Teaching in 2024. I am currently in Buenas Aires and interested to move here in February 2024, from Queensland, Australia. Advice?

[Redpossum]

Well CC what can say, except. But hey Thanks for your response.

Nah, CC is Caribbean Cool, the person who posted just above me. We often disagree, but he's right on the money this time.

On a 2021 tread, https://baexpats.org/threads/remote-jobs-companies-need-asap.43631/
BAHibs commented: Although the market to teach English is completely saturated with teachers, I'm getting all the hours I need on a website called Engoo.com. It involves very simple conversation lessons with Japanese students, the pay of 10 USD an hour would usually be laughed at in the teaching English world, but working enough hours earning USD in combination with Western Union's CCL conversion rate, and I'm living pretty well in Argentina. I'm certified to teach English, but the site doesn't require it.

So, yes, you could definitely do a few classes a day and make some money to help support yourself. In addition, there are studio apartments for rent in the $300 to $400 a month range if you don't have to be in the best neighborhood and have a light unit with a balcony. Translation: a dark unit with a window view of a wall, not close to public transportation. The problem is most landlords want a 3 year contract with proof of local employment and some sort of collateral. So you may be only able to find temporary housing.

One question. Are you currently teaching English online, yes or no? I'm guessing it's no. I get so sick of people who have no current experience of online teaching coming out with these BS "oh it's so easy, you can make good money" statements. Yes, it seems like I'm just being bad-tempered here, but I do suspect that the vast majority of those with actual recent experience feel at least somewhat the same way. Teaching English is a tough row to hoe, and most give up rather quickly.

And in any case, you Macanudo have been posting here long enough to know that a statement from 2021 means nothing in Argentina of 2023. The whole world has changed in the last two years, and Argentina has gotten much, much worse.

 

[Elhug]

Teaching is not a profession that travels well, at least not at pre-university level. To teach at KG or primary levels you need to revalidate your degree, which is a years-long process, practically equivalent to doing your degree all over again. Teaching English might be possible, but only if you hold a recognised qualification.

Thanks & fortunately I have travelled significantly with teaching - albeit always securing positions prior to moving. I do also hold a graduate ESL certificate. I am reviewing my thinking now on next steps. Appreciate your sharing. Have a wonderful day ! E

 

[Elhug]

Nah, CC is Caribbean Cool, the person who posted just above me. We often disagree, but he's right on the money this time.


One question. Are you currently teaching English online, yes or no? I'm guessing it's no. I get so sick of people who have no current experience of online teaching coming out with these BS "oh it's so easy, you can make good money" statements. Yes, it seems like I'm just being bad-tempered here, but I do suspect that the vast majority of those with actual recent experience feel at least somewhat the same way. Teaching English is a tough row to hoe, and most give up rather quickly.

And in any case, you Macanudo have been posting here long enough to know that a statement from 2021 means nothing in Argentina of 2023. The whole world has changed in the last two years, and Argentina has gotten much, much worse.

Not yet teaching English online. However with 25+ years experience in developing countries, diverse & remote Australia and with a little glimpse doing this during COVID I do understand what you say. It indeed takes some additional energy, innovation and focus. Your/any Advice most welcome too!

 

[Redpossum]

Not yet teaching English online. However with 25+ years experience in developing countries, diverse & remote Australia and with a little glimpse doing this during COVID I do understand what you say. It indeed takes some additional energy, innovation and focus. Your/any Advice most welcome too!

25 years? Much respect indeed. Your experience exceeds mine by a factor of two.

Online is a different experience. The thing is, it's really hard right now. The almost-worldwide economic issues have meant there are a lot of new teachers coming into the field, and at the same time fewer students can still afford lessons. I don't teach at Engoo, but at the platform where I teach, the availability of hours is lower than I have seen in years. Even the Saudis are cutting back, and they have long been the mainstay of that platform, (which I shall not name). Teaching locally here in AR would almost certainly mean getting paid in pesos, and that's a disaster. The peso is almost toilet paper right now; the best you can say for it is that it's worth more than the Venezuelan Bolivar.

