Job Discussion Forums

britishempire · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 21

Hi,

I was just wondering if anyone has any background information as to whether Indonesia is really safe or not?

After reading about the riots in 1998 and natural disasters it gives ones perception of Indonesia a thought of hesitance.

So, any advice possible here?

( my background, working towards my degree 1st year BA Applied criminology with psychology degree, got my TESOL 150 hour, 6 hours teaching practice certificate accred by The College Of Teachers, along with online certificates, (although just as an introduction obviously wouldnt use these certs to classify myself as a *English tutor*.). oh and 8 weeks of teaching experience in Poland, Borne Sulinowo with Adults, took the TESOL course with INTESOL in Prague, I'm aged 21, live in south east Kent, England, EU passport holder obviously.

papillon · Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 91

lethal...

britishempire · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 21

serious answers please. apart from the dangers, what is the opinion of the organisation I TO I?

http://www.i-to-i.com/paid-jobs-abroad/indonesia.html

laughing_magpie06 · Joined: 14 Sep 2006 Posts: 282

I have lived on and off in Indonesia for several years and have never felt any threat living here. Jakarta is quite safe for a large city and wouldn't have any worse crimes than most western cities. Of course Indonesia is a large diverse country and parts of Central Sulawesi and Maluku still have sectarian violence. But these places are far from the main centers of business, tourism and employment. Good luck.

britishempire · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 21

Thank You magpie06.

papillon · Joined: 02 Feb 2006 Posts: 91

Joking aside, Jakarta is lethal to your health and sanity, Bogor has expanded so rapidly it is virtually a mini Jakarta. Bandung has been a mini Jakarta since the authorities implemented the toll road.

Jogya is joyful, Semerang and Solo full of conniving Chinese businessmen although the food is good and the pick of the bunch is Bali.

The most danger you'll encounter on mainland Java will be at the hands of rogue taxi drivers, pack a canister of mace and you'll be fine..

drgonzo · Joined: 03 Feb 2004 Posts: 82

Nevermind that you can't go anywhere safely... every other week there is another airline incident, a ferry sinking, a train derailing, a bus colliding, a bule falling off their motorcycle pissed drunk. If you survive that then you need to worry about tsunamis, earthquakes, landslides, floods, fires and haze, etc.. If you survive all of that then you have to worry about the bombers for any of a number of reasons. I remember being there in 2003... in that year there were no less than 9 bombs in Jakarta alone. Most did not have fatalities other than the marriott, but I believe one of the bombs was at the airport which took the leg of a young girl and injured a few others, and one bomb was just outside the UN building... but no one was injured.
Saying all that though, I somehow managed to survive my 3.5 years there with no lasting scars (or offspring), and I rather enjoyed myself.

britishempire · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 21

land of peace then lol,

Im just weighing up all the pros and cons for each country at the moment while im still studying.

Thank You for your advice and your experience, its all priceless and valuable.

Serious_Fun · Joined: 28 Jun 2005 Posts: 1171 Location: terra incognita

britishempire · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 21

Your point is besides quoting ppls words?

Chancellor · Posted: Thu Mar 01, 2007 9:40 pm Post subject:

britishempire · Joined: 27 Feb 2007 Posts: 21

What would be a good salary for a newbie starting out. Yes I am very wary of I TO I but with Indonesia being thousands of miles away its just safe to start with an organisation.

gugelhupf · Joined: 24 Jan 2004 Posts: 575 Location: Jabotabek

I'm not a well-travelled globetrotting sort and the only comparisons in terms of safety that I can offer are the UK, continental Europe and a two-week trip to the US!

I feel very much safer here than I ever did in the UK from both terrorism and violent crime. I was alarmingly close to the Grand Hotel in Brighton when the bomb went off (ringing in my ears for ages afterwards) and I was mugged twice and once beaten up without any apparent motive within those sceptred isles. I've now been in Indo three years without any problems.

Drgonzo is still wringing his hands with angst (must be an Aussie) about 9 bombs in one year in Jakarta. Hell, they had that many in one day in Madrid in the same year, and during the IRA 'troubles' 9 per week was not uncommon. Lets get things into perspectve here...

Visible crime here is of the stealthy variety such as pickpocketing and theft of motorbikes from supermarket parking lots.

The cheaper forms of transportation ARE particularly dangerous here and best avoided. That includes long distance buses, railways, many ferries, and some airline carriers such as Adam Air, Wings, and the non-jet fleet of Merpati. I certainly wouldn't use any of that lot. Anyone planning to use, carry or sell illicit drugs in SE Asia is also asking for it. Apart from that, don't worry.

basiltherat · Joined: 04 Oct 2003 Posts: 952

i have spoken to my wife (indonesian) about this. she frequently returns for visits there. she seems to indicate that there still exists an underlying problem between ethnic chinese and indigenous indonesians.

As far as Jakarta is concerned, if thats where you plan on going, ......

i was in jakarta in 1998 and what astonished more than anything was that prior to the riots i knew an indonesian family who were on the greatest of terms with a chinese family down the road. wen the riots occurred the indonesian family, it was said, were among several of a group who were responsible for the massacring of the said chinese family. they trashed the house and burnt it to the ground. the compound where we have our property would have been trashed too had it not been for the 'wisdom' of the guys at the security gates.

wat im trying to say is that alto it is highly unlikely that any trouble will occur while your there, if a severe downturn in the economy occurs - remember the ethnic chinese still hold pretty much the sway over the economy despite many of them leaving post riots last time - and indonesians feel the pinch, it cud get mighty horrible again.

i personally dont know how badly theyre suffering at the moment but my wife tells me the conditions for the majority of indonesians in jakarta is still pretty wretched compared to early ninties.

on the surface all might seem well within society there, but deep down there might still be a 'volcano' just waiting to erupt again.

I agree that, as things stand, perhaps Jakarta is no less safe than most other capitals so i should stress that im not trying to frighten anyone away from going if he / she REALLY wants to go and stay but i think the above shud be kept in mind.
best
basil Smile

ps my family and i actually quit living there in 2000 because, among other things, we no longer felt as safe as we did prior to the riots.

Chester · Joined: 15 May 2004 Posts: 383 Location: Australia

i concur with drgonzo. especially the marriot bombing, as a close colleague of ours was severley traumatised by it ( he was in a cafe next door). also during my stay of 2.5 years i made numerous suggestions to my wife and her family to visit numerous places, some of which i was advised not to go due to religious ie moslem v christian violence, or for other safety issues. it turned out to be good advice because subsequently ferries sank or planes crashed on routes i would have otherwise utilised.
drogonzo is an aussie? wow he will be laughing at that, aye.