Here is some honest and truthful advice to anyone who is considering teaching English in Buenos Aires Argentina.
10 Things To Know About Teaching English In Buenos Aires Argentina.
1. It helps to have a TEFL degree and a TEFL degree will cost you $1500 USD. The course is located in Buenos Aires and will last 4 weeks. It is intensive training about how to teach, however “what” you teach will take you some time to learn. You will have to re teach yourself English. The TEFL degree is not necessary to get jobs teaching English in Buenos Aires but it will improve your odds of finding work by more than 50%. And it can be used all over the world.
2. If you need to teach English to survive, you are going to be poor and to be honest, it is almost impossible to only teach English and survive in Buenos Aires. The pay scale is still 15 – 20 pesos per hour. However that “hour” does not account for preparation time and travel time. Think of each hour you are paid for as 2 -3 hours of work on your part. At best, you may work 6 “hours” a day but it will actually require more like 12 hours on the job and on a good day you may make 90 pesos. Please do the math for your rent and your pay before you consider teaching English in Buenos Aires as a “real” job.
3. Working for language institutes. The quickest way to begin teaching English in Buenos Aires is by working for language institutes. If you graduate from EBC with your TEFL degree, you will be given a list of language institutes in Buenos Aires to work for. It’s a good idea to start contacting these folks and start setting up interviews. Many of these schools are terrible. Some will try not to pay you at all, while others will pay you a percentage, and some will take taxes of 11% from you while others do not. In order to get enough hours for me to make just enough money to survive in Buenos Aires, I had to work for 5 language schools for the first several months until they felt comfortable with me and then I stuck with 3 schools. Some were better than others and I noticed the smaller schools tended to be more organized. But even those are over managed and sloppy. There are more bad language schools than good ones so when you go to an interview, make sure to interview them too.
4. Getting your paycheck will require some extra steps. Typically, a language institute in Buenos Aires will pay you at the end of the month. They will give you a check and you will have to go to the bank that it was issued from and stand in line, show your passport and collect the money. This takes about an hour and a half and is one more thing you have to do that you will not be paid for. This is illegal too if you do not have a tax ID however the bank will still cash the check. Some schools will not hire you unless you have a tax ID while others will. Getting a tax ID for teaching English in Buenos Aires is a process of first having a police man come to your home and sign a paper saying you live there, then going to a government office and asking for a factura or tax ID. Many people are denied for whatever reason. Many people simply choose never to get one and just work “under the table” however if you choose this, many schools will deduct 11% to pay the taxes for you.
5. Travel Time– Most language schools you will be working for in Buenos Aires will send you to teach at the student’s office. The time it takes you to travel there will not be compensated for. Most of the students work in the Microcenter so if you don’t live near there, you will spend a lot of time of buses or in the subte. Forget a taxi because a teacher’s salary cannot afford it. Typically I took about 6 buses a day and learning which bus went where took some time. Get a Giat (bus Schedule) Some schools will want to send you out to an office away from the city. They may schedule a remiss (taxi) for you to be picked up in and taken 45 mins somewhere, and then back. Although they will pay for this, the time it takes is not compensated for.
6. Being a teacher in Buenos Aires requires doing stuff you don’t get paid for. In addition to travel time, and spending an hour at the bank picking up your paycheck, there are other things you have to do that you won’t get paid for. Like spending time to plan your lessons. For me, a 2 hour lesson requires 40 mins of preparation time. Also, you will want to work out a policy for photocopies since most of the students don’t have books, you will have to photocopy the lesson from a book. Or you may want to print out something from the Internet, which costs 50centavos per page. Not cheap. Photocopies are 10-15 centavos. Also, the language schools often have bi monthly teachers meetings about testing and other things. This will require a few more hours you won’t be paid for. And if you are required to grade homework or tests for finals, then add more hours you are not on the clock. It adds up. You may well be very very busy with very little money.
7. The Students are great. Although teaching English in Buenos Aires does not pay well, there are other rewards such as meeting very interesting and successful people from a different culture that want to know more about your culture. If you teach for institutes, then many of the students will work for large companies and be excellent students because their livelihood requires it. Students are typically very polite however they can often be extremely busy and many classes will be canceled, meaning you may not get paid for the time. Chances are you will find one or two students that you click with and make long lasting friendships. It’s almost like getting paid to meet people and sightsee.
