Job Discussion Forums

[wannaBguru]

hmmmmm, 3 weeks? u are still a bule on vacation fasinated with life here. wait til cultrual shock sets in and all the things u find so wonderful now are the things that will be driving u crazy in a couple of months. even if u have been here before it will set in, but maybe to a lesser degree. all counties have good and bad things. dont get me wrong, i love indonesia. and from reading the forum i am one of the few that enjoys living in jkt.

but it does concern me that u would allow your daughter to ride on the back of an ojek. very few of them have a license and they all drive like nutters. cant begin to tell u the number of accidents i have witnessed involving ojeks. do they make real helmets for 14 month old children? i can imagine your grief if something happened. and 14 month old children not sitting around in aussie/usa playing playstation. i know that older children do, but then again, they do that here. ever seen all those playstation rental places? busy non-stop.

hope u continue to enjoy your time here.

[uilleannpiper]

Sorry, for the trips to the mall we take the angkot. The ojek is for the short trip home from the pasar which is located in the komplex which has nice quiet streets.

As for the culture shock, possibly. I've lived in tougher situations in Indo. Jakarta is waaaayyy easier than life in some of the more remote cities I've lived in where it's often impossible to find even one or two of the comforts of home that we all miss from time to time. At least jakarta has just about everything we need for those times. All the current expat teachers here have been in Jakarta at least 5 years+ and none have plans on leaving yet. We're all very satisfied with our work and living conditions.


I think you're all missing my point about the playstation thing.
My point is, the local kids around the kampung inside our komplex are all out playing in the streets, like we used to do when we were young. They probably can't afford palystations. It means my child has plenty of interaction with other children, probably much more so than in Australia unless we booked here into one of those over-priced day-care centres.


Anyway, we're happy. That's the main thing. But it took some patience, a few years back at university in Australia, some (5yrs) teaching experience in state primary and high schools, to get me the job I'm in now. I cam eback to Indo because the primary school gig was driving me insane. This gig is heaven by comparison.

[TEAM_PAPUA]

[guruengerish]

Hey, taking kids to Indonesia is not all bad.

Some years ago, my first contract was in Ujung Pandang - now Makassar.

The kids were 12 to 16, and they had a ball too. Made a lot of friends, learned a new language, learned to respect and understand another culture.

We were there for two years, and it was a very positive experience for the kids, but trying to deal with an Indonesian university in my case was not so positive. But we all learned a lot.

The way a state university is run is SOOO different to an Aussie/UK one, it was unbelievable.

[TEAM_PAPUA]

Did you manage to find a job in Indonesia? I'm waiting here to give you the grand tour of Jakarta

[Chester]

being that your chosen career in primary teaching is not satisfying in australia, you have chosen to work in jakarta.

i hope that it works out.

cant say myself that i would persue teaching at all if i could not earn a decent and satisfying living in a civilised country, let alone subject my kid/s to life in a hole like jakarta. your choice dude.

[uilleannpiper]

Never said I wasn't satisfied. I said it was driving me insane. There's a difference. I still have that job. I'm on three years' unpaid leave. After I've had a break from that job by teaching this job, which basically pays me per month the same as my net monthly Australian wage and no tax or lawns to mow, then I will return to my Australian job and once again enjoy the benefits afforded me as a registered full-time teacher. In the meantime, my family are continuing to enjoy our lifestyle here and there is no indication that will won't continue enjoying it, not coutnign for unexpected situatiuons that may arise, that are just as likely to arise even in a 'civilised' country such as Australia. Why are you even on this forum if you can't even dispense with your white supremist notions that Indonesia is not civilised? I'm outa here. You're all too depressed for me. Learn to live with the challenges that Indonesia presents you. If you can't do that, go home. Do some study and get real jobs. Ain't no such thing as a free lunch. You do the EF thing, it's your choice. Why do you all find it so hard to believe that at least some of us actually enjoy what this country and this city have to offer that Australia will NEVER be able to?

[TEAM_PAPUA]

70.000.000rp per month!!!! (10x EF salary 7.000.000rp)

Excellent, I am sure many are wondering where you work - as many of us who post on here also work for real schools (unlike your assumption that there are only 2 schools in Indonesia: your school & EF).

Spill the beans, then maybe we can all 'have a ball'

[adrian de la touche]

uilleannpiper,
are you for real?
you seem most determined to pick petty squabbles with those that you obviously consider yourself somewhat superior to; backpackers seem to feature in your list of ne'er do wells quite regularly, as do those who have fewer qualifications than yourself, or those who own less spondoolicks than yourself, or those that dont live such a down to earth one of the kampung folks[with slightly more opportunities] lifestyle as yourself, or well.... i am sure i will be added to your list soon..
so i wish you all the best in your ascendant future
and would love to catch up for an ale or two in tangerang next time yo is hangin' down there...
keep it real

[guruengerish]

Seems that kantor immigrasi have lowered the maximum age limit once again for expat teachers.

I thought the upper limit was 60, but have been advised that it's now age 55.

I understand that those already working and holding a KITAS will not be affected.

So, the official ranges are 26 - 55.

[TEAM_PAPUA]

[Winmarr]

[uilleannpiper]

[wailing_imam]

Cor blimey!

Did you hear that? Work in Indonesia for four years and you'll be able to eat at Chilis (what the f*@K?) and take a holiday to that far and distant land, Malaysia.

With such splendid opportunities awaiting teachers in Indonesia, I'm surprised the country isn't absolutely flooded.

[uilleannpiper]