New/hello/basic Advice

[robertalan]

Hello all,
I am new to the forum and so just wanted to say hi to all and start by asking some general basic advice.

I have lived in South America before. In 2011-12 I was in Chile and when I left I went over to Argentina for a month...3 weeks in the south and 1 week in BA.

I am currently considering coming back to BA to seek work. I have an MA in Spanish Language & Translation and I know that in Chile I was able to find work with translation companies and feel that being a native English US combined with the MA, the prospects should be good.

Any thoughts on living, apts, area of BA, how often do I have to cross over to Uruguay to renew visa, etc etc...

thanks so much

Robert

 

[Noruega]

Hi Robert, welcome to the forum! If you use the search function you will see similar threads, but here are a few points:

You get a tourist visa for three months when you enter (not sure what nationality you are but Americans, Canadians etc. have to pay a rather costly reciprocity fee to enter) so many people will leave the country every three months. You can go to the immigration authorities and request an extension for another three months.

I am not myself involved in translation or anything like that but from reading the forum and talking to friends it is not that well paid and not that easy to get, there is very much an economic crisis in Argentina as you know, and with inflation being very high, any peso income keeps being worth less every day. Maybe you can try some online translations? Also, there are many foreigners here trying to do this kind of work, while from what I understand in Chile there are a lot fewer of this kind of expats.

As for areas to live, it depends on your preference and budget. Some people like San Telmo, others prefer Palermo, or Colegiales, or Belgrano... For housing, you can try www.airbnb.com You will see people renting out one room or whole apartments. Often you will get a much better deal if you rent for a long period so don't be scared by the prices you see there! Especially going into winter people are more likely to want to give a discount to have someone stay for a long time.

Here is another page, although the prices seem expensive for a shared flat: http://www.pisocompartido.com.ar/

http://www.spareroomsba.com/esp/

http://www.compartodepto.com/capital-federal-gba-y-la-plata/en-alquiler-capital-federal/anuncios/l (This page seems quite good although I don't know it!)

Good luck!

 

[lucha54]

Hi Robert,
I suggest you look for online/remote translation work that will pay you in another currency rather than Argentine pesos. Also you'll be able to work from home.

If you are a foreigner, you probably can't get the traditional 2 year unfurnished apartment which is the most economical (but less and less all the time with bills and building expenses rising and you would be responsible for that). A lot of temporary furnished places are more expensive but come with those bills included in the price of rent and sometimes also phone/internet/tv included in a package. They are more expensive (especially if you agree to pay in USD!) but If you are staying long term you can usually work something out or find a cheaper place if you try really hard (like finding a sublet for someone going out of town for a few months, etc). There are some sites not mentioned before that have mostly flats for locals (the ones that require garantías - it's like a cosigning by a family member with a property in the country) but there is a section on the website to look for temporary listings as a lot of people trying to rent their flat will offer it on these sites under both long-term and temporary options and pricing schemes. The sites are Zonaprop and Argenprop (just google it).

I would recommend Palermo, Colegiales, Belgrano also Nuñez (or Recoleta if you want to be close to the center) but note these are all on the pricier side, especially Palermo which is VERY popular with foreigners and a highly desired place to live with a lot of trendy gentrification in the past few years.

If you don't plan to stay more than a year or two (or three) I would just overstay your visa. The only problem is you have to pay 300 (I think now 400) every time you overstay and they give you a hard time at the airport (but if you're already leaving they kind of just let you leave with a stern look). If you are going to be leaving and coming back a lot anyway for traveling or whatever, try to keep it under 3 months each but otherwise just overstay especially if you are not planning on living here long term. Colonia is nice but more for a first time, one-day visit, after that you will save money just overstaying.