How Much Does A Teacher At A Private School Earn?

[syngirl]

nkotb, I want to apply as a math & physics teacher at an Italian private school. I am Italian and I have always lived & studied in Italy until 7 months ago, when I moved here.

I gave an example with English because 90% of the readers here are native English speakers and thus their experience in teacher would be related in teaching in English. I also imagine that an Italian private school pays even less than English private school. Italian is not that cool or popular or useful as English, but that's what I speak, so I just have to deal with it.

Yes that you want to teach at an Italian school changes the scenario quite a bit, first of all there's not as many, and yes, i suspect you're right, they probably don't pay as well. There's also a pool of locals that speak Italian (or think they do, haha). The most well known Italian school off hand is in Belgrano/Nunez -- Cristoforo Colombo, you may want to contact them now before they close for the summer. There's also one a couple of blocks away from me in Urquiza that's supposed to be good, Tomas Devoto, though I don't personally know anyone who has gone. Both are trilingual I believe (Spanish/Ital/Eng). There's also an Italian society in Olivos, I think you'll probably need to contact them and your embassy to try to get better information. School ends for a lot of places tomorrow, some go another week or so. Then you'll be lucky if you can get anyone to answer the phone before February, so I'd try to get in touch ASAP.

 

[syngirl]

I do have a freelance online job which I don't intend to quit. I just really need to dive into Buenos Aires and its people, living and working from home is kind of isolating after a while.

Therefore I don't plan to live on teaching. Ideally, I'd like something part-time in a private high school.
If individual Spanish lessons at a language school are about 200 ARS/hour, I suppose a hard science teacher could ask twice as much, but this is just my guess.

Also sounds like you need to figure out your goal -- you asked about money, but then you say you're not going to live on the wage, so what is more important, are you looking for a social outlet to integrate more here, or are you looking to earn a living? Because if it is not about earning money there are a lot of other ways to integrate -- if you do the teaching remember that it will probably be you, some old Italian that hasn't been back there in about 40 years, and some locals that think they are italian though may not have even stepped foot there. And then a bunch of kids, who while you may teach them, are not going to become your social circle! So not sure if it will provide the fulfillment you are looking for. Have you considered seeing if there isn't something at the embassy or even volunteering/getting involved with an italian society club in some way might be a better method of getting social contacts and forget about the pesos income? If your freelance provides enough income I personally probably wouldn't worry about a local teaching job.

 

[Girino]

I asked about money because, after all, it is a commitment and because in the past asking too little (for the local standard) at a job interview made me look unprofessional (that was in Switzerland, anyway).

I already do some volunteering with animals, and that is what I like to do for free. Looking at the school's list of teacher, there are a minority who are about my same age and born and raised in Italy. I am not looking to socialize with the students, rather with somebody who has roughly my same background (born and raised in Italy, graduated, etc.). Plus I love Physics and my math & physics teacher in high school changed my life, giving me confidence in my abilities despite the grades. I really remember that teacher very fondly, she came to teach even during chemo and passed the year after we graduated - I never had the chance to thank her. Finally, it would be a good line to put on my resume.


I am not going to get involved with the Italian embassy because my experience with them has been unpleasant.
Anyway, the "Italian social circles" found here are made of those "locals that think they are italian though may not have even stepped foot there" you mentioned. I cannot relate to the average "Italians" here, everybody holds an Italian passport, even the family living next door to mine because "Italian passport is so cool, you never know in life, maybe the chicos will need that". So those are the "Italians" out there.

I am also excluding working as an engineer here because that cannot be a part-time occupation, and even working full time I would make less than freelancing, plus next thing I know they send me to Cordoba or to some remote plant to work on obsolete technology. Anyway my level of Spanish is not yet that high to be able to work exclusively in a Spanish working environment.

 

[nikad]

I asked about money because, after all, it is a commitment and because in the past asking too little (for the local standard) at a job interview made me look unprofessional (that was in Switzerland, anyway).

I already do some volunteering with animals, and that is what I like to do for free. Looking at the school's list of teacher, there are a minority who are about my same age and born and raised in Italy. I am not looking to socialize with the students, rather with somebody who has roughly my same background (born and raised in Italy, graduated, etc.). Plus I love Physics and my math & physics teacher in high school changed my life, giving me confidence in my abilities despite the grades. I really remember that teacher very fondly, she came to teach even during chemo and passed the year after we graduated - I never had the chance to thank her. Finally, it would be a good line to put on my resume.


I am not going to get involved with the Italian embassy because my experience with them has been unpleasant.
Anyway, the "Italian social circles" found here are made of those "locals that think they are italian though may not have even stepped foot there" you mentioned. I cannot relate to the average "Italians" here, everybody holds an Italian passport, even the family living next door to mine because "Italian passport is so cool, you never know in life, maybe the chicos will need that". So those are the "Italians" out there.

I am also excluding working as an engineer here because that cannot be a part-time occupation, and even working full time I would make less than freelancing, plus next thing I know they send me to Cordoba or to some remote plant to work on obsolete technology. Anyway my level of Spanish is not yet that high to be able to work exclusively in a Spanish working environment.

You should visit Dante Alighieri institute, there are many Italian teachers there that can guide you in the right direction. They also run a lot of cultural activities - Italy related. I learned Italian there several years ago. as per school, I believe the only two Italian schools in the city are Edmondo de Amici and Cristoforo Colombo.

 

[Girino]

There is also Centro Cultural Italiano in Olivos and Villa Crespo.
Then there are other two schools, one in La Plata and one in Mendoza.

The full list is found here.

 

[Tilda]

I just thought of another thing that you have to keep in mind. Teachers here are expected to do a lot of work at home. That is especially true your first couple of years as everything takes longer and you are trying to figure out how to test the kids without having to grade 60 tests every two weeks.