8. Working hours of an English teacher in Buenos Aires. Typically you are on call from 8am – 8pm Monday through Friday. You may teach a morning class, then an afternoon class then an evening class at three different locations. Classes range in time from an hour to 4 hours. (I have found that an hour and a half is perfect.) These are subject to cancellation at the last minute. You may be asked to substitute for another teacher at the last minute also. You will get holidays off but you may not know when they are. You can always tell a holiday if you wake up and don’t hear the deafening sound of buses and street noise. Many students do not take classes in the summer months because it’s simply too hot in the office buildings. You may get a few months of very little work during Dec, Jan and Feb.
9. Others places to teach English in Buenos Aires. The quickest and easiest way to find work as an English teacher in Buenos Aires is to work for the language institutes. However I have never met anyone who actually enjoyed them. Some of them can be very nasty and difficult to deal with. There are other options. Acquiring private students to teach will double your income and give you twice as much freedom. You can charge 30 pesos per hour, which is what the institutes are charging and you can set up your own syllabus. Some teachers end up working for a private school in the suburbs and teach children for about 2 – 3,000 pesos per month. And other teachers find one mega client like a bank or a small business and you can teach all the employees there everyday. The view of most teachers is that if you are still teaching English for the institutes full time after 6 months, you are doing something wrong or you don’t need money.
10. Very few people take it seriously. There are 2 kinds of English teachers. Native teachers and non-native. The Non Native English teachers take the job serious and have studied half of their life to learn how to do it. Most of them are excellent teachers. The native teachers are just passing though and often don’t prepare well for classes, or concern themselves with the job. However the students simply enjoy the chance to just converse with a native. But, sooner or later, if you don’t take it too seriously, you may be fired. But in the end, just showing up on time is 70% of teaching English in Buenos Aires Argentina.
Because of all this, many people start teaching English in Buenos Aires and soon discover the pay is poor and there is little time to do anything or any money to do it. And the last thing you feel like doing is learning another language. Out of the 7 people I got my TEFL degree with, only one was still teaching English full time a year later.
This article about the ten things everyone should know about teaching English in Buenos Aires Argentina, was written by Tom Wick who lives in Buenos Aires Argentina and has been an English teacher for several years as well as an expert travel guide and Argentina travel consultant. If you would like more information about teaching English in Buenos Aires Argentina, please contact Tom at:
tangohistorytours@gmail.com
Many people write to me asking more questions about teaching English in Buenos Aires which is great. But here is a letter that may answer some more of your questions.
Hi Nick,
Thanks for writing again and providing all your personal info.
The simple truth is that teaching English for the Language Institutes in Buenos Aires is not a good situation. It’s where most foreigners work at first because the legalities can be bypassed and almost anyone can get hired. But if you do the math, you can clearly see that you can’t make enough money to live on, and the institutes don’t always treat teachers very well. For the majority of native English teachers, they don’t need money, and plan on spending 3 -6 months in town and these institutes are a decent way to experience the culture. But ask anyone who has been there longer than 3 months, and you will get sharp hatred about it.
The other thing to know if you are going to be in Buenos Aires for a year, is that the diet is limited. The menu’s are almost all the same, no spicy food, mostly Italian, and some Spanish food. After awhile, everyone starts to complain about the limited types of food in the grocery stores and restaurants. So I’m just warning you.
A couple other warnings for you. Trying to rent a long term apartment as a foreigner is going to be difficult. It is the #1 most difficult thing about living in Buenos Aires for an extended time. Most landlords won’t rent to foreigners unless you pay 6 months upfront. If this is not an issue for you, then no problem, but after you have lived there 6 months, you may had difficulty coming up with another 6 months down payment. Some people I know just bought an apartment, but that can be a little tricky too. Some people just bounce around in the monthly rentals (like bytargentina.com) but they are 3 times the price the locals pay and on a teachers salary, it’s not an option. I found a crappy place that someone had just been murdered in, and cut a deal with the landlord to fix it up. It’s possible to find landlords like that, but it’s going to take lots of time searching. Or you can roomate with a local and bypass all the trouble.
The other warning I have is that the quality of life in Buenos Aires is low. I slowly began to see that and then I really saw it. It’s a city of 16million people. Pollution is the norm and some people have trouble breathing after awhile. It’s very loud, very hectic and very busy. Usually a year of it is no big deal but 2 or 3 and it can drive you crazy.
So, I just wanted to let you know about these things in advance. Now for teaching. My advice is to work for the private (not public) high schools or grade schools in the suburbs. These schools are bi-lingual and almost all the teachers are Argentine. They need native teachers who are willing to commit for a year, which is rare. You may teach English, and math in English, and even science in history at the high schools. Or something more simple at the grade schools. The pay is about 2000-3000 pesos per month but you will make more if you offer private lessons after school. Lots more! Finding a job at one of these requires you to search for them in the phone book and newspaper. San Isidro is the richest suburb and I would start there, find the private bi lingual schools by calling and asking. Put together a resume and go for the interview. Always dress in a suit. Dressing well in Argentina goes a long long way.