 

[FrankPintor]

Thanks & fortunately I have travelled significantly with teaching - albeit always securing positions prior to moving. I do also hold a graduate ESL certificate. I am reviewing my thinking now on next steps. Appreciate your sharing. Have a wonderful day ! E

If you're focusing on teaching English, rather than the other possibilities you mentioned, you could check with the Instituto Británico, they're a well-regarded school with several locations around the city. That should at least give you an idea regarding teaching and earning opportunities.

The peso is almost toilet paper right now; the best you can say for it is that it's worth more than the Venezuelan Bolivar.

Now, now... the Bolivar Fuerte has indeed been quite strong since they lopped off all the zeroes (12 since 2000?). Inflation is only 400% there now.

 

[Caribbean Cool]

Again,,,in the end.....every English speaker purports to be an 'English teacher and because some will work for $3 and $4 an hour.......the whole pay scale is a disaster.

 

[Redpossum]

Again,,,in the end.....every English speaker purports to be an 'English teacher and because some will work for $3 and $4 an hour.......the whole pay scale is a disaster.

And again I find myself 100% in agreement, CC. Though I will say that on my platform of choice, the students definitely prefer native speakers, and mostly they seem to prefer Americans, as US English is pretty much the international standard.

 

[Caffeinated]

long term rental prices are a hot mess right now

Apologies if I missed this elsewhere, but are there any theories why this might be? Both availability and price (though latter is usually tied to the former). Is it anticipation of the election, or overpopulation, or... ?

 

[Redpossum]

Apologies if I missed this elsewhere, but are there any theories why this might be? Both availability and price (though latter is usually tied to the former). Is it anticipation of the election, or overpopulation, or... ?

There are indeed a multitude of theories, but it is a beastly complex issue.

 

[Quilombo]

Yes & No … thank you for your response. I appreciate your sharing and have a sense of the situation declining depending on elections and economy in general. But What about my tango??? Muchas Gracias

Tango is still very much alive, no worries there.

Apologies if I missed this elsewhere, but are there any theories why this might be? Both availability and price (though latter is usually tied to the former). Is it anticipation of the election, or overpopulation, or... ?

As Red said, several. Here's the quick and dirty, more or less in order of impact:

- Macro Economy: Inflation is 12.4%/month (306.6% annual if it keeps up) and people do not have wage increases in line with inflation, often 20% less on average I'd say, and rent is pegged to inflation, not salaries, so you enter a situation where if you're leasing a unit for 100K ARS today, and a year from now rent is 306K ARS, but your salary only went from 150K to 367K it's pretty risky for both you and the landlord, as with each passing month your ability to afford the rent is declining, while the landlord is worried that the former tenant will become a squatter
- I have no sympathy for landlords, but it is very difficult to evict someone in Argentina, and near impossible if a child or children live there, which, when paired with the 1st point, results in a lot of anxiety about renting out an apartment from the landlord's POV
- The rental law was a mess, and nobody was happy with it, whether it be the 3 year leases, the once a year rental adjustments, or the prohibition of contracts being in dollars
- Because of the 3 previous points, landlords are simply choosing to leave units empty, or, to try and sell them, which doesn't work in a country where mortgages do not exist, and prices are insane in dollars terms compared to the average income, i.e. people wanting 100K USD for a 500 sqft apt when the average salary in Argentina is 4K/year
- The people who own more than one home are by their nature wealthy, and can afford to either not rent out their units or sell them, hoping for the market to improve, so this keeps both the rental market tight by decreasing supply, and preventing the lowering of costs for apartments to buy by refusing to sell at a realistic price, not wanting to lose money
- Nobody knows who the next president will be, and if it's Milei, the entire economy is going to turn upside down. Better to take a wait and see approach