Hello! ...and a thousand questions about moving to BA

[blanning]

Hello. My name is Brian. My wife and I are seriously considering leaving the US. I've lived out of the country before and traveled all over the world, and would like my children to have that experience. I've never been to Argentina, although I've known a few people from BA over the years. So Argentina is near the top of the list. I have a lot of questions though.

I'm an IT consultant in the chicago area at the moment. Ideally, I'd like to find what we would call a permanent salaried position in BA. I have 20 years of experience writing and designing complicated software systems, and a BS in computer science.

I need to work out the procedure for finding a job and moving. We're going to sell everything here and start from scratch there. So the plan is to move as little stuff as possible. Ideally though, I'd like to find something like those PODS and have it shipped there.

I'm just starting to do research about BA and the surrounding area. So I have no idea what the work situation is like there, where to live, etc. I'm expecting to make less than I make here. But obviously I need to end up with something sustainable.

Here's the complicated part... we have 9 kids ranging in age from 4 to 19. We'll have two adult children that would come with us. So whatever living arrangement we end up with would need to support that. I'm willing to think outside the box, like renting two apartments instead of one. But obviously the income would need to support that.

So here's some questions:

What is the work visa process for argentina?

Where would a software development job likely be in BA, and based on what I've said, what would be a reasonable part of town to find a place to live? We're willing to be a little austere, but safety is important. And we generally prefer longer commutes to get more indoor and outdoor space farther out.

What's the school situation in BA? My kids would need to go into some sort of school and only one of them speaks spanish. I'm sure some of my kids would pick it up quickly, but for others it would be a fight.

Does argentina have an equivalent to home schooling?

Can anyone give me an idea what a high-end programming job would be likely to pay in BA and what renting a house would likely cost?

What's the most popular job website or place to post jobs, and the same question for places to live?

Are there any services (church-related or otherwise) that would help facilitate a move like this?

What's the tax situation? That is, what percentage does the government usually take?

What is the health insurance situation there?

What's the race-relations situation there? Half of my kids are adopted. One is from vietnam, two are from guatemala. But the rest of us are northern european types. Are we likely to run into trouble with this?

Anything else I should watch out for?

Am I out of my mind? lol

brian

 

[Davidglen77]

I really think that you should reconsider uprooting the lives of 9 children and moving to Argentina which is a great country full of wonderful people but in terms of getting estabished here and finding stable employment with a viable salary well that is a major challenge. As well, dealing with putting down roots and documentation for 11 people will be the nightmare of all nightmares. I would say wait until your children are grown and then come down as a couple. Best of luck.

 

[Liam3494]

Brian, if you are for real, then you are well out of your mind in expecting this site to give you the answers you are asking to so many deep questions about the possibilities for re-locating to Argentina. You seem to have done so little research to date about the place that you are really shooting into the air and wondering what will fall out of the sky.

I wish you luck, but I genuinely belive that this is not the place to start - Too many conflicting answers will confuse the hell out of you.

 

[blanning]

I really think that you should reconsider uprooting the lives of 9 children and moving to Argentina which is a great country full of wonderful people but in terms of getting estabished here and finding stable employment with a viable salary well that is a major challenge. As well, dealing with putting down roots and documentation for 11 people will be the nightmare of all nightmares. I would say wait until your children are grown and then come down as a couple. Best of luck.

Thanks for the response. I'm well aware of the work and challenges ahead. And to be clear, for a lot of reasons, we've already decided to leave the US. At this point we're trying to decide where. We're considering a few places and trying to decide how we'd like to remake our life. We're still very much in the investigation stage. It may be that BA is impractical for us, but maybe a different city in Argentina or maybe a different country altogether would be a better choice. We're just considering all the options now.

brian

 

[Zissou]

It might be helpful if you could explain why you are looking to move to another country, and what are the key elements you are looking for in said other countries. In fact, what OTHER countries are you considering.

If you are considering Stockholm or Sydney, then Buenos Aires is probably not a contender bc these are entirely first-world (and better than most first-world at that in terms of most quality of life indeces).

If you are in fact looking to expose your children to a dramatically different way of living - which arguably is in many ways more family-oriented and generally less materialistic (as a country, BA is a bubble) - then Buenos Aires could be a good option.

I do know of expats in IT jobs/project management earning reasonable to v.good salaries, although working almost exclusively for foreign companies. No matter what get your employment sorted before moving anyhow you will need this to secure a residency visa. If you can work remotely that would likely be your best option.

A lot of people on this forum focus on the negative but I view it as a place people vent to people who can relate. Otherwise, why in the world are they here? Who stays where they don't want to be? There are VERY few situations in life that if you feel strongly about you can't change. Personally I enjoy the challenges of living here because I feel like back home I see so many people simply going through the motions and that's the last thing I want for myself.

