Gm ,where's your view of Rio?
So where in Brazil long term could anyone see themselves living?
So where in Brazil long term could anyone see themselves living?
Quote: (10-02-2011 01:59 PM)Sardino Wrote:
I've been in Sao Paulo for about a week now. I've been staying in hostels while I've been looking for an apartment and I'm enjoying meeting Brazilians from other places. People had said on the forum before that Paulistas are colder than other Brazilians, but I didn't realize how true that is until I got here. I'm also disappointed by how many girls here have short hair and by the number of fat girls I see walking around.
In other news, it was incredibly easy to get an English teaching job here since I'm a native speaker. There is such a huge demand for native speakers that you can get a job whether you're qualified or not. The job pays 34 reals an hour, and I have enough hours that I'll be able to live here reasonably well. There is also the possibility of a work visa, but I would have to show that I taught outside of Brazil for at least 6 months. I dont think it would be too hard to make such a document appear.
Quote: (10-03-2011 06:23 PM)Sardino Wrote:
My impression is that if you are a native speaker with minimal qualifications it would be very easy to get a job here. I did a search for "Expats Sao Paulo" on google and came across http://www.internations.org/ On the forum there is a post from a Language school that is always looking for English, Spanish and German teachers. I also sent my CV to the companies on this page and got some responses back. http://www.gringoes.com/subcategoria.asp...egoria=210 . The best offer from one of them was R$80 for a 2 hour class, R$60 for 1.5 hour class.
With these Business English clients there are 3 sessions per day and the teacher is required to travel to the company to teach. Depending on the company the teacher will have a session that starts somewhere between 6-9, 12-2, and 5-8. So you could have anywhere between 3 and 5 hours to kill between lessons, and if you're going across the city you're going to be paying 3 reais every time you use the bus. If you have a Bilhete Unico bus card then you only pay once to use the bus for 2 hours. I didn't have one for a few days so I was spending R$18 a day on buses when I could've only been spending R$6. I asked someone on the street where to get one and they said I had to go to the Metro Station to get it but when I went there they said I had to go a word that I didnt understand and that they couldnt explain. Some guy I asked on the bus stop said I had to go to where the bus ends to buy one. A woman at a different bus stop said I could buy one over there at that shop where the girl with the pink skirt just walked of. They sold lottery tickets, cell phone recharges and bus tickets at that place. Not sure what it was called. Maybe someone else can chime in on where to get a bus pass because my system of asking people on the street didn't work out too well.
I've been looking at apartments around R$1000 per month and that wont get you very much. R$1000 will get you a room in apartment shared with at least 2 other people. I've been using http://www.easyquarto.com.br/ to look for rooms to share, but if you search for "alugar apartamento SP" you can find other sites to use. I think sharing an apartment is the way to go because I'll have Brazilian roommates that I can speak Portuguese with every day and they can introduce me to their friends. The more friends I make the better because some of them probably want to learn English.
I had an orientation meeting on Friday for my English teaching job. They told me to come into this week to watch other teachers before I start teaching next week. I showed up at the time they told me to, and when I got there the receptionist of the small building told me that nobody was at the school. The only contact information I had with anyone at the company was the woman who interviewed me, and she ran a different operation at a different building on the other side of town. Being told to show up to an empty school is just another nail in the coffin for Sao Paulo.
I really don't like this city very much. It takes at least a half hour to get anywhere by bus, and I've been spending 2-3 hours on the bus every day running errands and such. The people here aren't like other Brazilians I've met. They are jaded and Americanized, they are overworked and don't have as active social lives as other Brazilians. One of the things I despise the most about American culture is how cold it makes people to each other, and to see that (albeit not quite as severe) here in Brazil just breaks my heart. A depressing amount of women I see on the street and out at night have short hair. Sao Paulo is the 10th most expensive city in the world.
On the one hand, there are ample work opportunities here in Sao Paulo, but on the other hand if I'm not happy then it doesn't really matter how much money I'm making. I've heard nothing but good things about Minas Gerais so I'm planning on packing up and heading there in the next few days. The only real tie I have to this city right now is the unofficial English teaching job I have at a company that doesn't respect their employees. Sao Paulo is nothing like the Brazil that I fell in love with, so to preserve that image I'm going to a place that I know will be more aligned with what I'm looking for. I don't necessarily hate Sao Paulo, its just not what I'm looking for at this time in my life.
Quote: (10-04-2011 02:25 PM)KingofScotland Wrote:
Wow you gave up on SP and that job quick. I never found that coldness that others talk about from the Paulistas, sure maybe the people stomping down Paulista avenue during rush hour on the way to work aren't in the mood for talking but who is when they are busy and working. Head out at night (to the right venues) and you'll not have any trouble with people being friendly. Lots of beautiful women in SP too.
So did your teaching gig turn out to be a no go then?
Quote: (10-04-2011 08:13 AM)Pilgrim37 Wrote:
They told me to come into this week to watch other teachers before I start teaching next week. I showed up at the time they told me to,
Quote: (10-20-2011 09:59 PM)Dash Global Wrote:
chochemonger
that is like 700 something dollars for a room! no one teaching English will looking to pay that.
Unless they just love teaching and have plenty of money in the bank or have passive income coming in.
Quote: (10-05-2011 10:52 PM)iknowexactly Wrote:
Always call. Always. Always get a name. Always ask if they'll be there when you get there and specify the REAL time you'll be there-- not the planned time , if they're not going to be there, find out who will. Ask if they really have the <thing you want>. Can they physically see it? Where can it be found if they're not there when you get there?
How many millions of times have people been disappointed:
"Someone said I could buy <whatever> for <whatever>. "
You get there.
"Who said THAT?/Who did you talk to?"
Quote: (10-20-2011 07:55 PM)Dash Global Wrote:
How much will a room cost?
Quote: (10-20-2011 07:26 PM)Vacancier Permanent Wrote:
Very Nice Sardino! Get into groups/clubs in town, specially at the UFMG, enroll in their Orkut groups and you should have before long a good social crowd. For the apartments you're looking at, what's the going rate as I'm also very interested in BH? Keep up the updates, very much appreciated.
Quote: (10-20-2011 07:55 PM)Dash Global Wrote:Yes and yes. One of the places I work for is pretty informal and doesn't care if I stay here illegally. The other place caters to business clients and wants me to find a way to stay here legally.
Sardino are you american?
You are obviously gonna get paid under the table right?
Quote: (10-20-2011 09:49 PM)chochemonger1 Wrote:
Getting a furnished apartment in belo horizonte for less than 6 months is virtually impossible without a fiador or co-signer. I recommend a residence run by an old lady one block from the ..sorriso do lagarto..which is the only youth hostel in town (look up the adress online). Its a 10 mins walk from savassi. You can rent a nice furnished big room with own bathroom, internet and cable tv. They also clean your room daily. There is a shared kitchen but alot of privacy (and the old lady is laid back and cool) so had no problem bringing back girls to my room without complaint. Cost was 1300 reais a month.
Quote: (10-20-2011 09:56 PM)KanyeWest Wrote:
Check out Vivastreet (like Craigslist for Brazil) for temporary apartments:
http://aluguel-mobiliado.vivastreet.com....nas-gerais
Quote: (10-20-2011 11:01 PM)Dash Global Wrote:
Most people that teach English do it as a way to live and experience a new place for an extended period of time. As they dont have the bank roll and income to not teach english and live for a long period of time. Hence they will be on a budget.
Almost every english teacher I know and have meet in Latin America are living with roommates and dont sign a lease. Just find someone looking for a roommate and move in and pay by the month. Like 100 - 300 bucks.