Chile Forum

Hello everyone!
I will be moving to Chile very soon!
and have a lot on questions rewarding the country. Well im half chilean half canadian , and have been to Chile about 3 times, the last time i was down there was during the earthquake period and didnt quite get to enjoy my trip. i recently graduated high school and have decided to take a year, therefore i will be moving to Chile. I was thinking of getting a job, although i have saved enough money, not quite sure on what the job requirement are, or wages. i really need some help in that aspect. my spanish is decent, and also fluent in french, german, and ASL.
also.. im hoping on getting a car ; is gas really expensive there? are most cars manual? do i need to get a international dl in canada or in chile?

THANKS GUYS!

Hi kiddo. Congrats on the high school diploma. If I were you I'd go straight to a canadian or american university and take that year trip in between your ba and ma. If I were you I would see something of the old world (while it's still there;-)) and safe trips to Chile just for visiting your relatives. Should you come down to Chile you do need an international drivers license and you have to get it in Canada. Second hand cars are not cheap and often a rut is required. If you stay longer than three months you need officially a visa and a chilean drivers license. Finding a job over here will probably only be possible if family can help. Luck.

I'm guessing you do not have Visa issues since you are half Chilean. But take care of whatever paperwork you need at the Consulate in Canada. Here you have to stand in long lines and get lots of papers and signatures before anything is considered legalized. I have never seen a country as bureucratic as this one.

I have a Chilean friend who has a daughter with a situation very similar to yours. American father, Chilean mother, born and raised in the US; 20 years old and just moved to Chile to ´figure out´what she needs to do with her life. Her first language is English, but she has a decent level of Spanish and she was able to find a job in a big American Hotel (Radisson, Sheraton, I forget at the moment) as a Front Desk clerk.
Maybe that´s something that you could consider...

Good luck!

dstaarr wrote:also.. im hoping on getting a car ; is gas really expensive there? are most cars manual? do i need to get a international dl in canada or in chile?

THANKS GUYS!

For some sample prices on vehicles try this http://www.chileautos.cl/chileautos.asp There are issues involved in buying a vehicle so check the forum for comments on that. Get a RUT number, a tax ID, now, before trying to buy a vehicle. Most vehicles are manual transmission. Regular gasoline is around CDN$5 a gallon, more in some places. You can usually get by on the Canadian-issued International Driving Permit until you get permanent residency.

Suerte