Gareth2000 · Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 68 Location: Cordoba, Argentina

yeah theres abit of work but not heaps most of it is like a few hours here and there and u have to work for several institutes to make up ur hours still im not making money or anywhere near to break even yet after almost 2 weeks but yeah. Have some more interviews next week - the institutes try u out for abit and see how u go before they give u more hours - see if u know what ur doing etc. no one asks for proof of degree or cert. and im unsure if they checked my references

most of the work is business english and u just have to be able to talk alot and be really confident about yourself and slightly aggressive and use echo correction - so not alot of grammer terminology or yeah. I think its important to bring alot of realia with u for classes and know ur country well - alot of people ask me to do the haka (im from NZ) i should have practiced it more before i left - yeah and pack light cause u'll probarly be moving around abit.

TEFL cert from teach international
Native speaker - most important thing here
3 years studying Commerce at Uni.

matttheboy · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Posts: 854 Location: Valparaiso, Chile

Gareth2000 · Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 68 Location: Cordoba, Argentina

i dunno man what i expected i researched this heavy before i came but u never know until you get here - from what i heard it can take up to 3 months to get established (which i prepared for) and i decided to post something to say how i was going sort of give something back to those people thinking about travelling and wondering what it was like finding work (i know i was concerned seeing all those jobs advertised for korea and brazil and mexico but never anything for argentina) because i used this website so much before I came here

yeah im not booking my flight home or anything - didn't mean to offend Smile

but yeah keep up the posting mattheboy i found your posts very helpful in the months leading me coming here

cheers

Gareth

matttheboy · Joined: 01 Jul 2003 Posts: 854 Location: Valparaiso, Chile

You'll pick up work but i guess it can take a while. Privates are really easy to find as long as you're sensible and advertise in the right newspaper. Not going to spell it out otherwise everyone will advertise in the same place and that'll lead to people offering stupidly low prices and wages will never increase in this city. I reckon that if you advertised for a few weeks you could quite easily get enough privates to supplement whatever work you're getting through institutes. I've only taught privates and only to cover my costs here while doing some other stuff but if i'd made a bit more effort and followed up some leads i just kind of ignored then i'd have a pretty full schedule...

JonnytheMann · Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 337 Location: USA

Hey Gareth, what's your apartment like and where do you live?

Gareth2000 · Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 68 Location: Cordoba, Argentina

My appartment? Jajaja I live in a hostel on the corner of Guemes and thames (on the same block as the plaza italia subte) in Palermo.

Yeah ive been here since the 13/7/05 and i heard its not the cheapest of places - $8 US for a dorm per night but its semi secure - for my laptop and theres free wifi and its nice and convient for the time being - heard about a place in san telmo - an apartment with some italians so i might check that out 2morrow - my dream at the moment is an apartment with some local argentines so I can immerse myself in the language and learn it quickly and learn how to cook some good italian or european cusine.

yeah as for work i recommend getting a cellphone straight away as alot of institutes need it to complete interviews - i've been abit perezoso there.

snielz · Joined: 05 Apr 2005 Posts: 165 Location: Buenos Aires

Any more luck this week Gareth? As students are coming back to schools soon, it would be a good time to pick up some hours. You might take the 160 collectivo down to Ciudad Universitaria to meet some students and pick up and intercambio or two. I plan on doing this in August. At any rate, just riding the 160 can be nice because as it goes to the arch. facultad the bus ends up being filled with young, interesting Argentines with whom you can strike up conversation or at least gawk at. Eventually, you may make a friend that might lead to a living situation. I recommend it if you have a free afternoon. If you put up a sign you will at least get an intercambio out of the deal. You can take the 160 on Araoz which is just down Sante Fe about two streets past the S. Ortiz subte stop (obviously I live close). Good luck man.

Gareth2000 · Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 68 Location: Cordoba, Argentina

Yeah looking at argentines is my new favourite past time. I'm slowly making new friends but should pick as I meet more of their friends and so forth. I was like the novelity at this birthday party I went to last week - an enigma that fulled the argentines with fascination "who is this person? where is he from they asked" honestly its pretty cool being the foriegn guy.

Yeah work well I went to some more interviews and handed out my resume yeah I found this list of all the schools in Buenos Aires and emailed all 50 or so and have some more interviews to go to.

With Interviews I recommend bringing a CV and having a cellphone before you go even if they say u don;t need to bring anything - yeah one interview they wouldn't let me complete until I came back with a cellphone and no they wouldn't accept finishing the interview then and me emailing them my number when I got it.

Another time I went again they said don;t bring anything (I had emailed my resume to them in the first contact email and they were like ok) I turned up they asked me to fill out the form and walked out of the room then they came back and asked for a resume and I was like I emailed it to you. In the end he was like "well we will have to get your resume off the internet and print it off and read it and then get back to you" and I was like can't we just print it now and talk about it now(I was thinking why didn;t u just read it before I came for the interview) so yeah u got to have alot of patience - maybe take some valium before you go do anything.

will check out that bus soon sneilz cheers - hows ur social life here?

citruscinders · Joined: 27 Oct 2004 Posts: 49 Location: Canada

I got here last December and things only picked up at the end of May. But I was reeeeeaaaally lazy when it came to looking for work. A lot of my classes involve teaching grammar points. I only have a scatter of conversation classes.

A friend of mine, who has no training or experience teacing, picked up about 16 hours at the beginning of May. The majority of her classes are conversation.

Another (with certification), arrived in the middle of July last year and had full time (18-20hrs) within 2 weeks. Mostly conversation as well.

I guess it depends on the luck of the draw...

Gareth2000 · Joined: 14 May 2005 Posts: 68 Location: Cordoba, Argentina

yeah for sure - luck has alot to do with it - but I'm finding that by like talking to everyone i come in contact with - people on the bus, people i sit next to waiting for something, other teachers at institutes while waiting for an interview etc im making more and more friends - my msn list (how everyone communicates here) grows day by day. I've heard of a view positions through word of mouth and have some more - yes more interviews coming up next week.

Not everyone speaks english but alot do so I just try and see what happens.

I guess ill find myself an apartment some time soon u just have to be persistant and patient and opportunities will present themselves.

but for those who have yet to come i would like to again recommend to bring alot of realia with u and really know some cool stuff about ur own country like its culture and government and important people - argentines seem to take a great interest in these topics

vivaBarca · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 4:44 pm Post subject:

JonnytheMann · Joined: 01 Dec 2004 Posts: 337 Location: USA

Realia = real things

So for a geography teacher, that would be like maps, atlases, globes, pictures of landscapes, etc.

vivaBarca · Posted: Fri Jul 29, 2005 4:58 pm Post subject:

Ahh...guess I have a ways to go in my English teaching career. Good thing I'm taking a course.

snielz · Joined: 05 Apr 2005 Posts: 165 Location: Buenos Aires

I would say my social life is enjoyable here. I could do things every night but haven�t the desire. Usually, I end nights during the week studying or writing or having a coffee with someone. During the weekend, I often go out to some dance classes or boliches (is this how you spell it?). It is nice and not too expensive. I am finding ways too meet people, and it helps that my spanish is slowly changing from "embarrassingly bad" to "it�s cute that he tries so hard". One day I hope to move to "listen to that sexy foreign accent". I find making real friends a different story. Of course, this take time, and I am comparing my friendships here (most of which are less than a month or two) to what I left in the States. What can I say, I languish in sentimentality from time to time...Anyway, I am up for a beer or coffee or sitting in the park watching beatiful girls walk by as I burn with envy and hate my own cowardice if you are...
Cheers.