Teaching English As A Stopgap

[mixiekins]

Transportation is dirt cheap ... What is shocking is making 40-60 pesos an hour. A coffee and a bottle of water will cost you half that.

Yep, my point exactly. Sorry, I should have phrased it differently earlier. That's the contrast I meant, sorry for the confusion.
I'm sure its peanuts for those who make a livable wage in BA.

 

[PhilipDT]

For instance, here in Austin, a "day pass" for the bus is only $2 USD, and covers all routes and lasts for 24 hours from the time of purchase. It's much more affordable, even for minimum wage here, in comparison since it's not per-ride. With all the travel needed to get enough hours of work tutoring scattered around BA, the transit costs sound like they might eat up more than a fair share, like Sivan suggested. Do you have any insight to share? Is there an affordable day/week/month pass option for BA public transit? I wasn't aware of any.

Here 90% of your bus rides will cost under $0.20 usd. That's dirt cheap. I some times take the bus 6 blocks instead of walking because ARS1.50 is inconsequential these days, that just wrong.

 

[mixiekins]

Thanks, guys. I now have a much better understanding of the Buenos Aires public transit system.

In any case, let's get back to the main topic.

 

[lucha54]

I don't know a lot about this but I know a software company that paid it's (Spanish-speaking) employees between 8-12k pesos / month with benefits. They all had working papers or were locals already. Much less than you would make doing freelance IT work online. Maybe look into that; especially if you want to be going to Neuquen often; it's not that close from BA and it might be difficult to go there often if you have a busy work schedule that requires you to be in the city, versus working remotely online.

 

[mixiekins]

I don't know a lot about this but I know a software company that paid it's (Spanish-speaking) employees between 8-12k pesos / month with benefits. They all had working papers or were locals already. Much less than you would make doing freelance IT work online. Maybe look into that; especially if you want to be going to Neuquen often; it's not that close from BA and it might be difficult to go there often if you have a busy work schedule that requires you to be in the city, versus working remotely online.

Thanks! I've gone ahead and made a Linked In profile to check the BA area for IT work, but like you said, they all seem to require Spanish-speaking reps. It really is a bit of a pickle, since I wanted to learn Spanish there, but it seems like I might have to just stick it out in the States and learn a more northern dialect to start off. Haha!

 

[allcraz]

Hi Mixiekins. I'm from Waco...you might have passed through it and not noticed on I-35. I did the same thing you're thinking of doing 7 years ago and made it work. It's true you'll find lots on the subject using the search engine. Bottom line: you'll find work but it will take you a good while to build up a full teaching schedule, which would be 25 hours given all the running around that has been mentioned. "A good while" could be a year or more. You'll get by but how easily will depend on your spending habits. I taught English here for 5 years and am still in the "English business." Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions you want to ask.

 

[lucha54]

Hi Mixiekins. I'm from Waco...you might have passed through it and not noticed on I-35. I did the same thing you're thinking of doing 7 years ago and made it work. It's true you'll find lots on the subject using the search engine. Bottom line: you'll find work but it will take you a good while to build up a full teaching schedule, which would be 25 hours given all the running around that has been mentioned. "A good while" could be a year or more. You'll get by but how easily will depend on your spending habits. I taught English here for 5 years and am still in the "English business." Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions you want to ask.

Research the 'blue dollar' situation; the exchange rate is extremely volatile since about a year and a half ago, and your great wage could end up being not so great in a very short period. Seriously consider something that pays in USD (most likely online). You can teach English on Skype for remote companies too and not have to travel all over town for hardly any $$$!!!

 

[mixiekins]

Hi Mixiekins. I'm from Waco...

Ahh! A fellow Texan! (Though, I've only been here a year, but that still counts, right? hehe)
Yep, I've heard of Waco, but never had a chance to pass through. I know that TSTC is up there, and I was researching it a while back because of their Aviation courses. I've heard there's not much to do in Waco, so I bet you're having a blast in BA.
Thanks for lending a hand, I'll hit you up if I have any Q's for you later. Much obliged!

Research the 'blue dollar' situation...

Ah, yeah. That's been taking its toll on my SO for quite some time. Whenever I visit, I bring the max USD allowed ($500) in cash and trade it with him for pesos to use for our entire trip. That way we at least get to keep part of his savings somewhat stable, rahter than just giving it to a third party. Gotta keep it within the family.

Things were rocky here, I've heard, when we went off the gold standard to the oil standard, but nothing in comparison with what y'all have been going through. I definitely agree 100%, and thank you for the heads up. I looked into it a bit, but I'll continue researching it.

I'm very glad that you guys are offering up such great info, and I'm relieved that I got a chance to read up on some of these things ahead of time. It would be a seriously hardcore culture shock to plop right down into the thick of it all there without any background information on the recent history there. (Well, or anywhere, really. My uncle always told me stories of his ungraceful introduction to Japan when he was a graphic designer in the 90's.)

Oh, I've also been watching a lot of documentaries. Any suggestions? So far I have:
The Disappeared (about the Dirty Wars)
The Take (covers the IMF relations, the crash, and the Zanon factory in Neuquen-- I actually know people who work there! )
and a few others that were on al jazeera about the pesticides issues in Cordoba among other things.

I also want to watch Jorge Lanata's Deuda, but I'm having trouble getting a hold of it with English subtitles.



Anyway, thanks so much for helping everyone on these forums to prepare, y'all are wonderful!!
I wish I could give all you guys a great big hug!

 

[joemama]

If you have any half-decent IT skills you are probably better off working online either directly for a client/employer or via Odesk/Elance. Start out with a low rate and get a lot of clients - say at like 5 to 8 dollars an hour. Build your skills and get more $$$ over time. You'll probably make more money than you would teaching english and will likely be building a skill that will help your long-term job prospects. In addition you'll be able to travel if you want (very big perk).

Globally (and especially in the US) there is a shortage of skilled IT workers.
Locally there is an excess of english teachers.

 

[mixiekins]

..via Odesk/Elance..

Oooh! Odesk! I completely forgot about that site. I never actually got around to using it. That's a fantastic idea!! I'll check out Elance, too. Haven't heard of that one. Thanks!