Teaching Jobs in Indonesia

Although it may surprise many people, Indonesia is actually the fourth most populous country in the world. Found in south-east Asia, the country is made up of a staggering 17,500 or so islands and so understandably has a broad array of ethnic and linguistic groups within the country. The capital city Jakarta is the first stop for most visitors to the country and is home to just over 10 million inhabitants out of the country's overall population of around 250 million. As Indonesia has moved towards full democracy, it has become an extremely popular destination for both newly qualified and experienced English language teachers. This could certainly be something to do with the fantastic climate, lovely food and genuinely warm and friendly locals who enjoy interacting with and meeting foreigners. The two main cities of the country are Bali and Jakarta and therefore this is where many teaching jobs in Indonesia are based. As with many Asian countries, learning English and other globally important subjects is very important to both the government and locals who wish to improve the quality of life. For this reason, both international and local schools often employ overseas teachers. Of course, when teaching abroad, part of the experience is learning about the customs of the country and enjoying the local way of life. English language teachers living and teaching in Indonesia can really enjoy a fantastic lifestyle. Most employers will offer shared housing in middle class neighbourhoods with other teachers, rather than individual apartments. It is also a cultural norm to have a live-in maid; it provides opportunity and vital income to Indonesia's rural community and you may very well get used to having someone doing your cooking, cleaning and grocery shopping before long! Jakarta is a very interesting city with the main museums and cultural sites of the capital found in and around the Merdeka Squareand Old Town areas of the city. There is also an excellent nightlife and despite being a Muslim country, alcohol is readily available in bars and restaurants throughout the city. Bali is of course a very famous tourist destination but also has its fair share of teaching positions and excellent schools to work in. It is also certainly a fun place to live and you will not be short of entertainment during your time off. The cost of living is relatively low and you can certainly make a very comfortable life for yourself teaching in Indonesia. With the country being on the equator, temperatures are consistent all year round and average between 25 and 32°C. Many of these months however are characterised by plenty of rain and the driest time of year in Indonesia is July to October. Outside of the capital, many of the yearly 6.5 million tourists make use of the excellent nature tourism industry. This feature of the country includes a huge amount of rainforest (especially on Sumatra and Java) and fantastic beach resorts such as Bali and Lombok which have some of the best scuba diving in the world.