English-language jobs in BA?

arbeiter · #1 Posted **Nov 1, 2007, 5:41 PM**

My friend moved to BA and seems to think that there are a lot of jobs available that require English fluency only. Like American/British multinational companies, etc. He keeps on telling me to move down there and see for myself, but I thought I would ask here...

I speak French but very little Spanish. However, I would be willing to learn and love foreign languages - I bet within a year in Buenos Aires I would be at least conversant, if not fluent...

Your thoughts?

verticalextropy · #2 Posted **Nov 2, 2007, 12:31 AM**

totally! there're lots of jobs that requiere just being a native English-speaker, specially accent trainer for call centers, and you don't need to speak Spanish.
If on the other hand you'd want to work in sales or customer support, there're lots of places that requiere English and French.
c 4 urself: http://www.5ca.com/ or go to www.computrabajo.com.ar and "buscar" (search) and just enter "english" as a keyword.
Be free to PM me, there're lots of pros and cons about expating to B.A. but you'll never be jobless

arbeiter · #3 Posted **Nov 2, 2007, 12:47 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by verticalextropy

totally! there're lots of jobs that requiere just being a native English-speaker, specially accent trainer for call centers, and you don't need to speak Spanish.
If on the other hand you'd want to work in sales or customer support, there're lots of places that requiere English and French.
c 4 urself: http://www.5ca.com/ or go to www.computrabajo.com.ar and "buscar" (search) and just enter "english" as a keyword.
Be free to PM me, there're lots of pros and cons about expating to B.A. but you'll never be jobless

I've never considered being an accent trainer, although I've actually been a radio DJ and have a very clear and neutral American English accent (even though my parents are British). I was thinking that I would be most interested in working for an office or multinational firm that conducts business in English or has a lot of contact with English-speaking markets - I have extensive experience working for large US companies (Apple Computer and a major television company) and I wonder if my understanding of American business markets would help.

Do you know of any companies that are from the English-speaking world that are big in BA? Or conduct a lot of business in English? I know Microsoft has presence but they're in Santiago mostly, I think - not entirely sure.

Do you think the economy is going to hold up for the next few years? My friend who lives in BA isn't really paying much attention to those kinds of things, and I want to be much more informed before I visit.

verticalextropy · #4 Posted **Nov 2, 2007, 1:39 AM**

Oh I thought you were younger or less experienced.
General Motors, through IBM has a decent presence and it's always hiring.
Microsoft has some presence, and Google just opened its whole Spanish-world HQ in B.A. just this year.
Now, AON is quiet important here and I'm friends with one of the top executives.

This companies in increasing cases conduct all their business in English, I assure you that not speaking Spanish will be the least of your concerns.

Then another option is to get into real estate, there're many 1st world retirees and investors buying land, farms, in Argentina and Uruguay and they deal only trhough English-speaking natives: Geoffrey Mc Rae, from www.gatewaytosouthamerica.com is a zelander that's been running his business without even speaking fluent Spanish.

The 'sconomy: it's been booming since the 2001 crisis with Kirchner, and now that he's been de facto reelected not too much will change. On the long run we're doomed sure, there's no true Capitalism here, but as long as you earn in dollars and spend in pesos you'll live better than well off.

arbeiter · #5 Posted **Nov 2, 2007, 3:57 PM**

Well, I am not that experienced, in the sense that I am not a high-up or middle-management. I only have a total of 7 years work experience as an adult.

This is all very helpful - it makes me want to save up some money and just go down there with my resume and see what happens.

verticalextropy · #6 Posted **Nov 4, 2007, 4:08 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by arbeiter

Well, I am not that experienced, in the sense that I am not a high-up or middle-management. I only have a total of 7 years work experience as an adult.

This is all very helpful - it makes me want to save up some money and just go down there with my resume and see what happens.

Oh I've just turned 23, that's why... anywhay:

Argieland has an up and a downside and which one you experience naturally depends on you. While you are gonna live a better a life earning in bucks and spending pesos, not too many positions offer such hi-paying positions
As a rule you'll get better attention when calling a co. in English, so you could just begin probing. There're cases of expats (a supervisor of mine last year) that was a tier 2 microsoft cust support agent, well he more likely than not made less than 1K USD month.

