Job Discussion Forums

[Madame J]

Has anybody any experience of this part of the world? I've just been offered a job there, and my research on the place has yielded some, shall we say, mixed responses. Some of the landscape does look beautiful, but so far the more populous parts of the island sound nothing but sleazy. The Lonely Planet was in fact so negative about the place that it was almost funny.

I'm a fairly positive person and I think I could enjoy living in most places as long as the job and the people were right. Still though, I'd like to avoid being sent to a complete dump if I can avoid it! Does Batam have any redeeming features to it apart from the beaches (which I hear are in short supply anyway)?

[laughing_magpie06]

Just do it!

I haven't worked there so can't say if the schools are good or bad but for the place itself it is much nicer and cleaner than Jakarta and I always enjoyed going there on the way to Singapore.

[malu]

Until recently the most redeeming feature of Batam was cheap travel to Sing with no fiskal tax. That advantage has disappeared now that fiskal has been scrapped for legally employed taxpayers throughout Indonesia.

True, it is cleaner than Jakarta as magpie suggests. Same could be said for many more places in Indonesia.

If the salary is particularly good then Batam has regular flight connections to just about anywhere domestically, and sea connections with Sing. Life in any sh1thole is bearable if you can get away somewhere nice at weekends. If the salary is crap you will find your precious Rupiah not going very far in Sing

[Madame J]

[laughing_magpie06]

It has a reputation for being a place of 'sex and sin' being close to Singapore and a bit of a retreat for some of their citizens. But so what. You can find the same anywhere there are tourists and people cashed up enough to have a little fun. I also feel the average muslim Indonesian is a bit dirty on the place for having a large percentage of Chinese residents.
The important thing Madame is what do you want? You can live there or in a dirty, grimy, overcrowded city like Jakarta.

[Kebo]

Batam's also got good golf, decent food (western and local), beaches (not sooo great), resorts etc. and you're only 45 min from SIngapore by ferry.

It is fairly expensive in areas, there are 2 schools that I'm aware of that hire expat teachers. If you PM me your email address, I'll try and pass it on to one of the expat techers next time I bump into them.

Better to ask someone who's living it now.

[ljb]

Hi Madam J

Is it an option for you to request the email of one of the teachers already working at the school, so that you can ask some questions?

This is something I have done for teachers who want to come and work at our school and it's a nice way to develop a relationship before you arrive and/or it will support you to make an informed choice.

Hope it works out for you.

[Madame J]

I have already requested email addresses of current teachers, which the recruiting lady was a bit iffy about (apparently two of the teachers are new so are unable to give a reliable perspective, and the other one is currently on holiday) before telling me that she had no intention of bringing me to the island under false pretences and that she'd be happy to answer any questions with complete honesty. She then reliably did so, with comments such as, "The only people who go out at night are foreign men and 'ladies of the night'", "If you go out as much as expat men then you will quickly develop a bad name for yourself", and, "If a good social life is important to you then Batam isn't the place for you", leading me to think that Batam, well, probably isn't the place for me.

As for what I'd like from my living abroad experience, I try not to set too many expectations as I'm quite open minded, but I do see my bare minimum standard for enjoyment as involving decent work and the chance to build up a nice little social life. I don't necessary care about being out on the lash every night, but I do like to be kept busy most evenings and as a younger teacher I'd like to be able to live the life of, well, just that.

I can cope with living somewhere a little more conservative and adapting my mannerisms and wardrobe accordingly, I just can't stand the idea of being cooped up. Even the conservative town in Thailand I lived in for a bit was safe enough for me to go out in the evenings with other expat females!

Is Jakarta, though noisier and dirtier, decent for meeting people and not too restrictive for a foreign lass?

[laughing_magpie06]

Jakarta will have those same restrictions but you can get away with far more simply because it is a huge city and the school at least may be far from where you live (if you choose your own accomodation). The problem there will be the SATPAM, local villagers gossipping about you. If you can afford an apartment (not likely on a language school salary) with a predominately expat crowd you should be okay. It's in a kost or small house in a neighbourhood where Indonesians live where you will be scrutinized daily. That said, does anyone really care too much what others think?
The other alternative is Bali which is by far the most liberal island in the country.

[ljb]

Hi Madam J

I live in Jakarta and I have had a happy social life for the last 4 years or so, a good night out is not hard to find, neither are decent people to go out with. There are great bars, restaurants, clubs and so on.

I have lived in the local community and they seemed to accept my night time antics with little difficulty. I lived in two Kost (like a bedsit) before I moved into my own place, one of them had a curfew of 11pm and no over night guests and the other had no curfew but still no over night guests. I managed to have a great time.

Jakarta is a great city and as a woman, as long as you look after yourself well then you should have a lot of fun with no drama.

Judgements by others exist all over the world and I have found that as long as I treat those around me with respect and don't let my nightime pursuits get out of hand, they seem to be able to handle the differences in lifestyle.

