With all the current hype of the 2012 Summer Olympic games in London, what will the in Rio mean for you as a foreigner?
4 years is a long time until the next Olympic games, but a short time for the unorganized and bureaucratic nation of Brazil to get it’s act together in order to keep it’s end of the deal it made to win the 2016 Olympic bid. But at the same time it is an exciting wait as it will be the first time ever that any country in South America will be a host of the Olympic Games.
I followed live and saw when then President Lula and Co received the good news: they had been chosen for the games. Tears rolled down, hugs were given and lots of partying ensued.
But that is just the beginning, pandemonium spread to Brazil when they learned of the news.
Just see this video:
[pinit]
I think this embodies a lot of what Brazil is about. You see, when you live or travel throughout Brazil, you will notice a couple of things:
- Brazilians love celebrating (period)
- Brazilians love bragging about winning the World Cup 5 times
I have never experienced anything like the celebratory spirit of the Brazilian in any other country in the world. My first encounter with this was during my arrival in Brazil when I worked for a non-profit . I used to get up at the crack of dawn go to bed way too late each day due to the rigorous schedule, so Saturdays were my kind of Holy day to sleep in and relax.
It never failed, every Saturday morning at around 7:00 in the morning, I would be awaken by my roommates screaming at the tiny TV on the other side of the house…every freaking Saturday! “no bitterness, no bitterness…” *said in a meditative voice*
All silliness aside, if you want to motivate Brazilians and get them to get things done, then dangle a carrot of celebration in front of their face and watch what happens! And it just so happens that this upcoming carrot (plus the World Cup) will have an impact of $185 BILLION on the Brazilian GDP….wow!
This is exactly the motivating factor behind the 2016 Olympics to be held in Rio de Janeiro, a HUGE global party! Caipirinha anyone?
So, besides no-one getting any shut eyes during the 2016 Olympics due to Brazilians celebrating 24/7, what does it mean for you?
1. A Transformed Rio de Janeiro
The transformation that will have to take place in order for Rio to host the 2016 Olympics will be uncanny, and the challenges that come with it as well.
Check out this video, which should give you an idea of what will happen:
See what I mean?
We are talking about $57 billion invested into Rio’s infrastructure! That is HUGE! The official number may be $57 billion, but I can assure you that the actual price will exceed the budgeted one, it always does – oh and don’t forget the politicians’ commission!
And let’s not forget the investment that will be happening before the Olympics in the World Cup, which will be hosted in Brazil as well.
What about the crime in Rio de Janeiro?
I bet you have heard that Rio is a dangerous crime ridden place, to which I answer “yes and no”.
If you have seen the movie “” (Amazon affiliate link – rental or purchase), which is amazing by the way, you will see Rio from the slum perspective. You will follow two poor, black Brazilians struggle to make something of their life in unjust and crime-ridden circumstances – one succeeds, one doesn’t.
In my opinion, this movie that many foreigners base their pre-conceived notion of Rio on, is in many ways a portrayal of the past… As a matter of fact, I have a friend who lived in the heart of one of the largest slums (Complexo Alemão) who did social work there for years say that it is not nearly as dangerous as it was.
Yes, Rio can still be dangerous but as long as you are in the safer and nicer areas, it shouldn’t be of much concern.
To address the question of safety, there has been a lot of with the upcoming World Cup and Olympics to clean up the slums, take down drug lords and take better control of crime.
In fact, the Government has committed to investing around $9 billion in improving safety within the city.
This will be an interesting area to watch and keep an eye on as it develops, it is a constant battle but it is improving.
2. More Jobs in Brazil for Foreigners!
With so much international focus and an insane amount of tourism to come, !
It is simply opportunity city for us foreigners due to the fact that Brazilians will need to learn English, and that the Government will be dependent upon foreigner skilled labor to make this whole things happen.
Brazilians will need your English teaching skills
Brazilians aren’t known for speaking ESL (English as a Second Language) at a very high level via traditional education in Brazil. This is why you find private English schools on practically every street corner of a given city.
This just goes to show that English is in high demand already, and it will be in even higher demand throughout the next 4 years. Think about it, foreign tourists usually come to Brazil speaking 1 universal language: English (unless you are from a Spanish speaking country). And they expect to be met, catered to and communicated with in this language.
An English speaking Brazilian gives them much better opportunities to make more $$ than others – the employment market for a Brazilian is highly competitive and they need any advantage they can get.
This means for you Mr./Ms. Foreigner who has considered or may be considering teaching English, that if you apply yourself, you should have some easy and profitable job security.
See the Teaching English in Brazil Hub
More jobs in Brazil for skilled foreign professionals
Unemployment is rampant in the 1st world, we are overeducated and demand is just not meeting the supply.
If you are a highly skilled professional, you may identify with this. You know, a crappy job market, rampant unemployment and terrible opportunities. But really, do you think that all of these opportunities are just drying up?
I propose that they aren’t, I propose that they are just shifting to developing countries!
Brazil is an up and coming economical power, which is experiencing the inverted problems of the 1st world in skilled areas. The demand is there, but the country cannot educate enough (or at all in some areas) skilled professionals to take hold of these job opportunities. This leads to Brazil outsourcing many multinationals to get the job done.
For the 2016 Olympic games, there will be an estimated done in the IT area alone (5.7 billion)!
And what’s even better is that this investment has already begun and will continue to and beyond the 2016 games!
Final word
In writing this article, I may have just talked myself into transferring my Brazilian home from Florianópolis to Rio! Hehe
But joking aside, the upcoming games will have an insane impact on the country and I really cannot wait to be part of it.
As a little disclaimer though, I cannot guarantee you financial success in any way through what I’ve written, but I can tell you that if you really apply yourself soul, mind and heart, that amazing opportunities await you!
Enjoy the rest of the London Olympics and catch ya on the other side!
Valeu – cheers!
Kevin
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