Preparations (17 more days)

Notary Public / Apostille
This afternoon I took my criminal background check / fingerprints to the local Notary Public to be notarized. I then dropped them in the mail to the Department of State to obtain an Apostille.

"Apostille is a French word which means a certification. It is commonly used in English to refer to the legalization of a document for international use"

Car
Still dragging my feet, but I made a step in the right direction; I purchased a 'For Sale' sign 3 days ago and put it on my car today. Worst comes to worst I'll sell it to CarSense, who gave me a decent quote.

Charles Schwab Account
Sheesh, I'm glad I began the process of Opening this account a month ago. At first there was a problem / typo with my social security number. Then it took a while forthe debt card to arrive; just last week. Yesterday I logged on to my new Charles Schwab checking account to find out I had to fill out more paperwork to be able to electronically transfer money from my current bank to Schwab. So today, I physically mailed in paperwork. I'm disappointed with Schwab for not being more advance with their electronic banking. Paperwork is a thing of the past. And wastefull too.

I still need to:
CANCEL
Cell phone, easy pass & car insurance (once I sell the car.)

PRINT OUT
Info on which taxi I will take from the airport, the address of my host family, the address of my Spanish School & my ePlane Ticket

PURCHASE
American Express travelers checks to pay for the 2 weeks of Spanish School & room and board

CHANGE
Address at post office
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$5 Notarized fingerprints / Crim.Background
$15 Apostille
$0.99 For Sale sign for the car

Working Visa: there's hope

I'm feeling a little more relieved writing this post about working visas than my last post regarding the same subject. I didn't feel quite comfortable thinking about working without a visa. I don't want to work "en negro", but there is hope for me!

In another post of mine I talked about websites I like to stalk; baexpats.com is one of them. The site gives expats living in Buenos Aires a way to connect and share information.

A very kind woman, Katie, saw a post of mine on baexpats.com concerning working visa's and teaching english. She wrote me a very detailed email on how to go about obtaining a work visa and most importantly she gave me hope! It's possible for me to get a working visa! I'm greatly appreciative of her taking the time to write me. I'd like to share a little of what she wrote. (I hope she doesn't mind)

Katie wrote:

"I entered on a tourist visa. I had been told before entering the country that I could enter on a tourist visa, get a job and switch it to a work visa. Fortunately, that is true."

"...you have to find a job, sign a contract (or a Pre-Contracto), file a bunch of papers, pay 200 pesos and wait."

I'll need to "bring the right papers from the states. They are: Your passport, Your ORIGINAL birth certificate and A letter from the police in your hometown that states whatever criminal record you may have. Be sure to get this document legalized by a notary and then legalized by an apostilary (google it)."

Next, I'll have get an Argentine version of a police record (40 pesos) and then I must get all of my documents translated into Spanish.

"Once you have all of that, you can apply for a year long visa (which you can renew later). I know it sounds like a lot of work, but it really isn't that bad. "

Lastly she wrote:

"Be sure to check out the Migraciones website (migraciones.gov.ar) and remember that we're from an EXTRA-MERCOSUR country."

I hope by posting Katie's response other future expats will find the information useful and give them hope as well!

Thank you Katie for putting my working visa worries at ease.

Working Visa: outlook not so good

So, I may not be able to obtain a working visa to teach English in Argentina. As I read through blogs it appears that teaching English is a black market style job. A little bit more of a risk than I planned for.

No interview no job. Oxford Seminars, who I get my teaching certification through, told me Argentinian language schools don't provide employment contracts without a face to face interview. Generally and legally, you should obtain working visas before leaving your home country.

Solution: A 90 day tourist visa? As I continue to read on, I read that Argentina is lax on 90 day tourist visas. You can either stand in a long line for a renewal or leave the country for a couple hours for a new 90 day visa. Maybe in the end of February I'll be taking a day trip to Uruguay?

"If you decide to teach ESL and live in Argentina long term, it is very unlikely you will be getting a work visa. Language institutes will not give out contracts to ESL teachers, which means working illegally or 'en negro'. The tourist visa, which is a stamp immigrations officials put in your passaport, is valid for 90 days. If you stay in Argentina longer than three months, it must be renewed." by Sabine - About the Tourist Visa and Border Runs. TEFL in Argentina Blog