Is it possible to live on a salary as an English teacher in Buenos Aires? I`ve been teaching English in Chile for one year, and I`d like to try it out in BA. I have a university degree and a certificate in teaching English, if it makes a difference. Also, I`m not looking for a high salary- I just want to know if its possible to live on teaching English alone, with no other work.
Question about teaching English
- Thread starter dochas11
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there have been quite a lot of previous discussions about this so i would search the forum but the basic answer is no.
salaries here are 40 pesos an hour. its difficult to find more than 20 hours a week of work which means you would be making 3200 pesos per month and thats on the high end of the scale.
added to that the economic instability that argentina is currently experiencing (more so than normal) i wouldnt recommend it.
salaries here are 40 pesos an hour. its difficult to find more than 20 hours a week of work which means you would be making 3200 pesos per month and thats on the high end of the scale.
added to that the economic instability that argentina is currently experiencing (more so than normal) i wouldnt recommend it.
I have to disagree with that one. I've been living in BA for about 4 months now teaching English. While it's difficult to get started (filling up your schedule with classes, etc), after a month or so living here on a teaching salary is perfectly reasonable. On average I earn 53 pesos per hour and work around 20 hours per week. While you can't afford to live in a swanky apartment in the heart of Palermo, it is still completely feasible to get by here teaching English.
NickBA said:
4.000 pesos doesn't get you far. It should be enough to rent a room and eat, but that's all. It is possible yes. Also, probably like in Chile (?) you won't be able to earn 1/3 of that from Dec to March because of summer vacation (even for most adults).
MiamiExpat
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dochas11 said:
Im curious about this as well..
It does get a little bit easier, being that you can charge more money (for example I charge $50 pesos/hr for a private lesson with a private student, or $35 pesos/student/hour if it's a group). This lets you bring in a bit of extra cash, but it's difficult to find these students. After a few months of teaching I only have 2 different groups of private students. My best advice is to start out teaching through institutes then somehow advertise yourself as an English teacher to try and find as many private students as possible (the institutes that find you work take about 50% of what they charge the students).
starlucia
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I really don't recommend relying on teaching for income, without some sort of a cushion. Through an institute you should be earning 45-50 pesos per hour, and 70-80 through private students. However, two things you should remember: one, your actual teaching availability is limited by travel time (which you do not get paid for), and two, it's a notoriously unstable field -- so if you are living paycheck-to-paycheck, the loss of one or two students (cancellations, vacations, etc) can take quite a bite out of your monthly budget. 3,500-4,000 pesos per month is nothing anymore... it'll cover rent and groceries, but what happens when you need to buy new clothes, your laptop needs repairs, or you want to get out of town for the weekend and need to buy a bus ticket?
starlucia said:
Thanks, starlucia. Here`s the thing, I speak fluent Spanish. Are there any other jobs I would be able to get in Buenos Aires? I have a psychology degree, if that makes a difference. (My spanish is good enough to give therapy, but google won´t tell me the requirements to practice or work in a lab in argentina :/)