About Indonesia Expat Expertise I am a foreigner from a Western country but have been living in Indonesia for the past 9 years. As a person living and working here, I am able to provide information on transport options and average prices within the country, as well as getting in and out of the country, general hassles people will come up against, visas, recommended homestays, honest and ethical people for legal consultation and private investigation, scams that foreigners should be aware of, safety considerations in certain areas, requirements of living and working here, information regarding leasing houses, apartments, some information on mixed marriages, where to find good medical treatment, jobs, housing, imported foods, cars, restaurants, etc.
Experience I have been living and working here since the beginning of 1999 and have traveled and lived in Lombok, Bali, Yogyakarta, Jakarta, Central Java and West Java.
Expert: Indonesia Expat Date: 9/10/2007 Subject: Opportunity to teach or work with NGOs in Indonesia
Question Dear Sandra,
I read some questions from other readers about volunteering for extended periods in Indonesia. I wanted you to know that VIA (Volunteers in Asia) is a non-profit, non-religious organization that has been helping U.S. residents volunteer in Indonesia since 1968. Our mission is to promote cross-cultural awareness and one strength is the extensive training we provide. We offer a summer cultural immersion program in Bali and 1-year (and longer) volunteer positions throughout Indonesia. Please feel free to direct readers to our web-site: http://viaprograms.org/programs_in_asia/indonesia/ or have them email me directly.
Thanks and enjoy!
-Nathan
Program Director
VIA
Answer Hi Nathan,
Very sorry it took me so long to reply to your message. My internet connection has been down, which can be frequent here.
I've checked out your organization's website. It looks quite good. Lots of info and questions answered. It might be helpful if your company also lists any paid positions that come open as most people wishing to work with NGOs still need a means of providing for themselves while helping the communities around Indonesia. I realize that a monthly stipend from $50.00 to $300.00 is provided, as mentioned on your website, however, this might make some people hesitate to join your organization, especially in addition to the fact that there is a sign-up fee. There are a great deal of expats that I know who would like to work with an organization like yours, myself included, and would be willing to move to different areas of Indonesia to do so however, they have families to provide for and day to day responsibilities to take care of as well.
I have a question myself regarding visa sponsorship. What type of visa does VIA provide for volunteers? Or are they responsible for setting up some kind of visa on their own through one of the Indonesian embassies? My concern would be that volunteers could find themselves having problems with local immigration as a result of working for your organization on the wrong type of visa.
Again, thanks very much for the information and I hope it will spark some interest in those trying to do some good in the world around themselves. If you have any additional information that you could provide regarding the above that would be helpful to people considering a volunteer position with VIA, please feel free to contact me again.
