ESL psychologist for hire

So, for a little over a month now I've been teaching English here in Bs As. I work for 4 institutes, who set up classes for me all over town. Some are in-company, some are private classes in people's homes.

Though the financial motivation was the principal reason I chose to look for work here, it wasn't the only one. It's nice to have something to offset the routine of studying and debauchery that one can easily fall into. And as I already knew from my time teaching ESL in Montreal, it's a great way to meet people.

Because, you see, more than other kinds of work, teaching English involves a lot of talking. Especially if you're teaching conversation classes; then you're basically paid to chat. Yeah, you have to explain some grammar rules and vocabulary and stuff, but other than that you basically talk to people, and get them to talk back to you. So think of it, I teach at least a couple of hours each day, times 5 days a week... that's a lot of conversation.

We could just talk about sports cars or Britney Spears or something. But I like to steer topics toward things I find a little more interesting ( and since I'm the teacher, I get to decide which direction the class goes in!!!) For example, when teaching in Montreal my students were a combination of Québécois and immigrants. It was fascinating to talk to the students from other countries about where they came from; the customs, style of life, politics, history and culture of their countries as well as their motivations for coming to Canada and their feelings, impressions and experiences since their arrival. It was really a little bit like travelling.

Here, though, it's a chance to delve into the Argentine culture and the inner workings of the citizen of Buenos Aires, or porteño. Though not your average porteño by any means; private English classes are not cheap, so in addition to some personal or professional motivation to learn English my students are without exception of a very comfortable sub-section of society. The classes I give are almost exclusively in Palermo, Recoleta, Belgrano, ( the three most upscale neighbourhoods of Buenos Aires) or office buildings in the Microcentro.

But nonetheless, it's interesting to hear what they have to say. A major topic of conversation is the changes to Argentine society since the economic crisis in 2001. Back when one Argentine peso was worth one US dollar, the segment of society that most of my students come from was one used to a style of life that included lots of imported goods and frequent travel to Europe and North America. Now that 3 pesos=1 USD, things just aren't the same. Picture if all the money in your bank account was over night worth one third of what it had always been worth. And everyone has a variety of strong opinions on what went wrong, why, and who's to blame.

The topic of poverty and crime is another interesting one. Before the economic crisis the lower middle class in Buenos Aires were able to eke out a decent life for themselves. But since the crisis the segment of society that lives in really difficult circumstances had multiplied enormously. And thus crime has increased as well. And so looking down on the lower classes from the upper positions of society, everyone of my students has something to say on the subject, sometimes revealing a pretty rampant classism. One woman doesn't leave her Palermo apartment during the evening rush hour, because acording to her that's when lots of people who "aren't from the area" are running errands or shopping. Another thinks that poor people today are lazy and demanding and aren't like the "dignified" poor of the past.

And then there's the usual trials and tribulations of life that students always get into. Sometimes I think they forget I'm not a psychologist. Love affairs, debauchery, wacky antics, sex drugs and rock and roll - they tell me it all.

In any case, no matter what it is they're talking about I find it fascinating to take a peek into the inner workings of porteño society - and get paid for it at the same time!