I'd go for AON, Oracle or IBM.

arbeiter · #7 Posted **Nov 4, 2007, 7:14 PM**

I was hoping for closer to $1,500 a month, but we'll have to see. Apartments aren't all that cheap from what I hear - although I wouldn't mind living in a non-touristy neighborhood, or perhaps out of the way in a poorer area. Maybe I could tutor on the side. I can always just go down there for a month and check the market out. I was thinking sometime around March.

verticalextropy · #8 Posted **Nov 5, 2007, 4:32 AM**

This All American company IT Convergence is expanding and's been here for perhaps 3 years. They pay well (900USD entry level customer support) I'm sure you could double it.

I live in a studio (for you Americans it's a closet) in the damn best avenue of the best most touristic hood in B.A., high floor and sunny for 300USD a month with expenses. But you need collateral and at least a 1 year contract.

Tourist rent (per day, week or month) of 1 bedroom apartment in a good hood is less 900 USD a month (280 a week) with taxes and adsl.

verticalextropy · #9 Posted **Nov 5, 2007, 4:35 AM**

Oh and as an extra benefit, IT Convergence has its offices on floor 20 of a cool downtown scraper.

arbeiter · #10 Posted **Nov 5, 2007, 6:03 AM**

900 just seems so low. Is that after taxes or is it under the table? I know that the subte is cheap and food is fairly cheap, but I imagine everything else costs close to the US in prices (mobile phone, etc.) I am not expecting to live like a king, but perhaps at the same level as I do here would be preferable.

What is the average "middle-class" salary in BA? $15,000 US per year? As far as living in a studio, I am used to that, as I lived in New York for 3 years. I would probably want to share with someone anyway, as I would want to be immersed in the language. Maybe rent 1 bedroom in a 3 bedroom apartment. I can read signs in Spanish and some newspapers, but that's only because I can make out Latin root words that are the same in French.

Anyway, I am more seriously considering this. I think it would be a great thing, as I've been wanting to become fluent in Spanish and try living somewhere else. I was going to go to Australia or New Zealand but those countries are too similar to the USA, I think.

verticalextropy · #11 Posted **Nov 5, 2007, 2:33 PM**

I'll answer later but just wanted to clarify:
I just said that as a reference: They pay 900 for an entry-level horrible position for 20 year olds with no experience nor degree just english proficiency. I meant you (5+ yrs experience and anglonative) would enter IT COnvergence with at least 1800.

arbeiter · #12 Posted **Nov 5, 2007, 5:28 PM**

oh, okay, well that makes more sense.

do you have to do a 'visa run' and go to uruguay every 3 months?

verticalextropy · #13 Posted **Nov 5, 2007, 5:49 PM**

right, u don't need a visit if you go to colonia every 3 months, but no one resents a trip to Uruguay (I grw up 9 months in B.A. 3 months in Punta del ESte).
Colonia is beautiful, the safest district in South America, and 45 min ferry away from Downtown B.A. Monetevideo is worth knowing, and I'm gonna begin a thread about Punta del Este soon

verticalextropy · #14 Posted **Nov 5, 2007, 5:52 PM**

since this is a welfare state not a capitalist one (that's why there's just no poverty whatsoever in Argentina!) you need a licence to work: "CUIT" but foreigners get it as easily as us, at just a 2 hours line cost.

arbeiter · #15 Posted **Nov 5, 2007, 6:03 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by verticalextropy

right, u don't need a visit if you go to colonia every 3 months, but no one resents a trip to Uruguay (I grw up 9 months in B.A. 3 months in Punta del ESte).
Colonia is beautiful, the safest district in South America, and 45 min ferry away from Downtown B.A. Monetevideo is worth knowing, and I'm gonna begin a thread about Punta del Este soon

I have heard good things bout Uruguay, and knowing that there's a ferry is even better.

arbeiter · #16 Posted **Nov 6, 2007, 3:03 AM**

I wasted some time at work today researching BA and I noticed a lot of discouraging/negative comments from this site: http://www.baexpats.com/

A lot of the comments seemed to indicate that the job market was not particularly good, and that the pay is really low.

verticalextropy · #17 Posted **Nov 6, 2007, 5:42 AM**

the only reason this companies are here is because the pay is low. Like freaking Bangalore.
But you can get a good salary if you go to the correct company and talk to the right person.
Entrepeneurship on the other hand is ideal yet riskier, the Argie market craves for American know how (even if you don't realize it, when compared to Argentina you'll find you'll have a natural instinct on how things should be done)