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 Española
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 Córdoba, Mendoza and San Rafael. Contact the Centro
Cultural Anglo-Hispano del Oeste Argentino, Ortíz 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 Córdoba, Secretaría de Extensión, ESL,
Universidad Nacional, Av. Vélez Sarsfield 187, Córdoba (tel
0351/433-1073; secext@esl.unc.edu.ar ).