Looking For Advice/help From Seasoned Expats

[Azagarth]

well with the housing thing I said the same thing. At first I was like, ya 1500 u$d a month, he said no.. its in pesos. I told him to double check, and he just called me and idiot and told me its his language and he knows what they are spending haha. The i asked him if he meant per room, and he really stressed that it was not per room, and we would be sharing, so it would be 2 people per room. So well.... ya, sounds to good to be true for me, but again it is their home and they arent getting the gringo rate. Possibly it comes from a family member I am not to sure.

To the people a bit more upset about my post....I said I am still working out everything, months in advance.... its normal for an idea to have flaws so im trying to alleviate them now before they are real. That is what business is all about and basic planning skills, and I am not a business man yet, thats WHY I am going back to school to really learn it all. If I was already some Steve Jobs or something do you really think I would be posting here for financial and life advice?

Thanks a lot for the DNI clarification. I didnt think I was a citizen, but resident makes sense, which is probably why they told me I have to renew it every year. I am not sure either how to tell if its temporary or permanent (is there a stamp or something?) I assume its temp.

I should have clarified... I am currently broke, and before I go I should have about 6-8k saved up (but 2k of that will be in an emergency account incase I need to get out of the country asap). So I am not going to be destitute when I arrive, but not rolling either haha. I just wont have enough to pay for all my studies, as most students don't.

I was all over the patagonia (la pampa, rio negro, neuquen, chubut, and almost made it to sanata cruz haha).... bariloche really isnt what most southerners consider the patagonia though anyways..... even though its the only pretty place to me.

 

[Azagarth]

risu we posted about steve jobs at the same time, that made me smile.

Anyhow, the students loans arent a big deal. There is no interest on the ones I would be getting, so I just have to pay back what I borrow. Well technically there is, but you get a 6 month grace period, and I will have made enough to pay them off in that time, or to the point the interest isnt a big deal. Also I know an MBA in the current global economy isnt as big of bang for buck as it was, but I have tons of computer science friends and we are going to start up a small company, plus we have programmers who already work, but we want to branch out into spanish america, and me being the only spanish speaker and business minded person, we have decided its best I do that part haha.

Thanks for the help so far

Ghost, what would you like to know? its so big its hard to know what your looking for.

 

[mariposa]

[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]Thanks a lot for the DNI clarification. I didnt think I was a citizen, but resident makes sense, which is probably why they told me I have to renew it every year. I am not sure either how to tell if its temporary or permanent (is there a stamp or something?) I assume its temp.[/background]

look for the fecha de vencimiento

 

[Azagarth]

ya expires in october this year, so i guess that explains it. So I guess I need to renew it before then. DO you know if its something I can just pay online? I assume not because that would be easy haha.

 

[Montauk_Project]

MBA is good to make contacts. For me, taking it on-line defeats the purpose. If you want to live in South America, an MBA from UBA (I think the whole program is about 20,000 pesos) or San Andres (I think the whole program is 70,000 pesos) might be a good bet.
both the city and national Arg gov´t offer tons of low cost and free programs that teach business skills.
Anything you want to learn in an MBA you can take free courses and read books--it isn´t rocket science, most of it is BS. But drinking beers with future business leaders is worth the investment if you go to a top program.
The best way to learn about business is to try to start a business. You will make a lot of mistakes, you will learn a lot. I say this as someone who started my own business--the first three years were VERY lean but then I got the hang of it.
Maybe pet psychology?

 

[mariposa]

[background=rgb(252, 252, 252)]ya expires in october this year, so i guess that explains it. So I guess I need to renew it before then. DO you know if its something I can just pay online?[/background]

nope

 

[PhilipDT]

well with the housing thing I said the same thing. At first I was like, ya 1500 u$d a month, he said no.. its in pesos.

1500 pesos for a 4 bedroom in palermo means:

a ) Its in a villa.
b ) Someone owns it and 1500 are the expensas and no one is paying rent
c ) Your friend is the luckiest damn person in the city.

This is a look at ads for locals for 4 bedroom apartments in that area.

http://propiedades.z...d-dormitorios-4

 

[Montauk_Project]

In my building, which isn´t really nice (hallway needs a coat of paint and repairs), in San Telmo, an apartment is $2300 plus expenses.

 

[countingdays]

Aside from the unbelievable rental price, the rest of it doesn't sound all that crazy to me. If he's careful (safe meeting place, checks the pesos well) he could definitely cover some of the cost of his flight selling a few electronics via Mercadolibre (obv. even safer selling to friends). The amounts he's listed for food, going out etc. are more than double what I typically spend. Of course depends on what he plans on doing (I'm pretty frugal), but doesn't seem laughable! As he suggests, I brought down cash and stored it in a safety deposit box. But I didn't have to open the account... very likely he'd have trouble as a foreigner.

I also have a DNI that expired after I left a job here... probably not going to help him much. It'd serve him best to start the process for a student visa and not even bother trying to renew what he already has. And yes, la UBA (especially for non-mercosur students) is a bureaucratic mess... but apart from fees for all the damn forms you need they don't charge extra.

I have a couple friends with unlocked iphones so that's definitely possible too... haha or he could be like me and spend 15 pesos on phone cards every couple weeks and just use skype/google for anything international. Ends up being maybe 2 usd a month ; )

I think typically the largest gap allowed btw. flights is a year.

Regarding what's a reasonable income to make teaching english... there are already plenty of posts elsewhere on this site : )

 

[Azagarth]

ya I would only do the bachelors part online, and the the MBA i would never take online, defeats the purpose of making business contacts. I already have a good MBA program picked out here on the west coast, I just lack a few prerequisite courses they require. So I figured while I am finishing those up this year, might as well learn spanish better, and have some fun vacation type travels. But going to UBA also interests me, especially if during my time there I grow to love the city. But for the long run I do not want to live in BS AS... I love the states too much, except for the cost of college and living sometimes.

I still find the rental price hard to believe also, but they say its not in a villa, that its in middle downtown. Now if thats run down, i guess it would be a villa to us but maybe not them? I dont know bs as at all, so I cant really say. Is there student housing around there? Because they are going to be students, maybe there is a landlord who loves students? I have no clue haha. I got to check with them though, because its very plausible that the housing is owned by the family, they are native portenos after all, and semi wealthy. I am not to filled in past the part they want me to chip in for the rent, they said they would take care of where to live. Which for me is all the better. And if it is a villa, it wont be my first time living in one...

hmm, if flight gaps can only be one year, maybe i make a run back home in the middle then.... the price between round trip and one way isnt very different, and if planned well you can make it almost free

thanks for the help all!

In regards to wages... it really is crazy to expect 70 an hr? Ive seen plenty of CL post that are offering 60. I know in the south my friend is making a bit over 120 an hour and he doesnt even try finding work, they all came to him out of the clear blue. I assume there is just a surplus in bs as then. I also know a few natives who make around 15k a month teaching privately in more remote areas of argentina. But again, none of those places are BS AS and that where I want to live.