Job Discussion Forums

[gdp]

Greetings all,

I am new to this forum and have been sifting through various posts regarding teaching in Argentina. Although some of it is seemingly outdated, I have found some very useful information as well. Additionally, I must say that I find the correspondence between post-ers to be refreshingly positive (unlike forums like, Lonely Planet Thorn Tree).

Anyway, I am off to Argentina in a few weeks with the prospect of teaching English and wanted to ask a few questions. First, a little about myself: I am a 27 year old American male with a bachelor's degree in business finance, 4 yrs experience as a financial analyst with a Fortune 25 company, TEFL certified with 6 months experience teaching in Thailand. I have about 10K USD saved up...not a lot but I think this will supplement my income okay. I plan on traveling around S. America a bit as well. (please don't read any of this as bragging....really nothing to brag about...just think this info might be helpful when answering my question).

I have heard wonderful things about Argentina and I want to explore a little more. I plan on starting in BsAs.

Job Search: First, based on my qualifications and minimal experience, do I have a good shot at securing a job? I've never been to BsAs and don't really know where to start. I saw a post on here with a list of language institutes. I plan on searching online and contacting schools via email, but think it might be best to show up well-dressed with a resume/CV. What do you think? Do I really need to bring a suit?

Salary/Pay: I've heard it's tough enough to cover basic living expenses so I don't plan on making a ton of money to add to my savings...im in it for the experience and quality of life. Is 22-25 pesos per hour pretty standard? Also, what's the best way to minimize my travel time between clients? Is it best to work that out with the language institute?

Cost of Living: I plan on staying in a hostel or guesthouse until I get on my feet. When I begin my apartment search, how much should i expect to pay? Obviously, rent is contingent upon location as well as amenities, but I was wondering what a potential range would be. Where is the best place to find apartment/flat vacancies? I've read that foreigners often get charged outrageous prices (i experienced the same in Thailand). Will I have difficulty finding/securing an apartment without a job?

Upon Arrival: Any tips on where I should stay? Are there any local communities where foreigners living in BsAs gather? It would be great to meet some new people that could help me out as I get on my feet....im assuming people that are currently there had to go through the same process.

Well, i know this is pretty lengthy. Im really up for anything...I feel like I can figure a lot of this stuff out as I go but I just wanted to ask some basics. If you feel there's other important things to consider please let me know.

Thanks so much for the hep!

[mzelling]

Hey my name is Mike, I've recently joined the forum as well. I guess I'm in a very similar situation as you were when you posted this. Sorry to see there was no response. I was wondering if you can answer some of the questions you had before leaving for me. Also, do you have any advice on finding a job, if you have found one. Thanks for any help you can offer.

[Sabine11]

[mzelling]

Appreciate the advice. Thats good news for me as well, the only suit I own is ancient. I hope to be there by May and hit the ground running. Looking for a good neighborhood and understand it's hard to get a place if you don't have a visa. Any ideas?

[gdp]

Mike,

I moved down here last month and my advice is similar to Sabine11. I arrived, had a list of schools and went all over the city to drop off my CV...however, due to the fact that this was during Summer in which many people were on holiday, most schools told me just to email my CV instead. So, in short, I personally wouldn't waste my time going to the schools in person.

Another thing to consider: i arrived at a good time because schools were (and still are) sorting out their teaching schedules and starting classes this month. However, there seems to be an abundance of work down here. I mean, schools have been contacting me for interviews but i've had to decline because im already working for 2 institutes and dont want to manage more than that.

Here's a site with some schools:

http://www.seaweb.org.ar/empresas2.htm

I just fired off a bunch of emails while chillin in Rio for Carnaval...upon my return to BA i had interviews line up...very easy.

In terms of housing...again, just figure it out when you get here. I stayed at a hostel for just 3 nights and then found a shared apartment in San Telmo. It's a great area...kinda touristy and will probably get old after awhile. A lot foreigners start in San Telmo, Palermo, and Recoleta and might move from there to other places like Barrio Norte or somewhere else. It just depends on what suits you. For me, Palermo and Recoleta are very nice areas...trendy with a lot of nice restaurants, etc. but i just feel that I could be anywhere in Europe, The States, or Canada. San Telmo is the oldest barrio so it has a vibe that i like. I dont think id want to live here if i planned on living here for 2 yrs or so...i might only be here for 6 months to a year. Oh and there shouldnt be any problem getting a place without a visa...never heard that before. Apartments on Craigslist are more expensive but you can also check out www.compartodepto.com.

Currently im making 31 pesos/hr at one company and 29 pesos at another. You have to travel quite a bit from client to client (a lot of in-company teaching). I only have a few hours a week right now but ive been told i'll receive more as the school term picks up. You'll soon see that it's not necessarily cheap down here. Some things are cheap (i.e., transportation) but im not confident that i can sustain a living down here...i mean i guess i could if i wanted to bust my ass and work a ton, but 1) i want to do more traveling around S America, 2) I could do that back home 3) I'm teaching merely as a means to be here...i dont enjoy it so much because i dont think im that good...haha! I hope to find something else if possible. Nonetheless, it's an amazing city...we'll see what happens.

