Living in Argentina
Posted by Mark Wallis - 15:23 on 26 August 2009
Planning on going to South America to travel/work? Argentina is a great starting point. It is the second largest country on the continent and offers a huge range of fascinating landscapes. With scorching, barren deserts, magnificent tropical forests, teaming with extraordinary wildlife, stunning glaciers and blue lakes reflecting the snow-capped peaks of the colossal Andes.
The busy city
Buenos Aires is an excellent place to begin the adventure. The population reaches over 13,000,000 people, so you will never find yourself short of things to do here. Why not go and watch the jaw-dropping football skills of many of the local teams such as River Plate or La Boca, venture into one of the greatest clubbing scenes of the world, dine on the traditional barbecue and wash it down with some of the delicious local wine or go for a relaxing boat trip around the fascinating river delta. Travellers often call the city, the Paris of South America due to its European-style architecture and atmosphere. The great thing is, it is not such a great jump for any European.
Living and working
If you want to live and work in Argentina, Buenos Aires will offer you the most opportunities. There are always jobs going in English teaching with many institutes and schools. However, cities such as Cordoba, Neuqen, Salta or Mendoza do seek English teachers too.
Accomodation
If planning on renting a property whether it is a flat or a room in a house, a good way to reduce your costs of living would be to arrange a flat sharing deal. Many foreigners tend to do this. This way you could be renting a place from between $1000 - $2000 pesos a month (US. $260 - $520). Good websites to look up regarding this are www.friendlyrentals.com and www.expatfinder.com .
Transport
Buenos Aires offers an excellent transport system. There are 100s of brightly coloured buses which go to every part of the city around very frequently all dusk till dawn, which is great for those party animals. The underground system is fast and efficient, running through all major parts of the city. There are plenty of taxis found on every block and are relatively cheap for short distance travel. Trains are also an efficient way of transport but should be avoided if possible due to a high crime rate in the stations. If travelling cheaply, the long distance buses are a great choice. Although you may be on one for up to 30 hours, they are comfortable and serve food and occasionally champagne! The more expensive option is by plane. They fly daily to most parts of the country.
Language
The main language is Spanish or Castellano. It is very different from traditional Spanish and could take you a while to get your head around it. If you are a beginner in Spanish, don’t worry, a lot of Argentines know some English and enjoy practicing with foreigners. But don’t be lazy! Practice up on your Spanish before you leave, this will put you in good stead in daily tasks such as shopping. The locals like hearing foreigners speaking the language no matter how rubbish it is! Just give it a shot, it will be good a way of getting to know new people. A lot of TEFL institutes and youth hostel do offer night time Spanish classes in case your still getting laughed after a few months.
Go on, get your bags packed and head over to Argentina for an amazing experience. You will not be heading home in a hurry!
Add your comment below
“I enjoyed the video section. It was nice to watch actual teaching and answer questions on it. ” Peter Andrews