Interview with Allen
who taught English in
in Buenos Aires,
Argentina for three years.
Where are you from Allen?
Currently residing in Tucson, Arizona USA
Where are you teaching or where did you teach?
I taught in Buenos Aires, Argentina from July 1997-January 2000.
What did you like most about living and working abroad?
I liked learning about a different culture, meeting a
lot of very interesting and extremely nice people and
meeting my wife (that was a big bonus!).
Even though I was working, it was like an extended
vacation. OK, a working vacation, but still, it wasn't
the pressures of the so called "real world". If I didn't
like it, I could just always get on a plane and leave.
What do/did you dislike the most?
Coming from a small town, I disliked most living in a
city of 9 million people. That was the shock. It drove
me nuts sometimes. Also, I did learn to appreciate
life in the US that much more, after learning how hard
life can be in another country, where the corrupt
government can make life miserable for the average
person.
How did you get started teaching abroad?
I decided I wanted to learn about a new place
(not by being a tourist, you learn very little about the
real life of the place your in by being a tourist), figured
teaching English was the avenue to do it. It worked
for me. I had a friend assist me in getting a job in
Argentina (which was a huge help, couldn't have done
it without her).
Do you have any back ground in teaching English?
I was a Social Studies teacher before, and took
classes for ESL/Bilingual Education certification
before I went to Argentina.
How long have you been teaching English?
I taught for 2 and a half years in Buenos Aires (July
97 - January 2000)
Do you feel teaching English overseas is a good
way to earn money?
It could be. Depends where you teach and how cheaply
you can live. Argentina is much cheaper now if you
have dollars, but if you are just trying to live off
your monthly salary in pesos, than it is much more
difficult now than it was when I was there.
Can you give some advice to someone thinking about
living and teaching English abroad?
Have an open mind (you need to adapt, don't whine and
complain about how different things are/better they
were back home. You're in another country for crying
out loud, if you don't like it, shut up or LEAVE),
please really go there to teach, not just to party and
have fun (some of the people you teach really do want
to learn English and are spending their own hard
earned money and time to try to learn).
Also, it is a big commitment of time and money, and
the more money you can save before you go, the better
off you are going to be.
Can you describe what it is like living and working
in country you’re in?
Buenos Aires is a very modern city. If you have the
money, you can have everything you could ever want
(now at a reduced price thanks to the devaluation of
the peso). It has all of the typical big city
problems: pollution, homelessness, too many people in
too small an area, not enough green space and etc...
But, on the flip side, it has all the great things
that a large modern city can offer: world-class
theatre, all sorts of food and entertainment, they
party like not too many places I know of (and until
very late) It seems like everyone is in a hurry (even
if there's no need to be) and everyone is stressed
(and you will be too after a while) They are still
reeling from the economic crisis, and things, for the
average Argentine, are still pretty bad. But, for you
as a visitor, you can more-or-less avoid that if you
have enough money.
Do you have any warnings for people considering
teaching English overseas?
I can't say anything about teaching overseas besides
teaching in Argentina, but I guess it's the same as anywhere. There are some very nice people and places
to work, and there are some places that will take
advantage of you and there isn't a damn thing you can
do about it. Just be careful, do your homework, and
try not to be naive. Ask other people who are teaching
there, they are your best real source of information.
If you could do it over again, what would you do
differently?
Save more money. Do more things while I was there (I
spent too much time working and not enough time
enjoying what Buenos Aires and Argentina had to offer,
but I don't think other foreign teachers had that
problem...)
Is there a way for someone to contact you for more
information?
alanbeaudrie@yahoo.com
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