Job Discussion Forums

[niscratz]

Hi all,

Just wondering if someone could please confirm whether or not Irish passport holders are entitled to a working visa in Indonesia.

Thanks in advance,
Aoife

[topshop]

This is a strange situation and one that I have struggled to understand for a good while. I even approached the Indonesian consulate in Ireland for an answer but there was none given. I think the answer could only be given by the Indonesian embassy in London. My information is that the Indonesian authorities do not believe for some reason that Irish nationals are not native speakers of English as they say that Irish is the first language of the Republic of Ireland.

Officially this is true to some degree but Irish is not widely spoken outside of the gaeltacht areas in Ireland thus English is the language spoken in Ireland. I have a inkling as to why Indonesia takes this stance towards Ireland and it refers to the Labour government policy of about twenty years ago when a certain politican (D.S.) berated the Indonesian policy vis a vis Timor Leste and the Indonesians have never forgiven us.

Since we are such a small country it is difficult to make a case for ourselves except through the EU. Thus I believe that this policy stands to this day and this has been confirmed to me by employers in Indonesia.

Imagine if we were to implement such a rascist policy against Indonesian resident in our country? However our spineless government does not care a whit about the expat Irish just gald to get rid of them out of the country so that they can save on social welfare. Sorry I digress, in short I believe that a KITAS is not available to Irish citizens in Indonesia who wish to work as English teachers there.

For official confirmation please contact the Indonesian embassy in London and I hope you get an honest answer but I doubt it.

[jef dam]

As with most things, it's a grey area. Job advertisements usually list the passports they accept. Some mention Ireland, some don't. Take them at face value and apply to schools that say they will accept your passport. The worst answer you can get is no.

Good luck.

[p1randal]

For what it is worth, I have two coworkers from Scotland, and I do the recruiting for my school and the director never mentioned anything about "no irish allowed" or anything of the like. I think it is more like jef dam said..sometimes yes and sometimes no..

[niscratz]

Thanks to all of you for your answers. The list of passports listed in ads seems to exclude Ireland more often than it includes it, but I guess I'll only apply where it has been included..

Interesting take on the matter Topshop! English is without shadow of doubt the first language of the majority of Irish citizens (sadly in terms of culture etc, useful when it comes to EFL teaching), and anyone who thinks otherwise is fooling themselves. I'm pretty sure DS had a very valid point back in the mid-90s. I would hope that wouldn't be the reason behind the lack of clarity regarding this point!