Irish Dilemma

[jb724]

Hi all. Im an Irish man (38 yrs old) and in a bit of a dilemma so sorry if I sound pessimistic (or depressing even).My belief in ireland as a decent place to live for the foreseable future is gone. Unfortunately Politicians, corruption,attitude of the people and the bloody weather are all getting too much..even Sinn Fein may get into power soon God help us!!!
One of the options open to me is moving abroad and Argentina is a place that is attracting me.Im financially ok as having been in the army for 20yrs I have a pension I can draw on straight away,circa €1500 per month...I'm not married and have some savings. Is this a crazy idea? I am going to Argentina for 5 weeks in Jan on a "reconnaisance mission" (sorry Im still in the army) to experience the quality of life etc.
So what I would ask in general is
- what is the attitude to foreigners in Argentina? Irish in particular
- Is it a good place to live compared to our ill fated island here?
-How much per month does one need to live? (I realise BA would be more expensive than the interior)
-Is there much "red tape" involved in moving over?
- I do want to work of course but realise that I cannot expect a good salary really but I'm not going for the money, its more quality of life. Is it difficult to find work besides teaching English? (I have a masters in logistics and 5 years of Logistics and supply chain management experience) I'm learning Argentian Spanish also by the way
- Lastly (and its a tongue in cheek question) whats the attitude of Argentinian women towards Irishmen...I am single as I said
So sorry if that was long winded but just want to know if people think its a dumb idea or is it a good one?
Thanks in advance for any replies
JB

 

[jez]

Corruption...yes there is a lot of that here too
Politicians..see corruption above
Weather...too bloody hot in summer in Buenos Aires for me

For a Rentista Visa you need to show guaranteed income of AR$8000 month, then as a resident you would be taxed on your earnings (AR$8000 month) & worldwide property, and inflation is almost 30% year...

Attitude...I'm English and dont have a problem and we are going to be exploiting the oil in the Falklands (Malivnas).... you won't generally have any problems because you are a foreigner except to charged a gringo tax on most things that don't have a fixed price.

€1500 per month is enough to live a comfortable life. Are you thinking of buying property?

 

[jb724]

thanks Jez...I realise nowhere is perfect in respect of corruption and politicians. buying property? maybe but not in the early stages.It gonna be 3-4 months before I get my affairs in order here so intend to live there a bit first before that.Thanks for the reply

 

[Heather ryan]

Hey , Im an Irish girl living in argentina . I moved here a year ago my advice to you would be not to go to buenos aires you could have a better quality of life if you lived in a smaller city near enough to the capital .I live in junin it's 4 hours from bs and thers is a large Irish community here who are always willing to help out .The rent here for a nice apartment is 1000 ps grocerys come to about 1000 also electricity ,gas phone and car insurance , tax, internet would cometo around 1000 aswell .If you're thinking of coming over give me a ring my number is 02362444463.good luck the ladies over here love the europeans you'll have no problems there.xxx

 

[jb724]

Thanks Heather..with a name like that I should have guessed your heritage .
Im going over in Jan for 4 weeks so maybe I could give you a shout then.I'll be in Cordoba mainly but would love to pick your brains about stuff if youre ok with that. Does this site allow private messages? may be easier than publicly chatting about stuff if youre ok with that?.Thanks again for reply
Slan
Justin

 

[Uncle Dermot]

A good thing in your favour: the Irish embassy in BA is virtually empty all the times, I lived in Ireland for 8 years, never asked for the Irish citizenship as I am also European...big mistake! I hold an Italian passport and it is the easiest European passport Argentinian people can apply for, that means that every single time I am going to the Italian consulate I have to spend hours and hours queueing!
If you think Ireland is corrupted you should move here...
Best of luck

 

[Bajo_cero2]

For a Rentista Visa you need to show guaranteed income of AR$8000 month, then as a resident you would be taxed on your earnings (AR$8000 month) & worldwide property, and inflation is almost 30% year...

He is retired, so he can get another residence regarding this situation.

 

[Nossyd]

JB,come on down! I left Dublin in 2002 to many cries of "you are so brave" leaving the Celtic tiger behind...as long as you arent tied by golden handcuffs ie driven by the desire to be rich above all other pleasures that life has to offer you will be fine here, where friendships and living take precedence over living to work..I do suggest you up the confidence level re the local women however...Argentinean women are genuinely stunningly beautiful and hard work...so best read up on all the tips of latin lovers re poetry, flowers, gifts, stylish restaurants etc as a nice night down the pub doesnt qualify here for a great evening out!

 

[gouchobob]

I'm not sure what you mean by quality of life. I know your home country is having difficulty now but if you are looking for economic stability, honest government, moving to Argentina is like jumping from the frying pan into the fires of hell. Yes you could probably make it there today on the amount you mention, however inflation is very high a year or two from now maybe not and it's extremely difficult to make money working. I think if your are considering making the move solely because you think your money will go farther you will likely be disappointed. I think a fair estimate is that 80% of the people that try moving to a new country are back home within two years.

 

[jb724]

JB,come on down! I left Dublin in 2002 to many cries of "you are so brave" leaving the Celtic tiger behind...as long as you arent tied by golden handcuffs ie driven by the desire to be rich above all other pleasures that life has to offer you will be fine here, where friendships and living take precedence over living to work..I do suggest you up the confidence level re the local women however...Argentinean women are genuinely stunningly beautiful and hard work...so best read up on all the tips of latin lovers re poetry, flowers, gifts, stylish restaurants etc as a nice night down the pub doesnt qualify here for a great evening out!

Thank Nossyd..its a step alright but screw ya only live once and if i dont even consider it I will regret it in 10 years..Not a dress rehearsal blah blah..i suppose i could take leave of absence from the job to try it out first. No Im not chasing the money (golden handcuffs)...the celtic tiger has shown me the futility of that bollixology!! glad to hear youre enjoying it,Ill be onto ya again for sure if youre ok with it when the time draws near...meantime Ill work on my romantic poetry and table manners