Teaching Jobs in Indonesia

Indonesia is an archipelago nation consisting of over 252 million people spread across over 13,000 islands. To say that individuals who teach in Indonesia have many location options, in terms of city choices, would be an enormous understatement. The geography of Indonesia varies substantially across the country. Many people may be unaware of this fact, but Indonesia stretches nearly 4,000 miles from east to west, making it over 1,500 miles wider than the continental United States.

In the far west of Indonesia lies the island of Sumatra. Volcanic activity has gifted this expansive island with fertile farmland, but it is still home to over a dozen cities with at least 200,000 residents. Both urban and rural teaching jobs are possible on the island of Sumatra, and the coastal cities especially are noted for being tourist hot spots due to their beautiful beaches and warm climate. Overall, Sumatra can provide a good mix of both urban and rural lifestyles for prospective teachers, depending on what each individual is looking for in the teach abroad experience.

Another of the major islands of Indonesia is Java. Home to over 143 million people, Java is the world’s most populous island and one of the most densely populated places on Earth. Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta lies in the west of Java, and many more population centers are can be found between the numerous volcanic mountains that make up the island. The urban environment and sky high population make city-based teaching jobs in Indonesia plentiful here. If urban living in Indonesia is your goal, you should teach abroad in Java.

While there are certainly other major islands with teaching opportunities in Indonesia, such as Borneo and New Guinea, literally thousands of smaller islands are inhabited as well. These islands can provide prospective teachers with a much more relaxed and rural teaching experience. With the abundance of inhabited islands comes the need for teachers in almost every decently sized town, so finding a teaching placement in Indonesia is simply a matter of research.