Keeping Fit in Buenos Aires!

How to eat right, fit exercise into your day and avoid the foreigner 15

Arriving in Buenos Aires can be like arriving as a freshman to college. Promises of big parties, all night affairs and schmorgasborg-style eating that seem too good to be true eventually become reality. It’s all fun and games until somebody puts on 25 pounds. Here are a few ideas to help you enjoy Buenos Aires without needing to buy overpriced new jeans because you popped the zipper on your old ones.

How to eat cow and not look like one!
Buenos Aires cuisine is delicious, but really fattening. From steak with all the juicy fat attached to plump empanadas to salads made of mayonnaise and potatoes, it’s hard to stay trim while enjoying the local delicacies.

Here are 10 tips on how to eat and enjoy in Buenos Aires:

1. Order lean cuts of meat, such as bife de lomo, and avoid too much choripan (chorizo sandwiches). Yes, those are chunks of fat if you were trying to convince yourself otherwise.
2. When invited to an asado, bring vegetables that are tasty when grilled, such as pumpkin, corn, sweet potato and bell peppers.
3. When invited to an asado, bring a big salad with a homemade dressing.
4. Shop at organic markets to support small organic businesses and eat healthy! My favorite is the Galpon Organico located by the Subte B Federico Lacroze at 4171 Federico Lacroze Ave. (and Corrientes Ave.) Be sure to plan ahead, though, they’re open Wed. 9am-1pm and Sat. 9am-3pm
5. Don’t order pizza or empanadas to your house – just don’t make it an option. Don’t keep the magnets on your fridge, no matter how cute the delivery boy is. If you’re craving empanadas go to Cumaná, El Sanjuanino or 1810 Cocina Regional and make it worth it!
6. Share entrees when eating out. Buenos Aires restaurants are (in)famous for their big serving sizes.
7. When you need monedas (coins) to catch the bus, go to a fruit stand and buy a few apples or bananas instead of buying an alfajor cookie at a kiosko.
8. Drink mate! Enjoy this traditional tea drink that’s also a great digestivo!
9. Remember what dulce de leche is made of.
10. Order a café or cortado instead of café con leche (most cafes don’t have reduced fat milk)

Exercising porteño Style!

Porteños love to look good and stay fit. This is proven by a phenomenon I call “that hot chick turned around and she had the face of a 70-year-old.” You’ll be walking down the street and spot a trendy looking young girl from behind. She’s trim and has all the right accessories. She looks like she was born on a Stairmaster and has beautiful shiny hair. All of a sudden, girlfriend turns around. The combination of wrinkles and botox is shocking, but damn! She takes good care of her body. She fills me with hope for the future and a desire to work out.

The men and women of Buenos Aires are very concerned with their appearance, take pride in their bodies and thanks to them, Buenos Aires is full of gyms.

From mega-fashion Megatlon to the rinky-dink Average Joe’s style gym, everyone can find one that fits their style. My style was the overpriced Sport Club (190 pesos per month) until I decided I’d never achieve the buns of the girl with the steal tush implants, so now I’m heading to the dive gym on the corner (65 pesos a month). Most gyms that have a pool are slightly more expensive. Just splurge during summer months. Don’t pay for the pool access during winter, you won’t use it. Those looking JUST to use the pool can also sign up for exclusive pool use at many gyms.

Tip: Many big gyms have “promotional plans” where if you pay with a debit or credit card you have a reduced price. Any special like this has a catch, so always read your contract carefully. I learned this lesson when I signed up at Sport Club a few months ago. Instead of the regular 350 peso a month membership I signed up for the 190 peso a month deal. Soon I realized it wasn’t for me and when I went to quit, the manager said that my contact was for 12 months and to quit I’d have to pay 2-months worth of membership. Turns out, if you drag it out enough, use the word abogado (lawyer) and one other reasonable excuse they’ll waive the fee. This isn’t a country where taking someone to court is a solution, so don’t give up all your money at first. Quitting the gym shouldn’t be an express kidnapping.

Finish reading this usefull article on LandingPad BA.

Expats Working in Argentina: How To Invoice Local Companies

The following question arrived to me today by way of the Immigrant Mutual Aid Society, which is an organization here in Buenos Aires dedicated to helping expatriates and immigrants with a variety of issues. I'll post the question and then respond to the issue at hand.

