Indonesia
Government restrictions on hiring workers from abroad coupled with high levels of unemployment mean recent UK graduates are likely to find opportunities for employment in Indonesia extremely limited.
Applications for jobs in Indonesia are usually made by CV and cover letter. Application forms are also fairly common, with the larger national or global companies often (and sometimes exclusively) accepting applications online.
Indonesian citizens place much importance and value on networking and building relationships when seeking employment, so UK nationals may find it more fruitful to begin their job hunt following arrival in the country.
Take the time to tailor your CV for the job, highlighting any relevant qualifications, work experience and skills. Use a one-page covering letter wherever possible to summarise your key selling points and to highlight your reasons for application. Make your application in the appropriate language, either Bahasa Indonesia or English.
Get advice on writing CVs and covering letters, including examples, from JobStreet Indonesia - Career Resources .
Interviews in Indonesia are formal occasions and you should make sure to dress smartly in business-like attire. The interview formats and techniques used are similar to the UK. Panel interviews lasting between 30 minutes and one hour are common, as are competency-based questions.
It is advisable to contact an employer before making an application in order to determine the eligibility and/or equivalency of your UK qualifications.
If you are planning to live and work in Indonesia, check your UK tax and National Insurance position with HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) to ensure that you are not losing any UK pension rights.
It is common for recruiters to advertise vacancies in the daily press, although newspapers tend not to have a jobs page on their online editions. Employers looking to hire from the expat community may target English language newspapers.
Self-employment in Indonesia is not an easy option. A breakdown of the procedures, durations and costs of setting up a business in Indonesia is available from Doing Business . Additional business start-up information for small businesses can be found on SME Toolkit, Indonesia .
Networking and building relationships plays an important part in finding employment in Indonesia. Network extensively in the local community by attending social functions and joining business associations such as the British Chamber of Commerce in Indonesia . Passing your CV to everyone you know in Indonesia and making them aware of your availability will increase your chances of finding opportunities.
Due to the high levels of unemployment in Indonesia, opportunities for paid work experience are very rare. For links to organisations that provide work experience opportunities abroad, see Intern Abroad .
Teaching English as a foreign language represents one of the few possibilities for employment in Indonesia for UK students and graduates. For teaching positions, a qualification such as TEFL or TESOL is required by the Indonesian government. You may find positions advertised for native speakers of English that require little or no training but, as these schools will be unable to get you a work permit/visa, you would be working illegally. Useful advice, courses and international vacancy databases are offered by Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL) , TEFL.com and i-to-i TEFL.
Volunteering can be a good way of gaining work experience in Indonesia. Among the organisations that offer volunteer placements in Indonesia are AIESEC (Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales) and Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO) and an internet search will reveal many more.
Due to the high risk of natural disasters and the threat of infectious diseases in Indonesia, there may be opportunities to carry out periods of humanitarian relief work. Work of this nature often requires specific language skills and substantial or specialist work experience in fields such as healthcare or engineering.
Gap year opportunities include teaching English, community work and conservation/wildlife projects. To find a gap year opportunity that interests you, see gap year.
The higher education system in Indonesia consists of two divisions - academic and professional education. Professional education, concerned with the preparation of skills useful to the workforce, takes place in academies and polytechnics. Tertiary schools, institutes and universities offer both academic and professional education in either a specific field or a diverse range of disciplines. A full description of the education system is available from the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in London .
Masters and Doctoral programmes are provided by most universities along with diploma programmes for professional training.
The academic year is split into two semesters. Masters degrees can take between four to ten semesters (two to five years) to obtain and Doctoral programmes between six to ten semesters (three to five years) to complete. You should contact individual universities directly for details of the courses on offer.
Although some institutions do offer programmes delivered in English, Bahasa Indonesia is the main language of instruction at Indonesian universities.
A list of universities and research institutions in Indonesia is available on the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in London website.
World university rankings are available from Top Universities and Times Higher Education University Rankings .
Entry requirements will vary between institutions. It is advisable to contact the admissions office of the institution you are applying to in order to determine entry requirements and to check the acceptability of your existing qualifications. You should make your application as early as possible to allow yourself enough time to work through the visa process following an offer of acceptance. Applications for courses that start in September are usually accepted up until June of the same year.
