Job Discussion Forums

[gordon1984]

Hi, im planning on heading to Indonesia for my first job teaching English, hoping to be there in the next couple of months.

Could any of you guy's who teach there or who have taught there tell me what tey think of teaching there, would it be a suitable starting point for a new teacher with no experience of teaching English.

I was wondering what it's like to live in Jakarta as I am looking into teaching there. I have travelled SEA quite extensively and last time I travelled with my friends they all hated Bangkok but I actually enjoyed th hustle and bustle of it, I loved going down early in the morning tot he street stalls and having my breakfast and loved how the smells and noise and everything else had my senses on high alert, is Jakarta a bit like this?

I ride motorbikes and plan on buying one as soon as I arrive, how easy is it on your day's off to get out of the city and explore, is there nice place's around for weekend trips?

I also love the country and wouldn't mind teaching out of the cities, maybe on islands like bali or just in the country out of the way, how easy is it to come by those jobs?

Say I move to Jakarta, what's the social scene like, is there social clubs, is it easy to make friends there with other teachers and expats and also local as I plan to start learning the language as soon as I arrive.

Any help would be much appr4eciated, it's a big move for me leaving behind family and friends I have had all me life so just want to get the views of people who have done what im thinking about, again thanks for taking the time to read this, cheers

I forgot to ask, do you need a degree to teach in Indonesia, i to i told me no, but I read somewhere on the forums you did?

Gordon

[laughing_magpie06]

In two words fascinating and frustrating...

If you like the hustle and bustle of Bangkok maybe Jakarta is your place. I found though that Thailand was more organised and easier for a foreigner to navigate around even one who cannot speak a word of Thai.
Social scene in Indonesia is great as expats are a very small minority so tend to stick together more than in other parts of Asia. Indonesians while friendly are very xenophobic and you will pretty well know you are an oddity to them from the word go. I loved Jakarta the first year (even I had many dramas in the beginning) but the novelty wears off after that. That was me, there are others who can't or won't go home after sampling life there.

[gordon1984]

Hey, thank's for replying, sound's interesting although I think my mothers cooking would eventually drive me home at some point, not! Hope she isn't reading!

No but thank's for replying, do you know of any social clubs, football club's or anything like that?

[tanyakenapa]

If you arrive in July.... PM me... as we'll have a motorbike for sale, around the 10million rupiah mark. RX KING ... 2 years old.... (purchase price brand new was 16millioon)

We plan to move to Australia in July, and need to get rid of the husband's motorbike.

But not available till July hehehehe

[ljb]

I say try it and see. We all have differing views and opinions about where we live and if you feel drawn to a country then give it a try, if it doesn't work out for you, move on to the next one. The joy of ESL is that you can move around until you find a place that fits you.

I have lived here for 5 years and have had ups and downs as I would have in any other city in the world. Socially, life can be as good as you make it or as boring as you make it, it's all about you and who you are! You may need to look for the adventures you seek as opposed to them coming to you but if you are happy to buy a motorbike and get yourself out and about at weekends then you have no reason not to enjoy your lifestyle here.

Go for it!

[Vertumnus]

Firstly, there have been numerous newbies like you who have asked "What's Indonesia like?" and several of your other questions. Please review the messages from the last 3 months and you'll find lots of info. For the rest, read on...

Personally, I dread Jakarta, but others love it. If you want hustle, bustle and a jam-packed city, try Jakarta.

To get out (or just around) Jakarta isn't exactly easy. Traffic's a bear and Jakarta is big, surrounded by satellite cities, and dirty. If you travel quite a ways, you'll get to something nice - like the safari park and tea plantations in Bogor/Puncak. You'll need an international license to drive here. If not, you'll have to get a work permit first (and all the other documents), then go through the rigamarole of gettings your driver's license here. That requires running hither and yon getting the permission of everyone and then some. Motorbikes are a fast way to move through traffic, but no one pays attention to the rules, so you need to be careful.

If you have no experience and no credentials, you're best of starting with language courses anywhere. There are always some so desperate for help that they'll take you.

In many cities, there are clubs and events organized by the expats. One is the Hashers and Harriets (don't ask, I don't know why). It is a social walk/run that's often followed by a picnic and drinking beer. It's a good way to network. Just dive in and ask everyone around you what's available.

Degrees aren't required, but they are useful. No degree does make it a bit more difficult.

-D

[Tommybhoy]

Bangkok=Nice, Jakarta=Horrible...like your man said look at the other posts!

[Vertumnus]

[taramisu]

I would consider some training courses, they might help you out some.