Question

I've been living here in Buenos Aires for the last year and a half. I do free lance work film and tv, mostly advertising and documentaries for abroad. I have been working under the table this whole time, usually borrowing "facturas" from friends ect, or I have the money deposited into my account in the US, but now that I've started to generate a more significant income I am considering getting facturas of my own. Do you know how I would go about doing that? I've been on tourist visas this whole time and it hasn't seemed to be a problem yet, so I'm not too worried about a residency or healthcare or anything, my primary concern is about getting paid legally. What would you suggest?

Options For Expats Without Visas
There is no way to issue invoices (facturas) legally as an expat without a visa. As a tourist, you are not authorized to work in the country, so you cannot apply for the monotributo system and you can't enroll as a self employed worker either. The only way you can work and issue facturas locally is to form a company (SRL or SA) with an Argentine partner and then have your company issue the invoices. You will then be able to receive profits from the company in the form of dividends, but due to your expatriate status, you won't be able to work for the company.

Suggestions
My recommendation would be to get residency and start operating as a sole proprietor, either under the monotributo system if you qualify, or under the general system if you don't qualify for monotributo. If you can't get a visa or refuse to get one, you can form a company and start issuing invoices from your company. In this second case, you'll still be an illegal resident of Argentina and still breaking the law by doing work for your company while you're here. Nevertheless, at least you won't be committing tax fraud.

Read complete text on argentinabusiness.blogspot

Job Search can be hard!

Making the assumption that the aim of a successful job search is to secure a position is not entirely true. To be successful in any job search, you must secure a position that suits you and your personal requirements. Define the type of organization or environment in which you choose to work. Consider all aspects of the business that will specifically impact you, i.e. Management Structure, Culture, Location, Products, Services, Size amongst others. Consider the factors that personally influence you and analyze the considerations that would make it a perfect role.

Once all these considerations have been reviewed and you are satisfied with your answers you may begin to formulate and construct your resume in a manner, which allows you to target the correct job market.

Do not be under any false illusions; a job is not just a job. To be successful you must be 100% motivated to perform effectively and to gain the type of job satisfaction you deserve. Bearing in mind that there will never be one specific job made just for you, give yourself the scope to locate a position that meets your needs. Format your resume so that it may define your suitability for a variety of roles based on your skills and personal attributes.

The advancement of the Internet has changed many of our lives and one particular area is access to the Job Market.

The Internet is being used to give job hunters a competitive advantage if they are prepared to put in the time and do the research. As a tool it is becoming more widely used and accessible, don’t discount it, it is now a Mecca for head-hunters, recruitment agencies, job postings and careers fairs. It gives major benefits to both the job seeker and to employers in both it’s speed and convenience.

Think about the old methods of job seeking, rushing out to get the new edition of each paper, trawling through the job adds, placing the all important phone call and drafting a cover letter that specifically targets the information contained within the advert.


Finish Reading the article on Argentina Travel.

Argentina Real Estate

Thousands of homes are sold every year, and the vast majority of these sales involve the work of an estate agent. Here's our guide to getting the best from your agent.

"Real Estate Agent" is just another name for "Salesperson"
Don't ever lose sight of that fact. Their only mission is to sell, sell, sell to you. Don't ever let on that you are in a desperate situation, or that you need to buy a house fast, or that you are in a desperate crunch to buy this house now, because you are being transferred into town this week. It's simply none of their business and as far as they are concerned, you are not in a rush to buy a house.

What estate agents do
Estate agents are the 'arrangers' of the property world, carrying out three main functions: valuing, advertising and negotiating.

• They decide how much a home is worth, based on an understanding of the local property market and consideration of the fixtures and fittings.
• They make sure that potential buyers know of the sale by advertising and providing details, or 'particulars'.
• They act as the go-between for buyers and sellers communicating offers and counter-offers between the two parties.

Getting the best from your estate agent
When you're looking for an estate agent, ask among friends for recommendations, and take a look at the boards in the area in which you're planning to buy. Also, have a look at the local press to see who advertises - it will give you an idea of how busy they are.

Estate agents are self-regulated, working under codes of conduct regulated by their professional bodies. Look for agents who are members of organisations such as the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and the National Association of Estate Agents. Some, although not all, agents are also members of the Ombudsman for Estate Agents (OEA) Scheme which guarantees that if you have problems with your agent, you will have a right of redress. Look for the OEA badge on their details.

Although estate agents are usually working on behalf of the seller, they still have certain duties to all buyers.

• They must not mislead buyers about the nature of the property in the particulars that they provide.
• They must treat all buyers fairly, and should not hold back offers in cases where a buyer has refused to use their services.
• When you make an offer, the agent must pass a written copy to the seller, unless they have specified otherwise (for example, that they will not consider offers below a certain amount).

