Hello Guys, this is my first post. I have been lurking maybe a couple of times here and finally got around to resolving my password issues and having a real good old rummage through the threads. Very impressed might I add, good to see that there are a few good souls on here helping people and giving a guiding light on certain topics, wynnwood springs to mind.
All the advice on jobs, visas, life, culture ...... I hate to saw this, but in my many years backpacking and working, for me the same equation applies always, by all means take on peoples advice but always, always remember that ten peoples opinions on things might be that something is terrible yet you find it amazing. You must see for your own eyes, taste it with your own mouth to truely get the answers.
Anyways, a bit about me, lived here for 9 months and totally loving the place, people, culture, everything ..... I cannot count the amout of times that I am telling my English friends how easy it is out here to live ...... apart from the two huge, massive issues that are called, work and castellano. I have been scrapping along teaching, at schools, institutes and private lessons. I need something far more substantial however to make ends meet. Lately I am looking at home work for call centres etc, I hope I find some. I find that there are NO cash in hand jobs for foreigners in construction or retail or hospitality for example UNLESS you speak the language fluently and even then you need to charm your way into a job. (something in my years I have been able to do with ease and been sucesfull in around the world career wise and cash wise ...... alas not here!!!)
I am in BA Province at the moment enjoying the nice weather creeping in. I find that the wage ratio to cost of living here is a total struggle. The one thing that people do say is that do not, NOT, expect to make money here, expect to struggle hard and fight, if your not the type that will clean toliets, sewage, dig holes, sell super panchos, work selling home made empanadas and are looking for a dream job .... don{t come, if you do bring loads of cash and enjoy this wonderful country, then return home.
Don{t really know what else to say on my first post but hello anyways, check my profile if you like and ask me anything, I will be glad to offer any help and likewise recieve any help I require from you guys ....... by for now, sorry about the funny characters in some of the text but this spanish keyboard coupled with Windows 7 in Spanish that is barely running will be the frigging death of me ....
Dale, Chau Chicos ................ esta luego
Craig
Hola Chicos !!
Hi Craig!
Welcome to Expat.com and thanks for the introduction 
Regards
Armand
Hola Craig,
Bienvenidos a Argentina!
Thanks for the honest and realistic post. So many people are interested in Argentina, and for good reason - it is a wonderful place to live! However, it is hard to get across to people the point that you are making, that finding work here is difficult because of the wage structures, the labor situation, etc. - and the inflation isn't helping, either.
Hope you can hang in there and would love to hear more about your Argentine adventure.
Saludos,
Julie
Yes the inflation is a fascinating topic of conversation. Christa and the government swear it is at 9% no more. Everyone with a pair of eyes knows that it is more like pushing the 27 to 30 percentile mark. I have seen the price of milk, cheese and meat go from 2.69 to 3.49 per litre and 17.99 to 23.49 per kilo in a year. OK this is nice for the supermarkets to cover the cost they now incur for customer service sector workers whom recieved a nice 30% wage increase in June. Win win for the supermarkets. Everyone else loses out. The ban on imports of cars, televisions and electrical goods. Whilst I understand the reasons why the import volume has been squeezed to a fine drizzle and how it could or should help Argentinian made products find an Argentinian home, the, truth is, it is not happening. I have never seen as good "window shoppers" as I do here. An xbox 360 or a PS3 is a reserve for the very privalaged kids. I would love to see an index on the poverty divide in countries of the world, a rich get richer and the poor get poorer index, maybe it exists, I do not jnow. What I do know, or should I say in my humble opinion I believe that Argentina could be at the top of the tree. In Argentina, the vast majority of people work to live. Unless you come here sponsored with an amazing job, amazing salary and awesome perks such as health care, insurance, subsidised rent or accomodation included, do not expect your life to be anything like it is in Aus, NZ, UK, Canada or the USA for example, do not. Again, my opinion but based on living and working in these countries. Yes, you speak fluent spanish which opens up more doors ..... or does it? I say slightly but you still have the same obstacles in front of you as do Argentinians.
This is not a rant or a moan, I am happy, I am ok, I am living, bills are paid but I have no savings, cannot comprehend buying a car (I deffinately could rant for days on second hand car market issues !) and gadgets or toys I can get else where in the world on the same wages are just not possible, that is a reality.
regards,
C
Well, it certainly makes you appreciate all the toys that are more widely available in other places in the world! And it turns out, things we thought to be necessities are really luxuries.
Here is the link to the Gini coefficient of income inequality, if you are interested (from 2009): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Gini_ … 2009-1.png
Compared to the places you mention - UK, NZ, Australia, Canada, you are experiencing some culture shock. The US has managed to hide its inequality well until very recently - but I think the problem there is that the wealthy are so super duper wealthy that it leaves room for the "99%" to not be living in abject poverty. Being indentured to college loans, mortgages, and credit card companies also hides the disparity there. But in Latin America, poverty and income inequality are institutionalized.
I'm not complaining either. It is just a fact of life - hopefully not something to become hardened to, though. In alot of ways, Argentines come together to take care of each other, and that is inspiring to me. Families who can live their lives with grace and dignity, a little humor, and a lot of hard work are inspiring. There is so much to learn about the human spirit in societies like this. And one of those things is to learn to be happy with just getting by. It ain't so bad when the reward is a good asado and a glass of malbec.
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