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Teaching English in Indonesia
Teachers' advice > Indonesia
teaching english in indonesia
"Working in Indonesia is one of the best experiences of my life. I worked for EF
in Jakarta for one year. Not only did I get a discount TEFL course before I
left, they also paid my flights, my visa, my travel insurance and electricity
etc. I got paid around 7.5 mil and although I still had to pay rent, I had
enough money to live a better life than I have back home.
The school was excellently equipped and the staff were lovely and friendly.
Everything was geared to making it as hassle free as possible. The students are
lovely, but remember, in a fee paying language school such as EF, you are going
to get students from the top end of society. Sometimes they are lazy, sometimes
they don't want to be there. Mostly, they are really friendly and nice. Grammar
is hard hard work for them though. Indonesian is the easiest language I have
come across, with hardly any grammar, so be patient with them.
As for the country, it is beautiful, the food is great, and the flights are
cheap so you can visit lots of places. Yes, people stare at you, yes, everyone
wants to speak to you, yes, it's like being a celebrity, get over it, wave,
smile and carry on."
Anonymous, 20/06/07
"My name is Sebastian Reed. I was born in Australia, and I hold a TESOL
certificate which I studied hard for one month to receive. I decided to teach
English to foreigners because I thought that the world needs more balance, and
my sharing my language would give English to those who didn't get the chance to
learn it as easily as I did but would appreciate it more than me. Well, for some
of my students it's true. They live a much harder life than I ever did and they
really deserve my time. For those students, I often wish I was a better teacher.
Then there are the spoilt kids. My school is not representative of the
Indonesian population. Students at my school are better off and they are often
lazy and unhealthy. Motivating them can be quite tiring because they're so
unhealthy. The healthy kids are easier to teach because they can self-start and
they can learn.
Even though my school is relatively clean, the conditions of work are terrible,
even compared to a very poor job in Australia. The Indonesian islands aren't
furnished with Western management principles and comforts.
The local teachers are friendly, yet I feel like an alien and I'm terribly
lonely. My wife is a great friend to me, though, and helps me to cope. My wife
is Indonesian; nevertheless she can see how lonely I am.
I follow the popular religion here, Islam, and I have no trouble reading it in
English and accepting the teachings, yet even so, I feel lonely even when I talk
to other people within my religion.
The level of English here is simply so low that I must learn Indonesian or get
along with people in other ways (that aren't based on talking), which I do
sometimes.
The good news is that it's always warm and there's mountains of tropical fruit
available for next to nothing. The rubbish on the streets is disgusting, and I
often feel like my city is a city of lost souls, yet life goes on and I hope my
contribution helps the Indonesian society to develop. Indonesia is not the
blissful peace and harmony that I imagined. It's really a country full of
problems and corruption.
I am a legitimate KITAS holder, working in Kalimantan, one of the more remote
provinces of Indonesia.
I recommend working in Indonesia. It is a great country. If you're not Islamic,
it might be only a temporary stay, but that's up to you. Until more free trade
in Asia, by maybe 2015, Indonesia remains desperate for native speaker English
teachers."
Posted by Sebastian, 29/08/06
"Hello to all, I am a Romanian teaching ESL at a school in Surabaya. I am not
sure if I just got lucky, but I am really enjoying my stay here. Salary is not
too high (I am not a native and I never really bothered to get any
certification), but my boss and my principal are really friendly and
professional people. They listen to what I have to say, give me extra tasks to
keep me busy and make sure everything I need gets to me on time. Weather is
beautiful, food is fresh and tasty, people are nice, though, I admit, completely
"Englishless". If you happen to be around Surabaya, please drop me a few lines
and you are sure to get a reply." lena.bucatariu@gmail.com
Posted by Lena, 30/06/06
"I have been working on dodgy papers since last September and may return with
similar in a couple of months but I am an "old dog" and agree with Kunti - a lot
of westerners are insecure and would not cope with my situation. The upside for
me is that I get paid more!
Small town Indonesia can be tiring (small town might include the third biggest
city!) they seldom let you forget that you are an alien (friendly? not really -
lack of respect. They would not dream of shouting out to their countrymen unless
they knew them. It can be similar to the unwanted attention given to zoo
animals).
The usual pay is low - forget "good local salary" or similar. If genuinely
qualified and with a little experience signing for 12 months they will (or
should) kiss your feet. Recruiting halfway decent teachers for Indo is hard. If
you are the-real-thing, hold out for a good deal. Single housing and 8 million a
month (convert your currency)is good
for most places here.
Another drawback is that - as they have trouble recruiting here/therefore cannot
be too choosy - some of your western colleagues may be people who came here
because they cannot cope with life back home! (who am I to speak? Well, at least
I remember that I was nobody special back home so I do not become special just
by sitting in an ex-pat bar drinking beer with other ex-pats and "tame" locals).
Cynical? You bet! Looking forward to a couple of months in Europe - especially
some quiet and not being an alien. Then I will probably get bored with the
controlled-safe existence and look forward to returning. Nowhere is perfect."
Posted by Siddharta, 11/06/06
"If you wish to teach in Indonesia just make sure all accommodation, and
sponsorship is seriously taken care of. You must have all documents required by
the Government, if not, you'll be uneasy, thinking that you'll be arrested for
working illegally.
Before you decide in which place you wish to work, you should double check the
sponsors or the
employers. Are they reputable and reliable? Can
they give you the best place to work? You can ask them to arrange everything you
need as a foreign teacher; accommodation, round trip tickets to Singapore if you
need to extend your visa are well taken care of.
Most Indonesian people, especially in big cities like Jakarta or Surabaya are
hospitable to expatriates. Those cities are safe enough and nice to live in and
the national language and local customs are easy to learn."
Posted by Kunti, 18/04/06
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resources for indonesia
TEFL jobs in Indonesia
TEFL courses in Indonesia
Teaching in Asia Forum
Travel information for Indonesia
English Language Schools in Indonesia
Learn Indonesian
Indonesia Lonely Planet
Includes a colour section on Indonesian arts and crafts, tips on the best places
to stay for any budget and notes on Indonesian cuisine. This title provides
detailed information on getting around Indonesia's thousands of islands, and a
chapter on Bahasa Indonesia.
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