Hey, I am moving down in 2 months and have some questions

[halYEM]

Hey everyone -

This is my first post of what will probably be several in the coming year.

My girlfriend and I are moving at the end of January to teach English. At the moment we are looking around for places to live. A friend of mine told me that we should put off looking for a place until we get down there b/c they will rip us off us price-wise if we obtain a place now.


I was just wondering if anyone knew of any validity to this and how much you consider the average price of a decent one bedroom for two teachers? And is bargaining acceptable?

Also, we do not know the exact location of our schools yet so we are just kind of looking to be anywhere. I want to be downtown or in Palermo because I like vibrant nightlife, my girlfriend is leaning towards Recoletta because it is quaint and she likes to shop (women...)...I'd personally be fine living in either of the three areas, but am also worried that Recoletta is a little less convenient in terms of transportation. Anyone care to weigh in?

Thanks, Ill keep coming back with new questions as I get them.

 

[steveinbsas]

...we do not know the exact location of our schools yet so we are just kind of looking to be anywhere. I want to be downtown or in Palermo because I like vibrant nightlife, my girlfriend is leaning towards Recoletta because it is quaint and she likes to shop (women...)...I'd personally be fine living in either of the three areas, but am also worried that Recoletta is a little less convenient in terms of transportation. Anyone care to weigh in?

Although I have been accused of giving bad advice (just tonight) I suggest you stay out of the downtown (el centro) area. Recoleta and Palermo are your best bets. If you have any questions about a specific address (even for a weekly rental) please don't hesitate to ask..either on the forum or in a personal note to me. If you are near Ave Santa Fe in Recoleta you will be close to subway linea D (the best).

If Stan has a different point of view (and thinks this is bad advice), I hope he will post it here.

 

[halYEM]

well, i dont really have the time or the money for an exploratory trip and have not been to buenos aires before, but i appreciate you telling me about palermo, because it is true i do not want to lives where it is surrounded by tourists.


and steve i really appreciate you making yourself available. you may find that i send you a few specific questions once me and my girlfriend find a few places we are set on.


also, will my slow spanish be tolerated? i understand the language pretty well but speak it slowly and with a limited vocabulary. naturally part of my reasoning of my move is that i want to fully learn the language, but it will take me a couple months to get as smooth as i used to be when i was taking class.

 

[halYEM]

oh and also, any ideas on opening up a bank acct?

gotta put my money somewhere, right?

 

[Stanexpat]

Hey everyone -

This is my first post of what will probably be several in the coming year.

My girlfriend and I are moving at the end of January to teach English.

You say you are coming to teach English, do you have a job lined-up or just hoping to get one? There seems to be a very large number of people who have come or are coming to B.A. to teach English. I think many will agree that getting a job doing this is a lot more difficult than advertised. Perhaps people with first hand experience can write in. If you are planning on supporting yourselves by doing this I would advise caution and doing some more research.

 

[Stanexpat]

oh and also, any ideas on opening up a bank acct?

gotta put my money somewhere, right?

Generally opening a bank account there is a waste of time unless you make money there to put in it. Make sure you have a bank account bank home that you can access with an ATM card there(check the various threads here as this is one of the big problems to overcome living there).

 

[halYEM]

You say you are coming to teach English, do you have a job lined-up or just hoping to get one? There seems to be a very large number of people who have come or are coming to B.A. to teach English. I think many will agree that getting a job doing this is a lot more difficult than advertised. Perhaps people with first hand experience can write in. If you are planning on supporting yourselves by doing this I would advise caution and doing some more research.

I have a job lined up, per se. The agency that certified me to teach English guarantees job placement because they have schools they work with. I am currently in communication with 4 schools and have a few more on the horizon and still a couple months to finalize.

 

[criswkh]

Ask, the agency if the schools or the agency opens a bank account for you. If you work on the peso and have legitimate work papers, the school usually opens a savings account for you. If you get a checking account every time you write a check you get charged a tax.

 

[jp]

You don't need a DNI for a bank account. If you have a job lined up ask them to open an account for you for your salary. For lots of companies this is standard practice anyway - they open an employee salary account with the same bank they bank with, then each month they just transfer money from their account to yours.

If you are working legally they should be able to open a bank account for you. If you're not working legally you will most likely be paid in cash, so won't have a pressing need for a bank account. Transactions are invariably all in cash anyway.

Palermo is great for nightlife. Its a big barrio though, parts of it are touristy, but parts are quiet, peaceful and have good restaurants and bars. And you might find you love places others find touristy anyway, best judge for yourself.

Have you been to recoleta? Wouldn't call it quaint. San Telmo maybe, and party of Palermo... I'd explore when you get here, figure out where suits you best.

You could consider booking something for a short term - hostel, hotel, apartment and then do some exploring. Rental prices aren't that much better on the ground, and there's not much room for negotiation although you might get lucky. Without a guarantor you will be limited to temporary rentals though an agency anyway, so no harm in checking out some of the many sites online. www.myplacerealestate.com looked after me when I first arrived, I took a 3 month contract to give me time to figure out where I wanted to live.

Best of luck