The best time to find these jobs is now before the next school season begins. Also, if you are hired by a real school, you may get a real work visa, and if you do, finding a place to live will be much easier.
Do you need a TEFL? Well, that’s a difficult question. I got one because I was worried about finding a job. But looking back, it was a big waste of money in many ways. In Buenos Aires, the TELF program at EBC is $1500 for a one month intense class. It’s decent but certainly over priced. In many ways, it’s a teacher factory for all the evil English Institutes that cater to business people. I went through all that, along with others, only to discover it’s a dead end.
But getting a TEFL surely will help you get a job at the private suburban schools. However, I have known many teachers who did not have one who got a job anyway. They did have some prior teaching experience though.
Also, getting a TEFL at EBC in Buenos Aires will give you local contacts for your future employer to call which is a good thing.
It’s up to you. If it were me, doing it again, I might try to bluff my way first. Go directly to the private suburban schools and try to get a job and perhaps embellish about prior experience. If it fails, well, spend the money and a month to get your darn TEFL. I can tell you that getting the TEFL is all about how to teach, more than what you will be teaching. So if you already think you know how to teach, then skip the TEFL.
Getting a TEFL outside Argentina would defeat the purpose of gaining local references.
Wow, this is getting long. Sorry about that. Just one more warning. Although the people of Buenos Aires are very nice and very down to earth, they are shrewd in business and there is a reputation of not always treating foreigners working there well. So be careful. But most of the time, I found I was treated very well so long as I worked hard and did what I was asked.
Well, I hope all this gives you some clues to navigate by. You won’t make a whole lot of money in Argentina, but you will explore a whole new culture and that is priceless.
Bueno Suerte
Most trips to Argentina begin in Buenos Aires , the cradle of Tango, where your visit is sure to be unforgetable. This is a romantic South American Metropolis and a unique urban jungle landscape filled with interesting nooks and crannies that can satisfy the pallet of even the most experienced world traveler. 
Currently there are 3 daily Buenos Aires walking tours in English. The Buenos Aires City Tour is historic and cultrual and is excellent to get an overview of the main attractions of Buenos Aires. The Recoleta Cemetery is the most visited Cemetery in South America. Host to Eva Peron’s tomb as well and important Argentina legends. To see the Recoleta Cemetery and the elite neighborhood around it, the daily Recoleta and Cemetery Tour combine both. And the San Telmo Tour provides a look at Tango, the old city, and a very unique neighborhood. 
Also on the TangoTour.wordpress.com website is Argentina information and recommendations from people who live here or have visited recently. For example, the best methods to get to and from the Buenos Aires International Airport. Or how to see a La Boca Juniors soccer game. And if you have the time, the best ways to see Iguazu Falls. 
The Buenos Aires Nightclubs are exciting. They usually pack them in on the weekends. The music is usually popular but it varies. Due to last years fire in a popular nightclub killing hundreds of people and causing a few high ranking people to be jailed, many of the Buenos Aires Night Clubs have closed temporaraly. However there are some great ones thriving. Nightclub hours are from 7pm to dawn. 
A trip to the capital of Tango is not complete without a authentic Buenos Aires Tango Show. However they are becomming more numerous with the rise of Tango’s popularity in Argentina. Today, you have many choices for the kind of Tango Show you would like to witness.
This fascintaing city is a tresure trove of sculptures and unique architecture that can be only truly discovered on a leisurely walking tour. 
Turn back the hands of time to reveal why this city was once an evny of the world and why you see the condition of it today. 
The most econimic and intelligent way to get the most out of your trip to the land of Tango is to begin with a cultrual and historic walking tour. These Buenos Aires walking tours will send you off in the right directions and answer any questions you might have. 
Grant yourself the freedom to explore this vast urban landscape with professional guides who live here and can point out the best Buenos Aires attractions. Leaving you free to simply take pictures and enjoy yourself. 
The Daily Recoleta/Cemetery Tour
The Daily City Tour.
The San Telmo Tour
On The Evening Of Tango Tour you will begin with a gentle stroll through cobblestone streets in the most fascinating and unique neighborhood in Buenos Aires. On this tour you will discover Tango history and learn how the dance began and where it began and why. You will see how the City itself helped shape this unique art form that we enjoy today.
Buenos Aires Argentina Travel Guide 