Job Discussion Forums

[Thel]

Hello

Perhaps I haven't been sufficiently diligent in searching this forum, but I have some questions. After having gone through that exhaustively specious thread begun by eclectic (subject line: something about not laughing; primary source of speciousness: Henry), I found little by way of concrete answers to his questions about salary except that 860 would be a struggling sum in the capital. How about elsewhere?

Additionally, Indonesia's obviously a huge country. Variances from region to region must be significant. If one sought a safe (i.e, not prone to murderous attacks or civil strife) mid-sized population but abundant employment opportunities, where'd one go? I understand the questions broad, but any replies would be very welcome.

Yrs,
Thel

[beefer]

[Thel]

Right, beefer:

I have a B.A in English but I'm working towards the M.A before departing, because my wife and I plan on remaining abroad. We're flexible with pay, but would enjoy stability when it comes to getting paid. We're trying to avoid pockets or areas populated with, let's say, overzealous believers of any given faith; we'd avoid religious homogeneity if possible (I understand Indonesia's a muslim country, but there are other denominations). We don't need a social scene in the convential sense--the customs, environment and architecture will satisfy us. We're hoping to find a place where access to the internet and English books is available. I don't care whom I teach, at what level. Since it's all novel to us, the first year at least will be a time for figuring out what kind of teacher I am and what kind of student I prefer, so it's all good. That's all that occurs to me now...

Well, thank you for the time and any future advice.

Thel

[guruengerish]

Java has a population of 155 million or thereabouts. You will find very few places which are not crowded, busy, a good bit of rubbish and dare I say it, a degree of pollution.

Yes indeed, Indonesia is a mainly-muslim country and I believe the figure is 95% Muslim and 5% of the other four permitted religions.

Even the quietest areas such as Yogyakarta, can see some rowdy demos by an unruly few.

If you're looking for a quiet place, choose maybe Manado (North Sulawesi) which has a high percentage of Christians. Parts of Sumatera are also less crowded than Java.

If you live just out of a city (eg Yogya) you can find some wonderful, quiet villages and friendly people. Just don't rock the proverbial boat!

However, the reality is, that most English schools are where the population is, so a quiet, Christian town would be hard to find.

[Zorobabel]

According to the department of statistics, Indonesia is 88% Muslim. Jakarta is about 15% Christian. The main ethnic groups in that category would be the Chinese, Batak, and Minahasa. Probably about half of the national plus schools are Christian-majority, plus the significant number of Catholic schools around the city.

The only place you'll find decent English books is in Jakarta at a Japanese bookstore called Kinokuniya. Everywhere else that sells English books will provide you with a nice selection of drivel: Harry Potter, The Da Vinci Code, weightloss programs, and gems appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show.

As for the rest, I don't think I can give any honest suggestions. Manado, Yogya, perhaps Medan.