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: 8/17/2007 Subject: working/volunteering in Indonesia
Question Hi, I'm about to finish the 3rd year of an arts degree, majoring in Indonesian and anthropology and before doing honours I want to take a year off and work/volunteer in Indonesia (I don't really mind where though I'm most familiar with Yogya). I can speak Indonesian well enough to get by (though I'm not really good with slang) but being only 20 I don't have much experience. Helping teach english (though I don't have TELF qualifications), working with an NGO or even helping out with translations from Indo to English would be good. Can you suggest some places where I can begin to enquire? Cheers.
Answer Hi Rebecca,
It's commendable that you're thinking of volunteering with an NGO in Indonesia, but please be aware of the dangers you face with immigration here.
Foreigners are not allowed to legally volunteer with any NGO, local or foreign, without the proper visa. So if you're thinking of coming in and volunteering on a tourist or social visa, I would recommend you think very seriously about that. You would need either a proper KITAS, where your 'employer' would be paying the 'tax' to the local Labour Department, or you might be able to come in as a 'consultant' on a Business Visa.
If on a KITAS, make sure you ask whichever NGO you will be volunteering for about whether or not they are paying this tax to the Labour Department. Because there is a difference between a KITAS with and a KITAS without this payment made. If without, you'd be volunteering illegally.
If you get caught volunteering illegally, you will face deportation, very possibly a large fine and very possibly jail time. Some people get away with it, others don't.
As far as looking for a position, you can check this mailing list: DevJobsIndo@yahoogroups.com
Sign up with them. You will get numerous postings on a daily basis on positions which are open in Indonesia and elsewhere. But as I said, be very careful and ask many questions of the organization you want to work with. And don't believe anybody that tells you it's legal to volunteer on anything other than a proper KITAS, because it most definitely is not. If you call the head immigration office in Indonesia or visit the Indonesian embassy in your city, they will tell you the same thing.
Good luck in finding a suitable volunteer position :-)
