What Is The Need In Ba For Life Coaching?

[dmpoles]

I am planning on movng to BA later this year. I want to work with English speaking folks both in the US and Argentina regarding how to effectively deal with change, increase self esteem and do it while staying addiction free.

I am curious what you all think about the need for such a service. I have a solid background in addicitons tx and mental health tx

I know that psychotherapy is huge in BA. I am not fluent in Spanish so until then, via coaching, I plan on focusing on helping those who speak English.

Any feedback is appreciated.

Dave

 

[PhilipDT]

Start with balcarce 50 then move on to entre rios 50. There is some serious need for coaching.

 

[Montauk_Project]

There are already a few life coaches in BA, not sure if that means that the market is saturated or if there is room for growth, or if these coaches mainly work with US clients.
Keep in mind you can find a therapist in BA for much less than in the US, so for locally based expats you will have to lower your price points. I remember someone posted that a psychotherapist who speaks English does sessions via skype for 60USD /45minutes. A few people commented that that seemed "crazy expensive" "for people who live in the US".
Also, most health care plans offer free or discount therapy, and also there are lots of public hospitals that offer therapy, as well as places that offer sliding scales. You aren´t a therapist, but it is important to keep this in mind.
Most of the coaches deal more with work stuff, I think a lot of people would like to see a therapist about addictions (my opinion).

 

[Thuraya]

I feel like there could be a great demand for a life coach that helps expats work out the trials and tribulations of work and relationships -- making in work in Argentina and transitioning back home when it's time.

 

[GS_Dirtboy]

I'm very familiar with coaching. I've had executive coaches who were excellent, and I spent 6 years immersed in a coaching program. If you are in the genre of ontology I think Argentina is a ways from that - unless you market yourself into a guru like some of the evangelical pastors. If you are cognitive behavioral wrapped in a coaching context I think there is a market. That's close to what they know already.

However, to have someone get the distinctions that you are trying to present your Spanish needs to be native level. Imagine trying to coach with only rudimentary English. Not going to fly. I don't think the English speaking community here is big enough to support oneself on coaching.

 

[EricLovesBA]

Life coach in Argentina = the person who brings the mate. Advice is free in Argentina, more than anybody needs or can stand sometimes, Viste?... es un poco complicado.

 

[la_guachita]

Ja for me the life coaches are the tacheros! Free, and way better than shelling out for one of the thousands of Freudian shrinks here.

 

[EricLovesBA]

Maybe it's useful to the original poster and to others to broaden this question. Is it realistic to base any business here solely on the English-speaking expat community? I'm a bit dubious that we really have critical mass, but prove me wrong. Is there anyone here doing a full time business with only local English speaking clientele, focused on expats, other than tourism, renting rooms and teaching Spanish?

 

[Dublin2BuenosAires]

I would say no. A decent section of the expat population are retirees or permatourists not working in short term careers. i don't think within that segment there is demand for life coaching.

I wonder is this a fairly north american thing, I don't know too many Europeans who have used a life coach? Maybe I am wrong, as I don't understand what the service on offer is.

Anyway, I would be skeptical that there is a large market for it here in English alone. Certainly in Spanish you could definitely find clients but as with so much here, decent language skills open up many many more doors.

 

[syngirl]

Maybe it's useful to the original poster and to others to broaden this question. Is it realistic to base any business here solely on the English-speaking expat community? I'm a bit dubious that we really have critical mass, but prove me wrong. Is there anyone here doing a full time business with only local English speaking clientele, focused on expats, other than tourism, renting rooms and teaching Spanish?

I've known a few hairdressers that have been able to -- for awhile. But it is really quite seasonal, ie they get a lot of one-off tourists, and their base of regular expats is enough to eke out a living the rest of the year.

For most businesses I don't think it's possible to survive and thrive rather than eke out a living with a business based only in the english community. A friend of mine's wife wants to get into makeup -- he's foreign, she's local but speaks very good english. He wants to market to expats, and thinks that there's tonnes of money to be made offering services to them -- I think the opposite -- how many expats are there around that will get their makeup done? Not a lot, and most will be one-offs for a wedding. But there are a tonne of locals that would be interested -- forget the expats, his wife should be trying to get in with the quinceaneras / weddings etc -- get one quinceanera and do it well and word of mouth will go round the girl's school / mums / primas / tias etc. Get one expat and what? Maybe get one more event out of them?