The end of February and early March, when everyone is coming back from summer vacation in Buenos Aires is the best time of year to job hunt. A quick glance at Craigslist turns up job offers for waitresses, bar backs, English teachers, nannies, travel consultants and hostel desk staff. For most jobs listed there is no requirement to have Argentine working papers.
Many Argentine employers will secretly admit that they love hiring Americans, Canadians, Australians and other nationals. Usually those from native English-speaking countries have a few more years of work experience under their belts than their Argentine peers of the same age.
Current Jobs Available
Currently the cool Wherever Bar in Palermo is seeking a Spanish-speaking waitress, as is an unnamed bar in Recoleta which may likely be El Alamo. That job offers AR$10 per hour plus tips.
Bait Hostel offers a part-time night shift job at their hostel, but it pays less than AR$10 per hour. A couple of hostels in town, including Circus Hostel offer housing in a shared room for a few nights of work per week.
Another option, particularly for young women are Au pair and babysitting jobs. Offers from Au Pair in Argentina look pretty good at first glance, with pay ranging from $AR 22 – $42 per hour. If you look closer though, there is large registration fee of £250 (around US$400).
The support the agency provides to both host families and au pairs may be worth it. If nothing else the ads give you a good idea of the pay scale for au pairs and nannies, and there are plenty of families searching at this time of year. To land one of these jobs, you’ll want evidence of a clean criminal record, excellent references and a mature demeanor.
Many of the jobs on Craigslist are on the lower end of the pay scale, internship positions or schemes such as Au Pair in Argentina. There are some good opportunities to be found though, particularly for those who speak Spanish. In addition to searching on Craigslist a great way to land a job is to hang out at establishments you enjoy, pound the pavement with your resume in hand and ask everyone you know if they have any job leads.
Sylvia Mendez says
Also be aware of swindlers always – just because it seems legit, it’s not always the case, so don’t take a job because the give it to you on the spot, take a day to think about it at least.
shira reichman says
I WANT TO FIND A JOB IN BUENOS AIRES LIKE BABY SITTER OR TO WORK AT SOME HOSTEL
shira reichman says
TO FIND A JOB
Isabel Glover says
Hey guys, thanks for the mention. Just wanted to add that the salary has increased to between $30 – 45 the hour and the U$250 includes a U$50 returned to you!
We have several great roles going at the moment in BA, Punta del Este, on an Estancia and in Bariloche. Get in touch! info@aupairinargentina.com
happy new year!
ande says
Wander Argentina emphatically does not recommend Aupair Argentina which is why we originally called it a ‘scheme.’ The agency charges fees for job placement, which is illegal in Argentina, and we have since heard of some young ladies having bad experiences. Please see this post over at the forum of BAexpats:
http://baexpats.org/jobs/19551-aupairinargentina-com-scam.html#post144832
Anna Templeton says
It is quite standard for Au Pair Agencies to offer a fee, it covers administration, care while the au pairs are abroad, events and orientation. We work in the same way as a recruitment agency, but instead of taking a percentage we charge a one off fee.
We have been working for 2 years successfully in Argentina with now over 30 happy au pairs placed with families, which I don’t think we could do if we were “fraudulent” or out to rip people off. Unfortunately there is not much we can do about a bitter au pair, who was fired for not working properly and “treating the house like a hotel”, bad mouthing us across the internet, she is entitled to her freedom of speech. The only thing we can rely on is that our clients are satisfied with our service and know that we are true to our word.
ande says
The fact that there are fake profiles in Couchsurfing (/2011/05/couch-surfing-in-argentina/)
recommending the agency from an IP address in the U.K. is sufficient to convince me that not all is on the up and up with you guys. Secondly at the rate you pay it would take an Au Pair five weeks to recuperate the money spent on the fee. Thirdly, charging a fee for job placement in illegal in Argentina, according to a lawyer I talked to.
If you would like to put me in telephone contact with an Au Pair placed with you currently working in Argentina I will be happy to reevaluate our position. In the meantime, buyer beware.
ande says
You also illegally have articles and photos that belong to other copyright holders on the Au Pair in Argentina website. Do you know that this is against the law?
Dini says
I believe the au pair was not fired, because the family let her know within a week they are in no position to pay such high fees, and then kindly treated the au pair as a friend, letting her stay until the au pair found a new place to live some weeks later. In contrast, the family has never worked with or contacted the au pair agency again.
Additionally, directors of au pair agencies making fake comments on the web about their agency’s services and demanding gag orders in exchange for partial refunds suggests that perhaps, the agency has questionable ethics at the very least.
Best,
Dini
Lennon617 says
I am trying to move to Buenos Aires for a while to work and explore… If anyone can help me get some job security before I take the trip that would be fantastic!