Expanish TEFL Blog

March 17th is St. Patrick’s Day—and a great day to take a break from your Expanish TEFL courses to go out and enjoy the festivities while you’re teaching English in Buenos Aires.

While St. Patrick’s Day may not be the most celebrated holiday in Argentina, that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of people looking for a good time! Did you know that Argentina is home to the 5th largest Irish community outside of Ireland in the world!

The Irish Ambassador will be hosting a St. Patrick’s Day celebration in Plaza Irlanda in Las Cañitas on the 17th beginning around 11 AM and lasting long into the evening!

Everyone’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, and Buenos Aires also has quite a few authentic pubs to help you enjoy the holiday! The area around Kilkenny at Marcelo T. De Alvear 399 is bound to be packed to the max, so you may want to check out some of the other popular Irish Pubs around the city–

The Temple Bar- Marcelo T. De Alvear 945

Bar Celta- Sarmiento 1701

The Clover- Piedras 78

Shamrock- Rodríguez Pena 1220

Dubliners Irish Pub- Humboldt 2000

Sullivan’s Irish Pub & Restaurant- El Salvador 4919

Casabar- 1150 Rodriguez Pena

If you’re busy teaching English in Buenos Aires, be sure to take a minute to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day!

Learn more about the TEFL Jobs Offered in Buenos Aires through Expanish!

As most of you have heard by now, a massive 8.8 earthquake struck the country of Chile, taking the lives of hundreds and leaving thousands more homeless and in great need of resources. While you are Teaching English in Buenos Aires, don’t let distance leave you feeling helpless.

There are many ways for TEFL teachers in Argentina to lend a hand to those in need in Chile. The organizations listed below can help to get you started helping the victims of this devastating earthquake.

Donate to the American Red Cross!

Donate to Oxfam!

Donate to the International Medical Corps!

Donate to World Vision!

Donate to Doctors Without Borders!

Donate to UNICEF!

It is difficult to understand the impact your small donation can have on such an overwhelming situation, but any amount of help is immeasurable to the people of Chile during this time. Take a break from your TEFL course in Buenos Aires, and give a little to those in great need throughout the country of Chile.

Just arrived in Argentina to teach English in Buenos Aires?

As a TEFL instructor in Buenos Aires, it is important to keep in mind the national holidays of Argentina when planning your class and teaching schedule. Since the New Year has recently begun, let’s review what those are!

January 1^st New Years Day (Ano Nuevo)

March 24^th Day of Remembrance for Truth and Justice (Dia de la Memoria)

This is the anniversary of the Armed Forces coup d’état that overthrew the democratically elected government of Isabel Peron and began a period of dictatorial rule in 1976.

April 2^nd Good Friday (Viernes Santo)

April 2^nd Malvinas Day (Dia de los caidos en Malvinas)

This day is a tribute to the fallen of the Falklands War that took place between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982.

May 1^st Labor Day (Dia del Trabajador)

May 25^th Anniversary of the 1st Independent Government in Buenos Aires (Revolucion de Mayo)

This day marks the day of revolution in 1810, which is remembered as Argentina’s first step towards independence.

June 20^th National Flag Day (Die de la Bandera)

The Argentine flag was raised for the first time on February 27, 1812 by Lieutenant General Manuel Belgrano. On June 20, 1816, Argentina Congress declared Belgrano’s flag design as the national symbol of Argentina. Passing on June 20, 1820, the chosen June 20^th date honors Belgrano’s memory and creation.

July 9^th National Independence Day (Dia de la Independencia)

On July 9^th 1816, Congress gathered in Tucuman and proclaimed Independence from the King of Spain.

August 17^th Anniversary of the death of Gen. San Martin (Dia del Libertador Jose de San Martin)

This day is celebrated each year in honor of Argentina’s most important founding father, General Jose de San Martin, who passed away on August 17^th, 1850. San Martin is regarded as one of the liberators of Spanish South America, and is remembered as a national hero in Argentina, Chile, and Peru.

October 12^th Columbus Day/ Day of the Race (Dia de la Raza)

This day celebrates the diversity amongst native Americans and Europeans.

December 8^th Immaculate Conception Day (Dia de la Inmaculada Concepcion)

December 25^th Christmas Day (Dia de Navidad)

Planning out your class schedule when you’re teaching English in Buenos Aires can be a bit tricky, so make sure to remember these national holidays when doing so!

Want to learn more about TEFL in Buenos Aires? Click Here!

As a TEFL teacher you are going to have to take advantage forms of transportation in Buenos Aires, possibly dividing your time between the bus, subway, and train, depending on where and when you are traveling. 

Teaching English in Buenos Aires often requires lots of traveling from place to place!

Public transportation in Buenos Aires has an entire culture of its own regarding how you get on, where you sit, the sales of items on board, and general rules of thumb.

Pay attention to the following and we guarantee that your public transportation travels in Buenos Aires will be successful every time!

Gettin on’ 

In order to use public transportation you are going to have to get on it!