To get more info, go to Argentina Travel.

Need a workplace? Areatres is your option

Benefit from the convenience of your own office without the costs of a long term commitment. The Private Room service is directed to those who are looking for the privacy provided by an individual space with a lockable door. These spaces permit a maximum capacity of 4 people. It also includes secretarial support so all you have to do is focus on your business.

• Private room with two individual desks + ergonomically designed chairs. Maximum capacity 4 people.
• Wi-Fi 10Mb (simetric - iPlan) & Plug in Internet.
• A fixed personal telephone line (local or international) with discounted call rates and automated voice mail message service.
• The commercial address of areatres for your business and reception of all correspondence.
• Post mail reception.
• Bilingual (English-Spanish) receptionist to personally answer calls, take and forward messages.
• Individual climate control.
• Full use of arealiving and all common areas.
• Free access to all areatres events.
• 24 hour security.

For more info, visit Areatres.

Independent Contractors vs. Employees

We have a question that comes today about hiring employees vs. independent contractors.

Reader's Question
Can a US company that does not have a legal presence in Argentina hire an independent contractor (argentinian national or other national) to do work in Argentina on behalf of a global contract. Client’s client wants some temporary work performed in Argentina. Can client craft an IC contract or insist that the Argentinian national become a sole proprietor and not end up as a defacto employee. This could be occasional work, eg auditing.

I am aware some countries are very strict about IC arrangements and therefore deem IC’s employees and then end up resulting in permanent establishments for tax purposes. I am aware Argentina is fairly pro labor.

How to Set-up an Independent Contractor Arrangement in Argentina
The proper way to setup this arrangement would be to ask the worker to register either as a monotributista or in the regimen general (depending on how much he will be charging). After that, he'll need to register as an exporter with the customs office (since he will be performing services for export). This second step wouldn't be necessary if the company had a presence in Argentina.

Each time he needs to receive a payment, he will issue you an invoice with an "E" (for export) at the top. These invoices are numbered starting at 00000001. You can then wire transfer the funds to his account and he can collect the funds by presenting his copy of the "E" invoice to his bank.

Independent Contractors vs. Employees
Even though you may ask him to sign an independent contractor contract, in Argentina, labor rights cannot be renounced willingly by an employee. The labor courts can very well rule that your arrangement is a simulated independent contractor arrangement and that it was being used to cover up the employee/employer relationship. This is something that happens frequently in Argentina due to the fact that it is extremely costly to maintain employees on the payroll (due to social security charges).

How does the court determine if the employee is actually an independent contractor? The same way they do in the United States. They look to see whether you were the only employer of this person (i.e. checking the invoices). If you are receiving sequentially numbered invoices from the worker, you know that you are the only employer and you're putting yourself at risk. If you are paying monthly invoices that always have the same amount, it looks like a wage instead of pay for a specific work product. They also look to see where the work was performed, who provided the materials to complete the work, whether the worker was directed in his work, or whether he worked independently and was paid for a finished product.

Read more, go to argentinabusiness.blogspot

The Bueno, entonces Formula: Engaging + Interesting + Funny = Retention

1. Make The Classes Interesting & Engaging
Engaging students is crucial to learning and remembering material. Using wit and charm, Bueno, entonces… not only engages; it keeps you thinking about the last lesson and looking forward to the next one. Like your favorite teachers, David & Jimena know learning doesn’t have to be dry and boring.

2. See The Words As You Hear Them
Some people are audio learners, others learn visually – most people need both, absorbing different concepts in different ways. With Bueno, entonces... every word is on-screen so you see the spelling while hearing it pronounced.

3. Color-Coding.
Words on-screen are color-coded in Spanish and English to help you understand word usage and sentence structure. You’ll quickly see, hear, and understand how words in Spanish correspond with English ones, and how they are used in sentences.

4. Symbols & Illustrations.
Verb tenses and grammatical concepts are represented by clear symbols so you quickly learn and understand their usage. Iconic illustrations easily associate images and words, burning vocabulary into your brain.

5. REPETITION - The Key To Languages.

Any teacher will tell you this, and here’s the problem with old audio books and language software – they’re mind-numbingly boring, making them painful to repeat. Bueno, entonces… is engaging, fast-paced, and fun. You’ll repeat all 30 classes over and over, learning more each time – as your Spanish progresses, you pick up more of the humor, making it easier to repeat.

To get more info, go to General Linguistics.