 

[blanning]

Brian, if you are for real, then you are well out of your mind in expecting this site to give you the answers you are asking to so many deep questions about the possibilities for re-locating to Argentina. You seem to have done so little research to date about the place that you are really shooting into the air and wondering what will fall out of the sky.

I wish you luck, but I genuinely belive that this is not the place to start - Too many conflicting answers will confuse the hell out of you.

You're exactly right. This is my first attempt at gathering information about argentina. Later, I plan to look at government websites to research immigration law. Then I may actually try to contact companies in BA to see what the job situation is like. But I figured people here might have constructive things to offer also.

brian

 

[jp]

Work-wise, best thing you can do is work remotely for someone who pays you in dollars or euros. Even the top paying jobs in argentina pale in comparison to an income in a stronger currency.

Earn a good wage, and there are good schools, great healthcare plans, beautiful neighbourhoods to live in etc. Your lifestyle here will really depend on your earning potential, and with a family of 11 I'd get a stable foreign income locked down before thinking of making a move over here and the logistics involved.

Suerte!

 

[fred mertz]

Somehow, I don´t believe you. How could a family with 9 children where the parents are able to provide for all their needs decide to move to someplace that they´ve never even visited? I guess that you forgot to mention that you and your wife speak fluent Spanish. What would happen if after you settled in with everything going well and your employer decides that they no longer need your services. Home school 9 kids, each of whom is probably at a different grade level? Are you planning to buy a small bus? How about a license to drive it?If you´re dreaming about the book and the movie; FORGET IT.
Are you out of your mind? ABSOLUTELY.

 

[blanning]

It might be helpful if you could explain why you are looking to move to another country, and what are the key elements you are looking for in said other countries. In fact, what OTHER countries are you considering.

We're not sure yet. We're still assembling the list. I spent several years in japan and maybe six months in toronto. I'd love to go back to japan, but the cost of living is prohibitive. We've also visited vietnam for the adoption and considered that country also. I think they're further down the list though. Then there's belize, bermuda, australia, new zealand, israel, uruguay, chile, and maybe others in south america. We're just starting the research process so we have no idea yet what the pros and cons are of all these countries.

If you are considering Stockholm or Sydney, then Buenos Aires is probably not a contender bc these are entirely first-world (and better than most first-world at that in terms of most quality of life indeces).

We're ok with non-first-world. (We're considering vietnam after all) Our priorities are probably very different from most people. We generally value freedom and family values.

If you are in fact looking to expose your children to a dramatically different way of living - which arguably is in many ways more family-oriented and generally less materialistic (as a country, BA is a bubble) - then Buenos Aires could be a good option.

I was originally thinking of something more rural. Although I admit that it would be difficult or impossible to have a steady income out there. My wife suggested BA since I could likely get a decent job there.

The materialistic, self-destructive, anti-family US culture is one of the things we're trying to get away from.

I do know of expats in IT jobs/project management earning reasonable to v.good salaries, although working almost exclusively for foreign companies. No matter what get your employment sorted before moving anyhow you will need this to secure a residency visa. If you can work remotely that would likely be your best option.

One option is that I could continue my software consulting business and continue to work for US companies remotely from home in BA. I'd likely make around half what I'm getting now. But what I'm getting now is very good even by US standards.

A lot of people on this forum focus on the negative but I view it as a place people vent to people who can relate. Otherwise, why in the world are they here? Who stays where they don't want to be? There are VERY few situations in life that if you feel strongly about you can't change. Personally I enjoy the challenges of living here because I feel like back home I see so many people simply going through the motions and that's the last thing I want for myself.

There are so many things here in the US that I'd like to get away from, and get my children away from. I realize that every place will have problems and that moving really means trading one set of problems for another. But it's very likely that we'll prefer a different set of problems to the ones here. But I need to figure out what that set of problems is for BA and argentina. So that's why i'm posting here.

brian

 

[jenh]

Brian, a far as jobs, I would focus on an American or European multinational company such as Google with offices here. If you sign on to work for a multinational company, they can facilitate a visa, moving your household, health insurance, etc. Send me a private message and I can give you some advice on a global expat job search of this nature. I would secure employment first in whichever country. Also, I have some other suggestions of countries you might consider that are favorable for large families. I have for example many friends living in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and you might be surprised how excellently supportive these places are for large western families. And they are much more open than you might think to other races and religions... You mentioned church-based groups and for example I have friends in Abu who are very involved with a western church group there. For kids, it is a very safe and nurturing country with excellent schooling options, and very good access to household help. Just something to consider... And the salaries are much more generous!