Job Discussion Forums

guruengerish · Joined: 28 Mar 2004 Posts: 424 Location: Australia

I've just a had a letter from a former colleague who is still teaching English in Indonesia. He tells me he is going to have to get into studying Indonesian more seriously, as the Govt are pushing for expats to pass a test if they wish to stay and work in the country.

I've heard this mentioned in the past; is this still fact or urban myth?

Cynical though it may sound, I wonder what the recruitment rate of English teachers is going to be like with the latest bombs in Bali.

hairyrambutan · Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2005 11:49 pm Post subject:

The Jakarta Post published an article on it last week.

Yes indeed, foolish as it sounds, this is what the ministry of labour wants people to do.

The say they plan to implement the test at the beginning of next quarter.

ps2_machine · Joined: 29 Apr 2004 Posts: 22 Location: korea

How many people are going to learn Indonesian before coming here and where are they going to learn it?

I hope the test is for free also.

Any details about this?

hairyrambutan · Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 7:37 am Post subject:

The article said something about how applicants would have to spend some money in reference to tuition.

God knows how they're going to work it for people who have never been here before.

There's no way all the expat workers living here are going to 'master Indonesian' for their next visa extension (the test is meant to rememble the TOEFL in terms of difficulty).

Expect either common sense prevailing or large sums of dirty money changing hands.

Salam · Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2005 8:17 am Post subject:

Does anyone have a copy of this article, as I couldn't find it on the Jakarta Post website.

This is something I really need to know about as I'm moving there at the end of the year and while my Indonesian is good enough that I wont starve to death, it certainly isn't at a high standard.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

When I taught in Indonesia, only two of the seven foreign teachers knew any Indonesian before coming to the school. The rest of us learned Indonesian to perhaps a high beginner level over the course of a year.

I don't think this is a very well thought-out plan.

El Llama · Joined: 12 Jul 2004 Posts: 70 Location: The Big Durian

Here's the link to a jakarta post article about the proposed test:

http://www.thejakartapost.com/yesterdaydetail.asp?fileid=20050926.L01

However, I don't think us teachers should be filling our britches just yet. Here are a couple of quotes from the article:

kasihan deh loh · Joined: 26 Sep 2005 Posts: 28 Location: Jakarta

Half the Indonesians I know would be lucky to pass a TOEFL level test of Bahasa Indonesia, so what chance has the average expat got.

I think it's just another way to get more money out of the bule ATM's.

Salam · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 4:56 am Post subject:

I would hope that this would be one of the hiring expenses that the employer pays, along with visa and tax fees (bribes) etc.

guruengerish · Joined: 28 Mar 2004 Posts: 424 Location: Australia

Well, bearing in mind all that has been said above, and reading through the press release in the Jakarta Post, it certainly seems that this test will be used to 'filter' unwanted workers from neighbouring ASEAN countries.

Back in the bad old days of the 'white australia' policy, a tough test was imposed on would-be migrants, which many Aussies would not have passed.

It will be interesting to see if English teachers are exempted from the Indonesian proficiency test. Sadly, I see the country slipping back a little more, and next door in Malaysia, they just keep moving ahead.

In the meantime, Malaysia continues to take in Indonesian labourers, factory workers and pembantus, either legally or otherwise. If they were to impose a language test, I would imagine that many would flunk out, as the poor devils haven't had a decent chance at school.

ps2_machine · Joined: 29 Apr 2004 Posts: 22 Location: korea

I doubt English teachers will be exempt from this since they make up the majority of foreign workers thus meaning the greatest money source if foreigners must do tests and must pay for them.

We know the country is poor, and needs all the foreign money it can get, but doing this does not sound like a well thought plan to help their cause.

Such a test should be imposed only on those who intend to become Indonesian citizens or permanent residents, if a test is to be imposed at all. Tests like this should not be done on people who work here, after all, many will work just for 1 or 2 years and go, why should they learn a fair level of Indonesian before coming to Indonesia.

Anyway, let the government do what they want, and if their plan backfires, then they asked for it.

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

Salam · Posted: Mon Oct 10, 2005 6:28 pm Post subject:

I think the point here being that they would probably flunk a Bahasa Indonesia test as well.

Henry_Cowell · Joined: 27 May 2005 Posts: 3352 Location: Berkeley

I doubt it. Laborers wouldn't have the same test as office workers.