Preparing to take the plunge

[Ailujjj]

1-2K a month plus working? For a recent grad? Not necessary. I spend that, and I live well and spend more than I need to.

Yes people think it's a lot cheaper here than it is.. but it's not THAT expensive either. You just need to be smart about it.

Obviously the more the better, but the main problem is making sure your rent is covered. While teaching does not pay well, if your goal is life and teaching experience, then earning in pesos can cover your personal expenses (food/socializing). Earning is pesos will probably not cover your rent very well - even assuming shared accommodations - especially as a foreigner. If you are fine with just renting a room with other recent grads/current students, 500$ per month is more than ample. 500 USD per month is about 2000 pesos - and there are plenty of people who earn that per month and manage to squeak by. I'm not saying it's enough or you should think you can, I'm saying people do.

What I would suggest is putting away 500 per month *just* for rent and having it in an account separate from what your spending will be taken from. Better yet, have your parents manage it. Have them deposit it into the account you access once per month. That way, you have no temptation to spend it and don't need to worry about making enough to cover your rent.

If you can save another 500-a million per month, then you will be able to get by without working. It will simply determine what restaurants you eat at and activities you are able to do. It's easy to spend money here - lots to do, every night of the week, great restaurants, shows, etc.

I've heard of several people who stay less long than they intended to bc they just burn through their money at the beginning. Realistically they had enough if they had spent it differently. It all depends on what your priorities are - staying here for a while, or a short while and living it up.

 

[mini]

So two answers so far, both bashing Argentina.

How did i "bash Argentina" exactly? Please. Leave your controversies at the door.

US$10,000 is great! The most money you will spend is at the beginning when you just arrive. Once you get to know whats what you can start knowing where to buy things cheaper, live cheaper, etc. My point is to save as much as you can, then you can have a cushion if you need it.

Cap'n, I think that they are saying to budget $1.5-2k total, so if you can determine what your earnings will be (realistically) then you can alter your savings from there.

Exactly. That's what I wanted to say but you said it much better!

 

[cap'n]

Thanks for the responses. Still seems a little crazy. I've been reading the site for about a month now, but have been poking around a little more the past few days. Folks around here seem to have a pretty bleak view of the situation in B.A./Argentina, which makes me question whether this is as good an idea as I'd been thinking.

 

[jp]

Yikes, don't take the views of this forum as being remotely representative of life here. Like all forums, it gets more than its fair share of disgruntled weirdos.

Buenos Aires is ace, and 10k will be plenty. Suerte!

 

[Katser]

[quote name='cap'n']Thanks for the responses. Still seems a little crazy. I've been reading the site for about a month now, but have been poking around a little more the past few days. Folks around here seem to have a pretty bleak view of the situation in B.A./Argentina, which makes me question whether this is as good an idea as I'd been thinking.[/quote]

I’ve posted a few responses to newcomers on here before but I’ll share a bit of my experience with you.

Recent college grad has great idea to move to argentina. Reads forums and countless blogs and other sites and thinks to herself -great!

I ignored any people complaining because I said to myself ‘oh those people are obviously just moaners that would complain about anything, I’m different.”
who I shouldn’t have listened to where the people who were saying things were rosy and life was great. Jobs everywhere and cheap food and entertainment.

Buenos Aires is a great city. It has so many amazing things about it.
The main downside is the prices though. Don’t under budget yourself! Seriously. Prices change here so so quickly and also you need to plan for emergencies.

I have plenty of North American friends who are leaving now because they can have a similar quality of life at home or better. These aren’t the people who want to live in penthouses and eat out every night. They are the people who came to experience a different culture and work.

Unless you have a massive amount of savings behind you and are willing to spend those on day to day expenses then rethink your plan. Have you ever been here before? I had never visited before I decided to move. I’ll never make that mistake again.

Come if it is your dream but be prepared.


The stuff I’ve been through has certainly been life changing so maybe that’s what it’s all about!

 

[HotYogaTeacher]

I get so discouraged with this site sometimes. I find it amazing that many regular posters continue to disparage people who have valid view points that differ from theirs. Any one who say's anything other than that Buenos Aires is MAGNIFICENT is a "moaner" a "whiner" a "malcontent" who wouldn't be happy any where and will always find things to complain about and shouldn't be listened to. That, or we're stupid or bigoted or closed minded. Realistically, like any place, like any thing, there are people who like it here and people who don't and the reality of life here is not as simply magnificent as some would have you believe. CAN you live on less than $2000 a month here? Of course you can, many locals do with much less. Where and how do you want to live? What will your emergency plan be? Where will you live and with whom and under what conditions? Are you sure you can get consistent work in a place you'll enjoy being 8-10 hours a day at a price you feel is fair?

Living here can be very costly. Living here can be logistical nightmare. Living here can be an adventure, and, it can be a disappointment. I know people who like it, and I know people who don't. Please, do have, and share, your opinion without disparaging and discouraging others. People have a right to hear both sides...

 

[KatharineAnn]

Hi cap´n! I think a lot of the people who are replying either aren´t recent college grads, or aren´t English teachers, or are used to a very cushy lifestyle. 1.5k-2k USD is an outrageous amount of money to spend here for a single young person who just finished college. Your average young person out of college here would earn no more than 1k USD per month.

How much you can expect to earn teaching English depends a lot on how resourceful and creative you are, and how hard you want to work. If you have a TEFL certificate, you will find work much faster and might even get paid slightly more. If you want to work full-time (about 25 teaching hours per week) you should be able to make maybe some 600-700 USD per month, or even as much as 1000 USD if you teach a lot of private classes and are lucky to not have your classes cancelled too often. Unfortunately luck will come into play a bit at the beginning But the most successful English teachers I knew here had both a bit of luck, and a LOT of skill for being flexible about hours, and creative about how to make ends meet.

Your budget in Bs As will depend so much on you personally. If you want to stay a long while here (many years), you will have to either work full-time or save a LOT of money. BUT, you can also have a very low budget heere if you WANT to, to allow you to live here longer on the money you save. It´s not nearly as rigid as people here will have you think. I´d estimate I spend around USD 200 per month on food, and renting a room you´d be spending some USD 300 per month. Therefore if you earn USD 700 from teaching, let´s say, you´d have USD 200 leftover for all the other random costs you might have. You might even have a little extra for fun stuff. However, if you like to eat out a LOT and go out a LOT, that´s what you will definitely need savings for.

That said, I think I (a young person who taught ESL for 2 years out of college) could make USD 10k in savings last for at LEAST 5 years here, considering the money I made teaching. Although it is true that it gets more expensive every day to live here. When I was teaching English 2 years ago, I spent roughly USD 75 per month on food. How times have changed...