Hi Francesca,

I'm Carly, I was living and teaching in Yogya until March this year. Just wondering, did you get your KITAS sorted out? I got mine before I booked a ticket over, but there was lots of trouble trying to get 'exit passes' and other teaches applying for a KITAS. All you have to do is put some money in your passport when you hand it to them... so I hear

I am so sorry, you really caught me at a bitter time. The past month has been a ridiculous mess of meetings with the school and immigration. All I can really do is say that I highly recommend not working without a KITAS. I sound like a broken record and I hate myself for it. The problem is that no one will give you a KITAS unless you work for them for a bit. It is very expensive for them. This means that every school is, at some point, employing illegals. The schools set up deals with immigration to prevent raids, but not everyone's palm can be greased at all times, so a raid can happen at any moment if someone with enough power wants a piece of the pie. And once that raid happens, the person with the most money is going to have to pay. Hopefully that person isn't you. Or that your school doesn't throw you under the bus.

The sad part about all of this is that local English teachers are required to be trained by a native English speaker, but that requirement is often extremely superficially met because many places will not take on the huge expense (salary plus immigration fees) or risk of hiring a native speaker. And if they want to fine someone, they can also arrest you for volunteering on any visa that isn't a volunteer visa. And that does happen.

It's all very sad. Teach at your own risk.

Hi Francesca! I was going to ask you about getting started in Indonesia, but I see that someone already asked and you answered a lot of my questions!

In a few weeks I'll be starting the TEFL course and then should have both my A.A. in Elementary Education and TEFL cert completed in September. I'm hoping to be arriving in Indonesia by the end of the year. I actually do NOT want to work in Jakarta. I wouldn't mind the smaller cities, or even some of the villages (close proximity to a beach would be icing on the cake! ^_^).

I also joined a forum for people who are living in Indonesia, so hopefully I can make some connections before I arrive. Now that you have been there for awhile, do you know which schools or placement agencies have good reputations in Indonesia? Thanks! :)

Hey Katie,

That's great to hear that you are taking the course, and good luck!

I don't know anything about finding a job in Bali, but I assume that it will be pretty impossible. Bali is like a little slice of Miami. Every expat and their mother wants to grade papers on a tropical beach while sipping rum and fresh coconut water. Indonesia is full of equally amazing beaches (if not better) but the western lifestyle is a little harder to replicate other places. Jakarta may be really easy, though. Lots of people, lots of jobs. Have you ever been to Indonesia?

My experience is this:

It is easy to get a job if you have a friend that will introduce you to the right people.  You could be eating dinner with a friend, and then they offer you a job almost out of the blue. You then have to meet with someone who is in charge, you shake hands, they don't ask anything about your experience, just what you are doing here, and then the next thing you know you have a classroom. That's happened to me twice now, and I am in process of helping someone else get a job the same way.

I don't know if this is true or not, but I have heard that if you are willing to travel anywhere in the country, even if it means living in a village... you will have no problem being placed in the traditional way (resume, interview) but you have to go through one of the larger Internationally run schools. The traditional way in this culture is to ask friends. That is actually the way everything gets done around here. It isn't polite to be direct. Friends act as buffers for everything. EVERYTHING.

Have fun and safe travels!

Hey Francesca,how are you finding teaching in Indonesia?How you found that there is a lot of work at the moment?I am looking to do the 120 hour combined course this month and try and hope to get work in Jakarta or Bali!If you could just give me a bit of basic advice that wuld be fantastic!Hope that you are having a fab time!

Hey Francesca,

Welcome to Chalkboard! That's awesome you're thinking of heading to Indonesia - you might want to chat to Robert who taught there for around a year to get his advice about it all: http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/robertclarke

Enjoy the site and best of luck with your TESOL course!