Argentina expat guide online!

I have a website will all kinds of information to include local news, an events calendar, a services directory, local guides and much more.

hola ando buscando mi origen me podes decir como lo hago en este sitio?

hola joredu, no entiendo tu mensaje,  que podemos hacer para ayudarte ?

Hi Everyone Im Nadis from Buenos Aires and Im kinda new in this site

Hi and welco;e to Expat.com
Would you mind making a bit more extended presentation?
Cheers
Arlette

hello how are you i m linda my email is [email protected]

Hi Linda and welcome on Expat-blog! How can we help you? Do you have questions about Argentina??

hey this is ron with retirenowabroad.com.  looking for someone to report on life, cost of living, etc in argentina to others around the world thinking about moving to argentina.  any takers?  this is a volunteer activity, but helpful to others.
[email protected]

You can hit me up with details in a personal email here if you want.

Buenisimo, gracias porla info!

I am working with an NGO here, and we have just started our BsAs guide and could help contribute to yours also!

We are called South American Explorers and provide independent advice and services to travellers & expats (discounts, events, luggage store, book swap etc). We have just started our BsAs guide and could help with yours also. Just let us know what you need, we'd love to contribute!

It's all rather exciting!!

Phil

I have attended several South American Explorers ("SAE") events in the past and am quite familiar with the organization and their ever changing leadership down here.  However, I think it only fair to advise that while they actively promote themselves on the internet (often as an NGO, which they are) they seem to fail to mention a few relevant things.

For instance, while SAE may be non-profit they do not seem to offer any services free of charge. 

Membership plans themselves range from USD60 to USD9,000.  To obtain those discounts and/or services listed above requires membership and/or other fees. 

I have never known of an event they held in Buenos Aires that does not require a fee and often times members are even required to pay a fee (albeit a discounted one). 

To the best of my knowledge none of the services they offered above are ever free (either a fee for the service is required or the minimum buy-in for membership).

So yes, they offer a variety of services, some of which are alright, and obviously their longevity  would suggest enough people are pleased with their services that they still exist. However, I think they have a demonstrated history of a lack of transparency in their method of online promotion and this concerns me.  They often criticize others for charging money, but never once have I seen a post of theirs anywhere online where they happened to mention their own fee structures.   

One of my favorites was a while back there was an online discussion complaining about volunteer organizations charging placement fees.  They jumped right into the debate proudly providing a link to their free volunteer placement services while at the same time neglecting to inform people upfront that to use those services requires paid membership.

If you take a look on their own website they seem to be attempting to distinquish themselves from the "many for-profit companies who are charging a considerate 'placement fee' for anyone who wants to go abroad and volunteer".  I find it a bit amusing that the reality of the matter is that to access their own services requires paid membership.  Back at home we say "that is like the pot calling the kettle black".

I wish them well, and wish you well on your project.

Thanks for your messsage WynnWoods, it clarifies SAE's message

If SAE services aren't free ... should I consider their posts as advertisement (and moderate) ?

Julian, I actually think the people who are involved with the organization here are a really good bunch of kids. Personally, I felt horrible picking on them here but do feel strongly about transparency in advertising. 

I do believe they offer great services to certain individuals here and for that reason I think it imperative they be allowed to post.  I also strongly believe in as free and unmoderated (uncensored) an environment online as possible.  So to me as long as they are clear in who they are, how they work, and what they offer then they are more than welcome to post anywhere they want online to include on my own online bulletin board (which they have done in the past).

Hello, I am new at this site. Nice to meet people here!
Will start to read the forum step by step.

Great Jandro, feel free to let us know if you ever need anything.  Speaking for myself I would not have survived nearly was well I have down here were it not for online forums such as the one here.

Maraj Alam,

I would be more than happy to provide some information, but your question is a bit vague.  Are you interested in learning information regarding the process of obtaining a visa, are you looking for possible job leads, both, or something else?

HI there,

I am searching for some giudance on working in Argentina...visas...I have never visited, and I don't know where to start. If you have any information, it would be greatly appreciated!

Acquiring a job here in Buenos Aires can be quite challenging, regardless of profession or experience. For example, unemployment in Europe is typically ranked at around 7% this year, but in Argentina the latest figures I could find rank it close to 9%. However, I think that figure is a bit misleading. For instance the greater metropolitan area of Buenos Aires is around 14 million people constituting around 36% of the total population of the country. In my opinion, unemployement is significantly higher here in the metro area than it is nation wide. I suspect unemployment is well into double digits here (meaning at least 10%, but I suspect much higher than that).

Due in part to unemployment, people here tend to live with their parents until they reach their 30s. At the same time, Argentina offers a free university education for undergraduate level and very cheap graduate degree programs. So what happens is since there are not enough jobs here, a lot of people attend university as there is nothing else to do when you are younger. So there seems to be one of the highest unemployment rates in the world for a country developed to the level of Argentina and there is a much higher rate of unemployment amongst college graduates here than anywhere else in the world that I am aware of. I did not take the time to look up actual statistics on that, but am confident making those statements.

I can tell you this: I have more Argentine friends than I can count on both hands and feet with advanced university degrees who are either unemployed or not working in their chosen field and the number are much more pitiful amongst my expat friends. I have friends who are doctors who are teaching English. I have a friend who is a psychiatrist who works teaching economics. I have friends who are architects working as tour guides. I have friends from all kinds of professional backgrounds renting apartments, etc....

Argentina presents a very challenging and difficult employment market. There are jobs here and you can most certainly find something. However, there does not appear to be enough decent jobs for locals and there are obvious handicaps to seeking employement as an immigrant.

With this in mind, I would strongly encourage you to research the job market here in earnest and find a job with a company that will provide effective assistance in obtaining a work visa before you consider a permanent move here. The number one issue I have seen with immigrants is a lack of meaningful and effective preparation before arriving here particularly when it comes to finding work.

There are plenty of websites out there offering general job listings such as www.craigslist.org and www.zonajobs.com.ar. However, in your instance I would strongly encourage you to look deeper at how to find a job. If it were me, I would begin with checking with the employment assistance offices at the major universities here; look for guidance from job placement agencies; look for applicable groups and/or professionals on sites such as LinkedIn.com to connect and network with.....

So glad I found this site!
[moderated: off topic]

Hi Wynn, that doesn't sound too encouraging....... but what about working in tourism, as guides or teaching English? how can we get some leads??
Thank you!!!
laura

I have never known anyone who could make a living solely on teaching English.  The universities are free here for undergraduate, so any of the locals can enroll at a university for free to study English.  There is a marginal market for working one on one with native English speakers, but the pay is low (typically between 35 and 50 pesos an hour working freelance or 20-25 working at a language institute).  There are problems with cancellations, scheduling, location....... Most individuals want you to go to their location which means you can get scattered all about town and with transportation time and teaching time you can easily get caught in the trap of making 30 dollars US a day but spending 6-8 hours doing so.

Working in tourism is a dead end as far as having a company, at least in my opinion. World Wide if you can make a 4-6% profit you are doing extremely well, which pales when placed beside retails 32%. 

If you want to work as a city guide, you can do well on that so long as you are properly marketed, etc. which can take some time to begin.  I have lots of background in marketing and the ins and outs of the business culture in Buenos Aires if you have specific questions.

Which Argentine Bank accept Passport for open an account?

None.  There are no banks here that will give you an account with a passport alone.