Hi, I got a job offer in Indonesia, working at the Bekasi Region east of Jakarta.

I wonder any online resources or groups available which is more catered to Malaysians working there. So far major facebook group are filled with western expat and most post are domestic workers asking for jobs.

Any reason?

In short, money. Compensation will be paid in USD with expat package with housing and transport provided.
Why Indonesia, because it's for a tobacco company and I had prior experience.

Salam

This post has been edited by Mixxomon: May 10 2024, 09:39 AM

Thank you so much for the kind words.
I think friends will eventually come too, just thought a few acquaintances to teach me the ropes around Indonesia at the early stage will be helpful if not I'm going to just assume Indonesia is just Malaysia with a slightly different Bahasa.

Hey there,

I've yet to move there. Still awaiting my Indonesia work permit which should be ready by this week or July, then I'll head there in mid August.

Yeah, you seem to be more invested in my relocation more than myself. Are you staying there?

I just got my work permit few weeks back. Will fly to Indonesia come Mid August.

Will share my thoughts and experience once I have experience this for a few months.

But a common words of wisdom from some of my Malaysian colleagues working there is to spend time to understand them first before doing anything.

Sore Pak.

I can comfortably read most of their emails but once they start conversing I lose track of what they're trying to say. Conversing is still quite a challenge. Still trying to learn.

Food wise, loving the Sundanese food,though my colleague like to sit in the floor type. Don't know how time I got the kaki kebas.

So far so good, but I do get frustrated by some local admin matters.

Thought I just give a 6 months update here:

1) My area is pretty much a manufacturing hub, so loads of Japanese companies here. Hence locals here quite used to seeing foreigners

2) Imported goods are generally more expensive here, which is why I do any large purchase back in Malaysia. Only exception is phone because you have to pay a certain amount of taxes for a foreign phone to use local sim card

3) I hate sitting on floors to eat, but the locals love it.

4) Demonstration and strikes are pretty common in companies. Some with reasonable demands (usually labour unions) and sometimes the local groups want pressure companies to do business with them (even locals hate these local groups because they know they just want easy money from ali baba arrangements)

5) Night scene is bizarre. Being able to speak bahasa means you get access to the locals night scene at local prices.

6) People here are friendly, but that also means that they freely talk to random people they meet on the streets just about anything

7) As such, there are no secrets.

8) I wonder why do they need to hire expats to fill some middle management role here, and after working with some of them here, I do realize they're mostly used to the Japanese style of working (i.e. they expect their higher ups to give instructions). European/American style working where you give the destination and objective and they're expect to path their own strategy is a new thing.

They're also extremely hierachial. Your subordinates will never give their own ideas. Collaboration between staff of multiple ranks is foreign to them.

Since they're hierachial, job title is extremely important to them. You still see some habits where managers dismiss some supervisors opinion on the basis of their rank.

Feel free to ask me anything on working in Indonesia, but I have to say, Indonesia is an extremely large and diverse country. Working in different area will have different experience.