Chile Forum

Hi everyone,

Thank you for viewing my very first post!

I'm an American citizen who has recently relocated to Santiago and is looking for work as a... well, anything that can pay the bills, to be honest. I was here once before in 2005-6 and made a fairly decent living teaching English at one of the private universities in Providencia. It was a very exciting time and during this period I met the woman of my dreams and married her last May. For the past three years I've been at the University of California, San Diego earning my master's degree in International Relations, and after an agonizing job search in Washington, DC in the autumn decided to move back to Santiago to apply my new skill set in the professional world here. My regional specialization is Latin America, my Spanish is solid, and my command of the written and spoken word is fairly devastating. I spent several years working in NGOs in the States, including lobbying Congress to lift the Cuba embargo, and have all the technical, analytical, and professional sensibilities resulting from my education and experience. As such, I figured I was in pretty good shape! I have, however, over the last few weeks, begun to feel the burgeoning rage and sad desparation that only lingering unemployment can bring.

I've learned that IR is neither the most lucrative nor the most door-opening degree for American citizens living abroad. Looking back, I almost certainly would have concentrated on international business rather than politics, even though for me politics is far more interesting. An advanced degree in the social sciences, in my experience, won't get you very far as an expat. On the contrary, I have been surprisingly disappointed by the lack of opportunities here in Santiago in my field.

It may be that I've been searching for jobs in all the wrong places. It may be that I'm too picky or not pro-active enough. Perhaps I don't have a broad enough professional network. Whatever the reason, I have been hitting brick walls ever since I arrived and began seeking employment in Santiago. Not only has my resume been repeatedly lost in the ether of online job portals such as Laborum, Trabajando, but doors have also been unexpectedly closed even in the TEFL universe, for which I literally have years of experience all over the world. Translators seem to be a dime a dozen and the labor market seems saturated with bright-eyed gringos competing to score freelance work wherever they can get it. Indeed, I count myself among them.

Which brings me to my appeal to you, dear forum... Perhaps there is someone out there who supervises a team of translators in a reputable firm in Las Condes and just happens to be looking for new talent. Maybe one of you has the next brilliant start-up idea and needs someone who can put together a dynamite power point presentation and deliver it to a group of Colombian venture capitalists. Perhaps, even, AllChile.net is looking to expand and its CEO is a fellow UCSD alum from Pacific Beach. Or, maybe there is someone out there who is thinking about going back to grad school and could just use some good advice on how to proceed.

Whichever the case, I would like to take this time to say that I am available immediately and would be happy to offer my services in any capacity that I am able. I would love, first and foremost, to hear about any employment opportunities (ideally somewhat related to IR) that may be floating around the forum. Additionally, I would like to expand my professional and social network here in Santiago and am available to chat, email, or bang out a mid-week happy hour anywhere in the city. As such, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me, whatever your situation may be. I look forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,
Matt

You could sell super 8s on the corner

besides talking alot, and teaching english, and translating, what other skills do you bring to the table that perhaps i multinational company requires.....

Logistics experiance? supply chain management? geoligist? project management? Building? engineering? tourism professional? chef?

not meaning to be rude... but your type is a dime a dozen

anyway, join http://www.internations.org, turn up to one of there mixers and try networking there, you will get some high powdered people there if you get to know them!

pd. you wont find any english teaching until march/april!

Hi Bzakka, I liked your message. It is indeed who you know and not what you know here and it helps if you have a clean legal status. I would be happy to meet up with you and chat. I am going to PM you dude! Speak soon

PS. You wouldn't by any chance be searching for a kitten as well right now?? If so, I can help you immediately!

Welcome to the forum! I found myself in quite a similar situation as you when I moved to Chile in 2007. Job search can be extremely frustrating here when you somehow don´t seem to fit in any niche. I studied translation and found it nearly impossible for my languague combinations to find an inhouse job at a translation agency or other institutions, so I ended up working as a freelancer. If you´re interested in networking, you might be interested in an event organized by the translation platform Proz.com next week in Santiago, it´s on Friday 13th at Patio Bellavista in Santiago at 8 pm. Anyhow, good luck here!

In the meanwhile you may want to scout for teaching opportunities as well since it is hiring season. Who knows, maybe the parents of one of your students could help you network. Welcome and good luck.

patagoniax wrote:

bzakka wrote:.... my Spanish is solid, and my command of the written and spoken word is fairly devastating.

As is your modesty.

bzakka wrote:.... feel the burgeoning rage and sad desparation .....

The fairly devastating term I believe you are seeking is "desperation."



Are you by any chance Argentine?

I forgot to mention, sarcasm is my third language... nice to meet you too, brother. Enjoy that latte.


Forgive the typo. I confess, I've grown used to having squiggly red lines under all my spelling errors.

Well I am in a similar situation and the worst thing is that I am CHILEAN!!!!!!!!! hahaahaha I came back from Canada last april I have a diploma in Business Admin (Major in Finance) which I took here at DuocUC and I took a post-graduate advance Diploma in International Business in Canada. I have working experience in financial institutions and the plastic industry as an analyst. Ive been looking for a job since I got here and so far no luck at all. My english I think it's pretty good for chilean average ( I would say Im blingüal) and I haven't received any call for a job interview!!!!!!!!! I have sent several resumes, I would say close to 100 of them, and not even one call!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So welcome to a third world country where u get paid pennis for an 8 hour job ,u have an awful quality of life and as a matter of jobs if you don't have a good "pituto" it's going to be an amazing adventure to find a job!!!!!!!!! I am trying to not being very pessimistic but realistic!!!
Good luck buddy!

patagoniax wrote:

General_Ohiggins wrote: ( I would say Im blingüal)

Yup. I'd also say you were, um, blingüal. About as blingüal as they come.

Aso hve n ecellent spel chckr.

General_Ohiggins wrote:u get paid pennis

Quizás un pico más, ¿cachai?

When I started to read this blog, I was hating every post you made and I just wanted to kick ur ---------- but after a couple of months I really like your sense of humor and your sarcasm as well, it would be fun to have a chat and share some beers with you, although sometimes I get pissed off hahaahahaha but just for a few minutes hahahahaha

Patagoniax, are you going to be like this every time you post? Don't you have anything useful to say? If so, I look forward to hearing it. If not, I would appreciate it if you would stop filling my post with bad one-liners.

bzakka wrote:Patagoniax, are you going to be like this every time you post? Don't you have anything useful to say? If so, I look forward to hearing it. If not, I would appreciate it if you would stop filling my post with bad one-liners.

ooooooooooooo someone is a little sensitive!,

i find his post useful, they keep me entertained!, and umm, if you havent noticed the amount of people who have subscribed to the forum just to recieve updates of the TDP fire thanks to pxs updates?, the best english informatin out of chile i fyou ask me!

Well, I'm glad you're enjoying yourself. But I kind of started this post for an actual reason that, unfortunately, is not to keep you entertained.