Job Discussion Forums

[ghostdog]

First, my apologies. I'm not sure exactly where to put this question so I will post it in multiple forums.

I am planning on coming to South America to teach in mid to late March. I have not decided on a location and am torn between Buenos Aires and Santiago. What I am wondering is which of these two cities would be easier to set up and find employment in? Which one has a more booming market and more reputable schools (if such things really exist in TEFL)? Finally, which country, Argentina or Chile, would be better geared for someone wanting to stay for the long haul?

I've taught for a dozen years (though not in the immediate past), have a BA in English and a Cambridge certificate, so I'm assuming credentials shouldn't be a problem.

Any advice or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[brianthegoat]

Come on down to BsAs! The job market is pretty open here. After finishing my TEFL course, I had enough job offers that I had to turn down a couple. But then again, my TEFL course sent my resume to a bunch of institutes.
I've never been to Santiago though, so I can't tell you how it compares. But after meeting a lot of Chileans here, I can tell you that Porteno Spanish, while difficult, is much easier to understand than Chilean Spanish.
Hope that helps!

[MELEE]

I'm a big fan of learning Chilean Spanish first. They should have a national slogan, Learn Spanish in Chile, understand everyone!
I'm biased, I did my junior year abroad at uni in Santiago. I don't know how the job market is, but there seems to be some activity in the Chile forum. I enjoyed the city, though I'm not a city girl and actually Stgo. is the biggest city I've ever lived in. I also enjoyed escaping from it every chance I got, which was often because I only had classes Mon-Thurs. That was way back in 1993 and I've never had a chance to go back so I'm not sure what it's like now. But after learning Chilean Spanish, it was a breeze to understand Mexicans, Ecuadorians, who ever.

[nicomn]

I studied in Valparaiso a couple of years ago and can say that Chilean Spanish is very hard to learn but like Mama said, if you can understand it you can basically understand anyone. It also has a musical quality to it so after being there other accents seemed slow and/or dull to me...

I can't say anything about the TEFL market in either Santiago or Buenos Aires but from having been to both of those cities this is what I thought. Santiago always stuck me as being just totally mediocre. There was nothing about it that jumped out at you, the architecture was bland, the food was bland, the whole place was freakin' bland!! My friends who visited Buenos Aires had told me that it was the New York (or Paris as it's known) of Latin America and when I got there that seemed like a perfect description. Nightlife was good, food was good, fashion-conscious inhabitants, impressive architecture...For the long haul, my vote goes to BA. Hope that helps.

[matttheboy]

as the above poster but be aware you can't make ends meet as a teacher in buenos aires. not in any way, shape or form.

[BJJ Greg]

No one ever mentions this, but out of 7 Latin American countries I�ve traveled to, the women in Chile are by far the most unattractive. I don�t want to sound like an ass, but every gringo I�ve spoken with and most Chilian men agree as well.

G

[ls650]

I hate generalizations - they all suck.

[jpvanderwerf2001]

BA is probably, pound-for-pound, the best city I've ever been to. Making money, in EFL, in that place is tough as nails, though. I had a BA/CELTA/Experience when I was there, but still the language schools in town paid (in 2004) very little, and privates were hard to come by.
*Sigh*. Cash was the only reason I had to leave.
Man I miss that place...
Perhaps things have changed?

Wasn't impressed with Santiago. At all.