Subway: Buy your ticket(s) from the ticket counter and wait for the subway (going in the right direction). Depending on the hour, getting on may be simple and spacious, if you are in rush hour, don’t be afraid to push (like others) do. If there is a cm space, people want to see a body in it!

Bus: Be sure to flag down the bus at your stop, otherwise they may go on by. Line up with the others, wait your turn, pay in change when you board.

Train: Similar to the subway, buy your ticket and enter quietly or squeeze yourself in there.

Women and children first (age priority)

The men in Argentina do know their manners and will almost always let a woman enter or be seated first. Very nice for us ladies. ALERT: Senor women, disabled, or women with small children or who are pregnant always get a seat. In this case, it doesn’t matter if you are a man or not, get your tushy out of that seat if you see someone like this come on – they get priority.

Public transportation sales people

On both the subway and occasionally train, you will find people selling various items.

Subway: If you are seated, the ‘salesperson’ will come by and place their product on your lap. Don’t be alarmed, this doesn’t mean you have to touch it or buy it or hand it back. If you are uninterested, simply leave it there and it will be picked up on the way. If you are interested, pay for it. Sometimes the items are sold by adults and sometimes very young children – even if this is not your favorite moment on the subway, be respectful of the people selling the products, they are trying to make a living just like everyone else.

Train: There are sometime sales people selling items or food like gum or chocolate bars. If you want something, just flag them down and pay the price. 

Rules of Thumb on Public Transportation in Buenos Aires

• Keep your personals close and make sure your bag/backpack is shut. Don’t leave your wallet in your back pocket, etc.
• Always buy a ticket for the train or you may have to pay a fine on arrival.
• Look both ways when getting off the bus.
• Keep change on you at all times, most public transportation only accepts coins.
• If the subway or train are too full, wait for the next pick-up, being squashed is just not worth it.

Interested in teaching English in Buenos Aires? Check out our TEFL courses in Argentina!

TEFL courses are offered to both native and non-native English speakers. Native English speakers do not need to have any English exams to take a TEFL course. Non-native English speakers do.

But don’t worry, if you are a non-native English speaker but have the know-how and confidence to teach English to others, you should have no problem completing and meeting the English requirements and then becoming a TEFL teacher! 

How to get certified to Teach English as a non-native English speaker

1. TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language): This can be taken online with companies like this, or at specific institutes in your area. Whichever you choose, it will certify to take a TEFL course. 
2. IELTS (International English Language Testing System) Level 6: This test can be taken at more than 6000 institutions across 12 countries, and will certify you to take a TEFL course.  Check it out here!
3. CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English): This exam offered by the University of Cambridge will get you ready to teach English, and can be taken at specific universities or institutes around the world. 

Once you have completed one of the previous exams, you will be eligible to take a TEFL course in Argentina or anywhere around the world and get started on your teaching English career!

Whether you are going to be teaching English in Buenos Aires for 1 month, 5 months, or two years, who may experience some form of culture shock shortly after you arrival or even up to 6 months after.

What is culture shock?

Just as it sounds, culture shock is a sort of ‘shock’ you may experience when moving to a culture different from your own. The majority of us experience it at one time or another and it is a perfectly normal process of adapting to your new surroundings.

What type of culture shock to we want to avoid?

Culture shock comes in different measures of intensity, depending on the person and the degree of cultural change. A normal level of culture shock is perfectly healthy and will pass; sometimes culture shock can affect us to an extreme degree, this what we want to avoid. 

Normal Culture Shock

Missing friends and family back home

Feeling slightly uncomfortable in foreign situations

Looking for familiar situations/friends/language

Extreme Culture Shock

Feeling alone/abandoned/lost

Feelings of depression/fatigue/anger

Avoiding any sort of culture change

Because culture shock is such a normal part of any living/traveling abroad experience, it is best that we know what to expect and how to avoid extreme culture shock.

Culture shock has 5 stages:

• Honeymoon stage:  You love everything and all relishing every moment in your new home!
• Crisis stage: You have faced some challenges (food, language, transport, daily tasks) and are not very happy with the outcome; your excitement has turned to a questionable confusion.
• Acceptance stage: You don’t see challenges as a crisis anymore, but merely hurdles to jump. Often humour and understanding come into play, and you feel better about the situation.
• Evaluation stage: You are comparing your old culture with the new, learning what you like and don’t like, and how to adjust.
• Reverse culture shock stage: This only happens when you return back to your old culture, and have to go through culture shock again. You have to readjust yourself to your ways, and it is common to feel sad and confused about the return. 

How to avoid extreme culture shock: Be open with the way you are feeling with your family and friends back home. If you need to, speak with them often and share your new experiences with them. Make new friends who are also teaching English in Buenos Aires, share your experiences, good and bad. Don’t feel ashamed that you have good days and bad days, it is a normal part of living abroad, and everyone experiences it!  Continue with your hobbies or activities that you did back home; play soccer, take photos, read books, etc, anything that you loved to do back home you can do here! If you need to speak to someone about the way you are feeling, reach out to your friends, family, teacher’s, or fellow TEFL students. People are very willing to help and share experiences.

