Job Offer in Buenos Aires

[Xeneizes]

I have no intension of arguing about it - every person has his own priorities.

I just want you to use your engineering skills to get into all the details, so you don't go hungry the last 4 or 5 days of the month.

Haha, well, I really think this will be a great opportunity to learn the value of things and be less wasteful than I have been as a typical American college student.

 

[John.St]

- oh, and one more thing, Xeneizes - don't let our cool and calculating thoughts turn you off your idea, just remember that you'll live a more frugal life than you have been used to - so what? gain experience, good or bad.

Go for it and always remember Faint heart never won fair maiden.

 

[PhilipDT]

Is he a local or a foreigner?

Even if he is a local, I think I'd enjoy living like they do, or at least in between.

I was also thinking that if I rent a room like a homestay or in an apartment with Argentines I will have a lot easier time practicing and improving Spanish, and I think that is really important.

foreigner.

Just goes to show, there are all types...

 

[PhilipDT]

- oh, and one more thing, Xeneizes - don't let our cool and calculating thoughts turn you off your idea, just remember that you'll live a more frugal life than you have been used to - so what? gain experience, good or bad.

Go for it and always remember Faint heart never won fair maiden.

Go for it, the educational value will completely makeup for any difference in salary, qol, etc. This could be a once in a lifetime opportunity, as hard as it may be to live here, you will, almost assuredly, never regret it, and if you end up not doing it, you may possibly always regret it.

edit: I should drink less...

 

[John.St]

Haha, well, I really think this will be a great opportunity to learn the value of things and be less wasteful than I have been as a typical American college student.

Exactly.

The secret of becoming adinerado is to spend what you need to, but never waste.

Look around and you'll see people spending money they don't have, on things they don't need, to impress neighbours who couldn't care less.

 

[jb5]

I agree you should go for it. You're young and can adjust. It will be a great experience in many ways.

BUT, do have realistic expectations.

You can eat cheaply if you're willing to eat what would, in general, gross out most middle class Americans. The commodity foods are mostly very poor quality. You can do much better if you cook, but again, good ingredients on average cost American prices.

My college student daughter spent a few months here early this year. She is a foodie and had eaten at good restaurants here while traveling with me. Not all fancy, but those known for good food. She couldn't touch anywhere near that quality on her student budget. With her friends the routine was bad cheap pizza, empanadas, choripan, repeat. This was a big frustration. Her
crowd saved the money for going to clubs which they found to be expensive.

You also need to be realistic about housing. Expect small, not well kept, roaches and all sorts of things that don't work. A stove and oven in a typical cheap apartment usually shocks Americans. You'd be lucky to fit a good sized chicken in most ovens. So expect less than dorm conditions on this budget.

It's a great place. When it was cheap it was even better, but with the right expectations and willingness to sacrifice some creature comforts ( this country seems very third world if you're on a budget) it's a great place to get some experience. After a year or so try to get a job wirh a multinational paying in dollars and you'll have a much better life.

 

[jb5]

Here's what I mean by a good restaurant meal. This is typical of a meal 2 would eat at a good but not great or fancy restaurant. This was $200 pesos with 1 glass of Wine:


http://www.saltshaker.net/

 

[syngirl]

I'd say come, but don't expect to be hanging out much in barrios like Palermo on that budget. It'll be more like Parque Patricios for renting and old school restaurants / parillas. That said you can get decent Peruvian food in Abasto (not at the shopping mall though, eating at the mall is more expensive than going out to a lot of restaurants -- and forget McDonalds, it's 2-3x the price of the States).

A gaseosa (coke) in any restaurant these days is 9-10 pesos. At the kiosco it's 5pesos. A bottle of water at a restaurant is about 9-12 pesos. Empanadas for delivery in Belgrano area at least are averaging around 5 pesos these days (when I got here in 2005 they were .80 centavos).

So come on down, but do not, do not believe the mythology of the $10 steak and wine dinner. As I said on another thread the other day, those bloody articles on the internet about how cheap it is to dine out in Buenos Aires are never going to die, and most of them were written 2003-2006.

You say you're not going to need to replace towels / sheets -- well then you better bring them from home because the ones they sell here are either 1) cheap and last maybe 10 washes and are horrible or 2) 2-3x more expensive than in the USA.

To give you an idea, we went to the supermarket the other week -- apart from some bread (1 loaf = 10 pesos), milk (1 liter = 5pesos), butter (500 gr is now about 15pesos) the only stuff we bought were cleaning supplies and paper products -- toilet paper, serviettes, paper towels, bleach, bathroom cleaners, detergent, PineSol, Mr Clean that sort of stuff. We brought home 5 bags of groceries and spent over 400 pesos. 30 pesos of that were edible products. We had to buy a new pot (120 pesos) and a new pizza pan (45 pesos).

So come, but don't be shocked when your money doesn't go too far. Every time my husband goes on biz to the States I basically force him to go to Target and stock up on toothpaste etc. Toothpaste in the states -- huge tubes (probably 300 gr?) for 12 pesos (Colgate or standard brand) Toothpaste here 90gr for about 12 pesos. Razors are bloody expensive, shave gels, deodorant etc -- all of those things you use everyday (unless you grow a beard) and the sizes are all smaller than in the USA.

I know you say oh I'll fit this into my 250 pesos, but you have to remember that everything here is in smaller sizes than in the USA and you have to replace things a lot more often. Have a look at your budget for toiletries in the USA and basically double it, because if the price isn't higher here, the size is smaller, so doubling it will usually work out ok (and if you're lucky, will give you a higher number, leaving you with some more breathing room when you arrive!)

 

[MizzMarr]

I also just wanted to mention that you don't necessarily have to rent a shared apartment with Argentines (may be a bit harder to find)... one of my best language learning environments down here was a friends shared apartment where all the tenants were from different countries but all learning/improving their Spanish so used Spanish as the common household language. Of course locals were around, too. This was fantastic, and definitely recommended!

By now you note that there's a lot of complaining about the food. It's really nothing that you'll be able to truly understand until you've been here for at least six months. That said, I think you'll learn a lot and have a great time. You can always leave your job if you're not happy, and personally Spanish and foreign experience do go a long way on a job resume.

 

[starlucia]

I was also thinking that if I rent a room like a homestay or in an apartment with Argentines I will have a lot easier time practicing and improving Spanish, and I think that is really important.

A private room in a homestay is often a good option; you can find places in good neighborhoods for USD $300-500 a month, with maid service + breakfast usually included in the price. You probably won't want to live with older Argentine ladies for the entire duration of your stay, but at least when you first arrive, a house mother can be a good resource for learning your way around town.