Job Discussion Forums

[dreamin']

The school I'm going to (not that I've signed anything yet) has in its sample contract the clause that if you quit you have to pay back the cost of the visa run (8M + $US300 for airfare to Singapore); 100% repayment if you last less than 3 months, 50% for less than 6 months incarceration and so on to zero repayment if you can endure the place for a whole year. This seems a little bit steep. I mean, that's well over a month's pay! What are the REAL costs in getting a working visa? Do you think I can negotiate this part of the contract?

[philbags]

sounds pretty normal, the fact is they dont want you to be able to leave.
you could probably insist on a multiple entry Visa; at least then you'd be able to leave the country if the job really didnt pan out, and not have to pay them back as long as you were prepared to leave indonesia behind you ( some folks do) or at least request that the visa cost go down incrementally from month#1.
I think that companies now pay 100$/ month just as a kickback for having foriegners on their staff let alone the paperwork costs.
I broke my last contract with UPI 3 months early and it only cost me 2 mil, thats the ballpark youre in with your 8 mil but then you have the sing airfare on top, but then I was on 13 mil/month. oh happy days.
just be sure you know what youre getting into Re: KITAS and responsibility to employers.

[gugelhupf]

8M is actually pretty reasonable, and far less than I've known some schools to pay in kickbacks to speed up the process.

300USD to Sing is top whack so make sure they send you on a full service airline for that money - b*gger Lion Air.

[wannaBguru]

until the last year, i was getting visas for people at work. the cost was 2.5 million for indonesia immigration, 200 (1.15M) singapore dollars for indo embassy there, and about 100 dollars for the flight.... sometimes less sometimes more. a couple of years ago, there was a scare that the indo govt would start collecting the 100 dollar per month bule work tax. yayasans..... non-profit organizations working on the betterment of Indos in areas such as work and education, fought to keep their tax exempt status. so far they have succeeded. our agent had a deal that if they started collecting, we would have to pay 2.5 million on the back end to get the stamp needed for the exit permit only. the price may have gone up one or 2 million, but 8 million seems a bit steep. schoools are always trying to make money wherever they can.

also probation clauses are illegal in indonesia for bules when the contract is 1 or more years in duration. this doesnt stop the majority of schools from putting them in the contract anyway. one other thing to think about............... they can terminate u at anytime during the 3 months probation without just cause and u will be left eating the entire 8M + 300. dont know why the teacher has to assume all the risks entering the contract. doesnt give the school much incentive the treat their teachers well. but i guess as long as people are willing to sign them, the schools wont change them. my contract probably contains the same clauses but i am happy where i am so i dont really worry about it. good luck

[guruengerish]

There have only been a few of the costs mentioned in this discussion that I can see. There are at least three levels of Government involved, right down to the local police, who issue a little red book; these are normally never seen by the teachers, and kept at the school.

At one stage, local Immigrasi were insisting that teachers register with them, as there seemed to be little or no co-ordination at a national level.

There's little doubt that an English school in the region means a good few extra bucks in various official pockets.

I left my EF school six weeks before my two-year contract finished, and they 'fined' me around Rp2 million. It wasn't unreasonable of them, but I'm sure they'd already done quite well. They insisted that the teachers' house rent had suddenly gone up an extra half a million a month, and I wasn't prepared to pay it. Poor economics I know, but that's the way I wanted it.

[happy_me]

[wannaBguru]

actually i really like where i work and i make more that 2000 per month. that is why i aint worried about any probation or cancellation clauses in my contract.

[wannaBguru]

actually guruenglish there are 8 different depts. that have to approve a bule working in indonesia. they police (main office in the city, not local)dont issue a red book, they actually issue u an indo id card that takes the place of having to carry around your kitas and passport. u are required by law to carry it 24 hours/day. only knew of one school that gave them to the teachers like they were supposed to. maybe the schools think it is harder to do a runner if u dont have them. who knows. additionally, u are supposed to regirster with the closest police station to your house or face a 1M rupiah fine as well as registering with the RT. (neighborhood govt. worker..... see spy)
also, u are issued a little blue book, not a red book. this is issued by the immigration and the school keeps it. they need to give immigration this book before an EPO (exit permit only) can be issued.

the approval to work in indonesia is done on a national level, however u are required to report and register with the immigration office closest to the one where u live........... not your place of employment.

the 2.5 i mentioned earlier was for everything that needed to be done on the indonesian side........ both legit and illicit costs. total included airfare to singapore and the costs there should be slightly less that 5 million.

[happy_me]

unless you live in another place then the air could be say 500 us and some places say they have difrent rules from JKT so charge more

[cutsnake]

Sounds like Dreamin is enquiring about Visa costs pertaining to an EF school. For what it's worth mate, (as other posters hv already mentioined), EF's contract isn't worth the paper it's printed on.

You want out.....ok, but u risk getting black listed from EF if you break it. That in itself isn't a problem, no worries at all. Leave via Sumatara or elsewere via boat to Sing (have some rupiah on hand in case there's a problem) N she'll be right......You can always come back in on a different passport. Bottom line is, you break the contract here- no dramas. EF is a fucken joke n so is the head office (EF Tamara). Don't worry, be happy !.

They go by the numbers on the passport, not by the names mate -Remember, there's more than 1 "John Smith" from where u come from !

[wannaBguru]

ef cannot black list u. only immigration can. and they can only do it if they deport u. for example u cannot pay or bribe your way out of your overstay fines..... max 1 year. or if u get busted for drugs or working on a non-work visa. so u can only be blacklisted by breaking indo laws, not contracts with ef. also, ef doesnt have a central data base on teachers. u can break a contract with one ef and go to work for another ef tomorrow. i know people that have done this. also, when they want that money, all u need is a friendly lawyer who is willing to call or send them a letter and they will back off any demands for the visa costs. most times they are even willing to pay the fiscal to exit.

[happy_me]

[wannaBguru]

u missed the point. the point is that ef doesnt have their own blacklist and certainly cant get anyone blacklisted from indonesia by immigration. they are not all powerful.

btw. where u teaching and how much u making?

[happy_me]

Singapore at the moment, not as nice as Indo, but everyone need a change now and then. O and its not Teaching, I am an editor.

The teaching wages have gone down so much I cant make a living at it, family man and all.

[wannaBguru]

thanks for answering the questions. good luck in s'pore and hope u make it back here someday