Not yet a TEFL teacher? Check out our TEFL courses in Buenos Aires here!

Teaching English in Buenos Aires under the hot Argentina sun?

Need a cool break?

Visit some of Buenos Aires’ best Gelato (Italian ice cream) spots in the city!

Freddo    

This popular ice cream joint can be found throughout the city and continues to be one of the number one spots for its atmosphere, quality ice cream, and service.

Persicco  

This place serves up great gelato, plenty of flavours, and has quick and speedy service. Like Freddo, they are consistent in their quality and can be found throughout the city.

Un Altra Volta  

Delicious Volta offers a great selection of gelato plus other rich pastries. It is slightly higher priced that Freddo and Persicco, but is definitely worth the few extra pesos.

Chungo   

Chungo offers the same delicious gelato mentioned in the three previous, but also provides some interesting flavours that are hard to find in the city. Similar prices as Freddo and Persicco.

Summer in Argentina is a hot one so be sure to take a break from you English lessons in Buenos Aires and enjoy one of the countries famous gelato ice creams!

Homework is an inevitable part of learning and yet somehow the majority of us don’t look forward to receiving it. As a TEFL teacher in Buenos Aires, you are bound to come across students that offer you ‘groans’ or ‘rolling eyes’ when you present them with homework. It is good to have an idea of how to present your students with homework, and make sure they are completing it.

Make homework relevant

Don’t just make your students to homework because you feel like its the obvious thing to do after an English class. Give you students something that is relevant to what they just learned and that they will have some sort of interest in completing.

Short homework assignments

Homework should not be really be hours worth of work (depending on your students needs/wants). In general, homework should take your students between 20-40 minutes, sometimes less, sometimes  a little more. Just remember that giving homework doesn’t mean loading up you students with hours of work, it should serve as a review of what they are learning.

Daily work

Give your students daily homework so that they get accustomed to always doing some work after their classes. This will get them in the rhythm of doing homework and students will not offer a constant sigh or groan when presented with it.

Homework is the best way to support the English lessons that you have just taught in your TEFL classes in Buenos Aires.  Check out more of our Expanish TEFL blogs for more tips on teaching English!    

Moving to a new country is a big change, but and exciting one. There will always be some challenges to face when moving abroad in teach English, but with a bit of planning and a positive attitude, the move will be totally successful.

Check out our TEFL in Argentina “Do’s” of Living Abroad

1. Do you research before you arrive in Buenos Aires. Learn about Argentina, the culture, the people, and the traditions, so that when you come, you are already excited about diving in deeper!

2. Do try everything at least once! As long, of course, as it is not dangerous or harmful to your health.

3. Do eat the local food, sing local songs, dance to traditional music, etc. Nothing gets you in the culture like living like a local.

4. Do take photos of all the incredible things you see and do and of all the people you meet.

5. Do stay in touch with your friends and family back home and take the time to tell them about your incredible experience abroad.

6. Do take public transportation. This is a great way to get to know a city and the way of life, plus it is a cheap and efficient way to get from A to B.

7. Do keep and open mind and realize that every country is different and they will have different customs. These are not better nor worse than your own, just different!

8. Do visit local attractions, enjoy events, go to concerts, and more, to really get to know the local culture.

9. Do remember that you are living abroad to teach English in Buenos Aires and that your work and students are a major priority.

10. Do be the best TEFL teacher that you can be, take pride in your work, and everyday strive to be a better teacher. This will no doubt ensure you success in your work, and therefore success in your living abroad experience!

Not a TEFL teacher yet? Check out our TEFL programs in Argentina!

It is important to know how to incorporate every type of language learning into your English classes in Buenos Aires, these include speaking, reading, writing, and listening.

In the following blogs, we will cover each one so that you can implement them into your following English lessons in Buenos Aires.

Lesson 4: Teaching How to Speak

For most students, speaking is the most difficult aspects of the language, at least the most difficult to begin with.  To speak well, you must know the vocabulary, verbs, general grammar, phonetics, and more, plus, you have to have the confidence to hear yourself out loud and making mistakes.

• Practice makes perfect. Have your students always speak in English. If you can help it, do not ever let them speak in their native tongue during a class. Even if they have to mime out what they are trying to say, help them along but make sure they are speaking English at all time.
• Combine their other senses with speaking. Have them read out loud so that they know what the word looks like and sounds like.
• Correct your students in a constructive manner. Don’t tell them they are speaking wrong, just correct them when they make mistakes, and reassure them that they are making progress. Always give your students confidence, when it comes to speaking, they are going to need it!
• Empathize with your students and remember that speaking is very difficult. If they get frustrated, give them a break and a chance to work on something else before you go back.
• Have them watch movies or television and listen to the accent of English while comparing the subtitles down below. This will help them expressions and the phonetics of English.
• Encourage them to get a conversation partner, live in a homestay or shared apartment with other Spanish speakers so that they can be speaking Spanish 24/7.
• Practice, practice, practice!!

Check out our previous posts: Reading, Writing; Listening