I think i'll put together more detailed info regarding this topic sometime soon...once im more settled. Again im not expert but there isnt a ton of info out there...I think because a lot of teachers are busy trying to make a living!! Sabine11 seems to know a lot! Anyway, just focus on getting down here....everything else will fall in order!

Suerte!

[ajjane]

Thanks for all the information. Are any of you supplementing your teaching hours by doing extra gigs? Also, I am thinking of coming but I luckily will not have to pay for rent. Without rent in the way is it feasible to live off your wages?

[che2007]

well an esl teacher will have to share an apartment.. or house or whatever.. you'll have your own room basically.. you pay for the room in dollars.. so imagine you're making pesos but paying for a room in dollars.. exchange rate is 4 dollars to 1 peso.. it's crazy.. it's hard... you'll have to find a really cheap place..

[che2007]

well an esl teacher will have to share an apartment.. or house or whatever.. you'll have your own room basically.. you pay for the room in dollars.. so imagine you're making pesos but paying for a room in dollars.. exchange rate is 4 dollars to 1 peso.. it's crazy.. it's hard... you'll have to find a really cheap place..

[gdp]

ajjane, ive been teaching here for over a month now...not gonna lie and im not trying to discourage or come off as negative but I hope you really think long and hard about why BsAs is your top choice.

To be honest, the teaching situation here is pretty bad. So bad, in fact, that I have decided to leave in May.

Let me give you an example: Today, taught 2 classes...1 through my company and 1 i arranged privately. The classes were on opposite ends of the town. I was away from my flat for 5 hours!! Got paid for 2 and spent the rest of the time in transit...no joke!!

Right now im only working 5 hours a week so im not earning enough on which to live. I was told i would get more hours but i dont know what the hell is going on! Of course i could be more proactive and seek out more work via private lessons or really push my employers, but I dont even want to! I came here, hoping to learn spanish, enjoy the culture while making a little amount of money to help me out...honestly, this is prob the worst place to improve your spanish (in my opinion). I feel that all i do is go out...and it's super late too...im always tired, eat poorly, and just feel unhealthy....of course this is completely my fault but i just think there are better places to teach and live.

Anyway..this place is tons of fun with so much to do but ive realized that it's just not for me. So please take the time to think why you want to come here in the first place. If you are just trying to get away and live in a different country and are using teaching solely as a means to live there, please consider teaching elsewhere. I taught in Thailand and it was literally the exact opposite of teaching here....in a good way.

Hope that wasnt too discouraging...if you have any questions, please let me know. Good luck on your adventure!

[ajjane]

Thanks for the info everyone. Che, I wouldn't be in a position where I have to find a place to live. I have a place to live rent free. However, it does sound like things are getting difficult in Argentina lately. I know inflation has been on the rise and there is a general wave of discontent among my Argentine friends. GDP, carting yourself across town just for a few gigs does not sound like fun either! I hope that you find a solution or enjoy the time you have left. Thanks for sharing this.

I am considering waiting for a while before I come. I am surprised though that you think it is not a great place to learn Spanish. I have learned the most Spanish through Argentines and on my visits to Buenos Aires. I find that the people are very open and friendly.

[holdenshope]

been here for a few months, and i can't help but agree with you, gdp. trying each day to push myself to stay here until the end of my teaching "commitments", which don't pay enough for me to break even. although they do fill my schedule like a full-time job would.

i wish that i had settled into another s. american city! or even another argentinean city! anything but bs.as.

my advice: come, travel here! enjoy the cultural richness. but, live and work somewhere else.

[desiree612]

I am hopefully moving to argentina in july...and i wanted to see how your experience and transition went...

[JRS]

Hi,

I'm currently in Chile and thinking about coming to BA, I see that the wages are pretty tough to live on, but I am also really interested in is the cost of living...

What is a reasonable monthly salary there (as opposed to hourly)? I'm wondering what would one need to take home to live on comfortably?

Assuming I want to share a flat with one/a few people in a fun area, buy food to cook at home and go out at the weekends, what sort of expenditure am I looking at? I�m not expecting to go to the best places or live in the nicest depto!

Thanks in advance for any help!

[Leroyal]

Sorry it's gone so pear for you GDP.
I came here in late December and Jan and Feb were very slim months indeed. I advertised on Craigslist every other day offering classes and didn't get any responses until I lowered my rate to 25 ARS per hour. I also got a few classes, mostly around microcentro and Palermo through an institute. Thankfully I picked up a job offering me back to back hours getting 27 ARS an hour. I'm not living lavish but I'm not starving either, as long as I stick to some kind of budget I live happily, I have enough for a few beers and eat well. I'm not saving anything but that was never the plan in the first place. I also live in Palermo which is not cheap but uber convenient and safe. Apart from the bureaucracy I've loved my time here. Work is fairly laid back, i got good students, it's a great experience, a great place to live and the girls are drop dead beautiful. It's not an easy place to get started/settled and etc but once all is said and done it's well worth it I believe.

JRS I get 27 and hour from my institute and I work 4x1.5 hour classes a day, so about 162 for my short working day (9-4). I only work 4 days a week so I take home about 2600 ARS a month. My biggest expense is rent 300 USD a month which leaves me with enough to live on. I cook and don't do much during the week but this enables me to have a few drinks out and do some touristy stuff on the weekend. Any other q's just pm me.
PEACE

[eclectic]