Applications should be made directly to the institution. University websites carry details of the application process, which is usually via a paper-based or online application form. You will need to provide evidence that you have any qualifications required for entry. It is common for international applicants to be asked to provide a CV or personal statement along with references or letters of recommendation.
A separate fee category usually applies for international students, and fees may vary significantly between institutions.
Detailed statistical information for some universities, including average fees for international applicants, is listed on Top Universities . Scholarship opportunities for UK nationals are very limited. The Darmasiswa Scholarship Programme is a government-sponsored scheme for study related to Indonesian culture on a non-degree programme.
Opportunities for academic exchanges are very limited for UK nationals. Try contacting the international office of your UK institution to see if they have any existing links with institutions in Indonesia and in which subject areas.
For a fee, UK NARIC (National Recognition Information Centre for the United Kingdom) can provide information and advice about how qualifications and skills from overseas compare to the UK's national qualification frameworks.
If you wish to spend more than a brief holiday in Indonesia, the procedures are complex and highly bureaucratic.
All UK citizens entering Indonesia must have a passport valid for a minimum of six months beyond the date of entry into Indonesia. The required validity period is much longer in some cases, so be sure to check thoroughly when submitting your visa application form.
Longer-term visitors to the country would be advised to plan their visa application well in advance and to make sure they fully understand the requirements. Breaching certain regulations can lead to protracted judicial proceedings, fines, deportation and even imprisonment.
For full details of the different types of visa and downloadable application forms, see the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in London website.
If you are not a UK national, check with your embassy about regulations for obtaining work in Indonesia.
The situation is particularly complicated if you wish to work in Indonesia. All applicants must have a sponsoring company that has obtained permission from the government to hire an expatriate. This can be a lengthy, costly and extremely bureaucratic process. If the government accepts the company’s application, a work permit will be issued. The company can then apply for a semi-resident visa (or VITAS) for the new employee, valid for a maximum period of 12 months, with the possibility for extension.
If you intend to study in Indonesia, you must obtain a place at a university before applying for a visa. You will need proof that you have been accepted on a course. After you have completed all the necessary documentation and application forms, you will need to go to the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in London , or your nearest Indonesian embassy if you are not in the UK, to apply for a Social/Cultural Visit Visa, which must be converted to a student visa after you arrive in Indonesia. Full details are available on the embassy website.
The helpful and highly detailed unofficial guide to immigration and visas at Living in Indonesia, A Site for Expatriates is well worth exploring. It includes explanations of the different types of visa, costs and what documentation is needed.
UK nationals may find advice from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) useful. If you are not a UK citizen, you may find it helpful to contact your ministry of foreign affairs (or your own embassy if you are not living in your home country) to ask whether there are any issues to be taken into account when considering working in Indonesia.
Provided you meet the necessary criteria, you can apply for an Indonesia permanent residency permit (or KITAP), which is valid for a period of five years. Keep a copy of all the legal documents you receive to demonstrate that your residency is legal. Application is made through your local immigration office.
Receiving a permanent residency permit does not automatically entitle you to a work permit. Some people choose to use agents to help them with their applications but their fees can be high. A useful and concise guide to KITAP is available in English at Wijaya & Co , along with information about Indonesian law on a number of other issues relevant to foreigners.
Although public employment services do exist throughout Indonesia, they are primarily concerned with helping Indonesians into employment. This is due to the high levels of unemployment and government restrictions on the employment of foreign nationals.
Formal careers support is more common and well established within the larger and more prestigious institutions in Indonesia. The University of Indonesia Career Development Centre has an online vacancy board and also runs an annual Career Expo - a large recruitment fair with a wide variety of job sectors represented.
It is important that all resident British nationals register with the British Embassy, Indonesia through the embassy's website, by fax or by mail. The website gives comprehensive details of the kind of help that is available to British nationals. The embassy also recommends registration through the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) LOCATE service for those on short trips. Nationals of other countries should contact their country’s embassy.
Other emergency contact numbers in Indonesia are:
Find the latest travel advice and a traveller’s checklist on the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) website.