If you are after a smaller place, I think Surabaya could be a better option although I have never lived there only visited, maybe others could comment?

PM if you want to ask anything else about Jakarta I am happy to help.

[taponwood]

" have already requested email addresses of current teachers, which the recruiting lady was a bit iffy about (apparently two of the teachers are new so are unable to give a reliable perspective, and the other one is currently on holiday) before telling me that she had no intention of bringing me to the island under false pretences and that she'd be happy to answer any questions with complete honesty. She then reliably did so, with comments such as, "The only people who go out at night are foreign men and 'ladies of the night'", "If you go out as much as expat men then you will quickly develop a bad name for yourself", and, "If a good social life is important to you then Batam isn't the place for you"
Teachers at our school always set up a relationship via email with prospective teachers, so the "newbies" can ask questions, get information etc. The DoS/management don't get involved in this process, other than originally passing the email address on.
Personally, I'd be a bit concerned about a school that didn't encourage this sort of interaction.
Been here a few years, never felt worried about my personal safety (iin fact, used to worry about it more in my home country).
Live close-ish to Jakarta - if you need further info, PM

[Madame J]

Well, I decided to turn down the position and keep looking. A shame, as the school did sound decent and the DoS seemed very nice (I know the business of her being iffy about supplying email addresses seems dodgy, but her reasons sounded genuine enough), but I just don't think the area was for me. The DoS had said that all the current teachers there are male, and after hearing a little more about the area, I can kind of see why.

Cheers for offers of PMs-I probably will at some point, as I am leaning heavily towards Jakarta as a place to teach.

[dgrove]

Hi.... perhaps a little late with my 5c, but i would like to share my experiences with EF English First Batam...

EF operates two schools here on the island and I've been working here for two months now and I love everything about my situation here. The schools are well run, the teachers are looked after very well and the work is very enjoyable. New teachers are given plenty of space and assistance to step into their roles. The curriculum is well developed and straightforward to deliver....

Before I came to Batam I had some concerns as all I could find on the internet in English pointed towards it being a seedy place. That side of life is available here, but I dont find any difficulty in excluding myself from it. Indonesia has social problems all over the place and people will do what they need to do to survive and Batam is no different to the rest of Indonesia in that respect... Seedyness exists all over the world, but if you want to avoid it like I do then that is more than possible.

If anyone is considering coming here just PM me and I will answer any and all queries....

The DOS is a very good, pleasant, honest, kind... etc etc woman and you can trust what she tells you about Batam and about EF. The schools themselves are very pleasant and my experience has been nothing but positive here, both at work and out of work.

As for being a single woman here... well... hmm... I think that all parts of Indonesia hold similar challenges and if you want to come teach in Indonesia for a year then Batam is no worse a choice than any other city really. In many ways it is an ideal place. It is so easy to get out of the city and into the greenness... here there is no air pollution. People are friendly....

I could go on and on about how much I am enjoying my experience here... It was a tough decision to choose a school to teach at, and a country too... there are so many horror stories out there. Take it from me people, EF English First Batam is a very good option....

[Elkythedogsperson]

dgrove..I am happy to read your post.

I was offered a position at EF Batam in December but at the same time was persuing other offers. Another offer with EF but in a different city was more promising and I accepted that instead. So unfortunately I only have seen the Batam while flying over to Singapore for my KITAS.
I was sorry to turn down the position in Batam, but I'd like to give my reasons so hopefully the owners of that EF franchise will realize why I went elsewhere.

1) There was no housing alternatives offered. Living in their housing is the only thing offered. EF Surabaya at least offers both the possibility of their housing or drawing a housing allowance of 1 juta/ month. Where I am at now there is no housing offered, but the monthly salary more than makes up for that. I pay a fair amount for my room in a Kost Kosan here, but even after I take home more than Batam�s salary offers. The prospect of my employer making me live in their housing seemed too controlling for me. I want the independence of knowing when I leave work, I am out of the school.

2) When offered the position I was given a specific date wen to show up (end of January.) I wanted to come earlier and stay in a Kost or Losen (at my own cost) to get acclimated, explore the town and just get a feel before starting teaching. The DOS at Batam said no, there'd be immigration poblems if I came ahead of my contract, even on a tourist visa. This is totally wrong. For the position I did accept I came a week before my contract was to start on a tourist visa and eveything been just fine with all immigration issues. The DOS here actually told me he was happy that I did as he felt it did give me the time to be settled before officially starting. Batam�s not wanting me to come early was a red flag for me; it felt like they wanted total control of everything.

Again, I felt bad turning down the offer at Batam and was happy to read you post that you are enjoying it. All of the communications I had with that school were very positive, and except for the two issues above I�m sure I would�ve been happy. Please keep us posted about the city. All of the research I did online made it sound very livable.

[jhemmila]

Hi dgrove,

I've been in Batam for about a year, now working at an international school. What do think about the area? PM me, we'll get a beer in Nagoya.