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Work and study
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Most English-speaking travellers seeking work in Argentina find themselves employment as English teachers. Traditionally there has been a slight bias towards teachers with a British accent, but there is such a demand for English language teachers in the country that those of other nationalities are unlikely to have difficulties in finding work. A TEFL certificate may be useful if you wish to work in a school, but often being a native speaker with a good standard of education is sufficient. Teaching can be a lucrative occupation here, and the highest rates are paid by large companies who offer up to $50 an hour for individual or small group classes. Informally, plenty of people set themselves up as private language teachers, advertising in the classified sections of local and national papers or on university or bookshop noticeboards. The downside of these informal arrangements can be finding yourself without work, and thus income, during the extended summer-holiday period - or left in the lurch when a student decides to cancel his or her classes. More financial stability - and a potentially more rewarding experience, since you get to mix with more locals - is offered by signing up for an official programme such as the Central Bureau for Educational Visits and Exchanges' Language Assistant programme, 10 Spring Gardens, London SW1A 2BN (tel 020/7389 4169;
www.centralbureau.org
). Candidates for this programme should normally be aged between 20 and 30 and have completed at least two years of a degree or diploma course. The minimum language requirement is A-level Spanish and posts are for an academic year from early September to late May/early June: the level of responsibility can vary quite considerably from place to place.
Organized volunteer programmes are not particularly thick on the ground in Argentina, though you may have some success by approaching organizations which interest you directly. There are occasionally opportunities as a paying volunteer with the Earthwatch Institute, 57 Woodstock Rd, Oxford OX2 6HJ (tel 01865/311600; www.earthwatch.org ) on short environmental and archeological projects in Argentina. There may also be opportunities for volunteer work (only suitable for those with relevant experience or qualifications such as a degree in biology) within the national parks system: applications should be made, well ahead of time, to the national parks headquarters in Buenos Aires. Foreign university students may be able to enrol for courses in Argentina on presentation of an official letter from their own university. Academic standards in Argentinian universities are high: at the University of Buenos Aires in particular you will find lectures and courses given by many of the country's most respected writers, historians and analysts. Be prepared to find your classes taking place at any time between 7am and 11pm, though - the vast majority of Argentinian students work to subsidize their education (though public universities are still free, there are no grants for living expenses) and course timetables are consequently flexible enough to allow people to do this.
The only place where you'll find a significant number of
Spanish classes for foreigners
is in Buenos Aires. The best-value courses in the city are those at the University of Buenos Aires' Laboratorio de Idiomas, 25 de Mayo 221, but are only really suitable if you're staying in the city for a while, since the courses usually run for several months. There are classes for learners or all abilities, including advanced and specialized week-long courses focusing on subjects such as pronunciation or current affairs. Other schools in Buenos Aires include Del Sur, at B. de Yrigoyen 668, 1st Floor (tel 011/4334-1487;
www.delsur.com.ar
), and ILEE (Instituto de Lengua Espanola para Extranjeros), Av. Callao 339, 3rd Floor (tel 011/4782-7173;
ileeovernet.com.ar
). Outside the capital, three of the best places to learn Spanish, in terms of quality of instruction and atmosphere, are Cordoba, Mendoza and San Rafael. Contact the Centro Cultural Anglo-Hispano del Oeste Argentino, Ortiz de Rosas 154, 5600 San Rafael, Prov. de Mendoza (tel 02627/434688;
info@colegioargentino.com
); the IAIM, Rondeau 277, Mendoza Capital (tel 0261/429-0269, fax tel 0261/424-8840;
info@iaim.com.ar
); or the Escuela Superior de Lenguas, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Secretaria de Extension, ESL, Universidad Nacional, Av. Velez Sarsfield 187, Cordoba (tel 0351/433-1073;
secext@esl.unc.edu.ar
). Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
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Argentina |