Moving To Ba From Canada

[CanaCroat]

Some great info! Thanks! I have a basic Spanish course that I took in school, and then to stay on top of things I'm doing a daily duolingo exercise and a Pimsleur course as well. I think immersion will be the best way to learn though.

It sounds like everything is pointing to having at least a little bit of savings, so I'm thinking of delaying my way to have some sort of savings instead of jumping in with nothing. I have been getting impatient about leaving but I think in the end it'll be best to work on my Spanish a bit more and have some sort of working budget to sustain me for at least a few months..So hopefully I can have it all sorted by Jan / Feb and then head down. Hopefully I can keep making some contacts as well over this time.

Great information again, it's much appreciated!
Out of all of the forums I've been on regarding this topic I get the best info and vibes from people on here!

 

[ajoknoblauch]

Learn to like argentine soccer clubs and games...like Boca or River or Newell's or San Lorenzo.....this will REAAAAAALLLLY open doors for you here!!! More than all of the rest combined!!

But if you must do so, don't forget to bring your No-Doz and your gas mask.

 

[steveinbsas]

Some great info! Thanks! I have a basic Spanish course that I took in school, and then to stay on top of things I'm doing a daily duolingo exercise and a Pimsleur course as well. I think immersion will be the best way to learn though.

It sounds like everything is pointing to having at least a little bit of savings, so I'm thinking of delaying my way to have some sort of savings instead of jumping in with nothing. I have been getting impatient about leaving but I think in the end it'll be best to work on my Spanish a bit more and have some sort of working budget to sustain me for at least a few months..So hopefully I can have it all sorted by Jan / Feb and then head down. Hopefully I can keep making some contacts as well over this time.

Great information again, it's much appreciated!
Out of all of the forums I've been on regarding this topic I get the best info and vibes from people on here!

"A little bit of savings" will go fast, even if you find a job teaching English shortly after your arrival.

It looks like you started posting well after Arbound stopped. He struggled for quite a while to save the $1100 USD he needed to get out of Argentina. He is now in Canada.

I just searched through Arbounds posts and I think you might find his answer to Allison's question helpful:

Ok, so all of the threads on teaching seem SO negative. I am moving to Argentina for love, but also to kick off a new career in ESL - I want the Cambridge CELTA, and since I'm coming to Argentina anyway, it's $800 cheaper than if I take it in San Francisco.

How does one work in Argentina otherwise? I do not speak Spanish...yet...

Does anyone know if things are any different in Cordoba?

Thanks, Allison

The reason things are so negative is because it's the reality. I was optimistic and thought people
online were just old burnouts complaining.

Welcome to the reality: if you don't speak Spanish, don't have savings or income from abroad
or aren't being relocated by a company you're going to have a terrible time.

I work at a call center and I work 45 hours a week and make about $550 USD a month.
In about 10 days of work at minimum wage in many states you'd make more money.
Yes, costs are lower here but only if you're paid in/have usd in savings.

For example, the government strong armed the unions in to taking around than 28% pay increase
for inflation. With annual inflation officially in the high 30% range and real inflation around 40%-50%
you're going to get poorer every month and pay more for the same things.

I started working in October 2013. My salary then: $600.00 USD/month. Now: $550.00.
This is also considering I got a "raise" for inflation

My rent will go up 25% in October (and trust me, that's low). The bus was $1.25 ARS when I moved here,
it's now $2.50 ARS. A bottle of soda and a alfajor at a kiosk? $8 and $4. Now? 12 and 8.

I'm leaving, either next month if the devaluation happens or when my roommate moves in early 2015 so I can
pay for the plane ticket and still be able to leave the airport when I land.

Last thing, we get a bonus here paid out twice a year at Xmas and now. Guess what peso slaves like me and
the Argentines are buying with it? Not tango classes, not going out to restaurants, not a tv, not nice things:
Dollars, just so we can try and fight the inflation.

TL;DR

Beautiful country, people leave much to be desired but unless you're coming with lots of dollars you're gonna
have a bad time.

How To Find A Good Tefl Job In Ba?

 

[steveinbsas]

Davidglen (who has also left Argentina) also answered Allison's question:

The only way you can make a decent (halfway decent) wage teaching English is if you are registered with the tax authority AFIP to issue (monotributista) invoices. You can work in corporate settings at multi-national companies, such as IBM, KPMG, Microsoft, etc and charge upwards of $120 pesos per hour for individual students, a higher rate for group classes AND have continuous, long term work. If you are here in Argentina without residency, this is not possible and you will end up working for institutes who will pay you peanuts. Also if you don't speak Spanish that is a huge disadvantage, I do a lot of translation and interpreting work (I am fully bilingual) and that pays much more than teaching and many of those projects pay in USD.
Expecting to come here and make a decent living by teaching English, without being bilingual and not having residency you will be disappointed as your earning power will be VERY low.

 

[CanaCroat]

Thank you for the posts, very useful information for planning. Invaluable!!

 

[GMXam]

All the English teachers I know in BA teach English online (via Skype) for companies outside of Argentina while making either USD or pounds. That may be a better avenue than teaching here in BA if you can land one of these kind of jobs before you arrive. Their pay is direct deposited to their respective country accounts while they either do Colonia money runs or do transfers to their local exchange for pesos at near-dolar blue rates. Best wishes to you.

 

[steveinbsas]

All the English teachers I know in BA teach English online (via Skype) for companies outside of Argentina while making either USD or pounds. That may be a better avenue than teaching here in BA if you can land one of these kind of jobs before you arrive. Their pay is direct deposited to their respective country accounts while they either do Colonia money runs or do transfers to their local exchange for pesos at near-dolar blue rates. Best wishes to you.

Well CanaCroat, since, as you wrote in your introduction, you are close to fluent in Croatian, perhaps (if you are "entrepreneurial") you could teach English independently on line to individuals who speak Croation and want to learn English.

You could start searching for students on line and begin teaching as soon as you "develop" a teaching program (or "adapt" one that already exists). If you are able to find enough clients, you could continue to teach while living your dream (with economic security) in Buenos Aires, and without ever meeting your students in person!

 

[GMXam]

Well CanaCroat, since, as you wrote in your introduction, you are close to fluent in Croatian, perhaps (if you are "entrepreneurial") you could teach English independently on line to individuals who speak Croation and want to learn English.

You could start searching for students on line and begin teaching as soon as you "develop" a teaching program (or "adapt" one that already exists). If you are able to find enough clients, you could continue to teach while living your dream (with economic security) in Buenos Aires, and without ever meeting your students in person!

That route too, I think, would be limiting. The folks I know teach to Hong Kong, China, and other various countries without needing to speak a word of the students' primary languages. It's really not that uncommon, anymore. In fact, many of the Castellano tutors in BA whom some at coffee chats have used or are using also offer their classes/tutoring sessions over skype to students in BA in lieu of commuting to a meeting place or either person's home.

 

[ajoknoblauch]

That route too, I think, would be limiting. The folks I know teach to Hong Kong, China, and other various countries without needing to speak a word of the students' primary languages. It's really not that uncommon, anymore. In fact, many of the Castellano tutors in BA whom some at coffee chats have used or are using also offer their classes/tutoring sessions over skype to students in BA in lieu of commuting to a meeting place or either person's home.

I think the previous poster was making a feeble attempt at sarcasm.

 

[Matt84]

So just an idea, why not teach English in Croatia? of course you want to escape next winter, but maybe begin to think about an English teaching position in Hvar for when you go broke and get sick of B.A. in May 2016