Hidupid – Indonesia, an archipelago country contains over 17,000 known islands, with a population of a quarter billion of people from different ethnicities and cultures. It is a good option for expats who want to enjoy a colourful lifestyle in a diverse country.
The primary reason expats move into this country is to obtain work in natural resources including gas, oil, and mining activities. This is the field where Indonesia has gained most of its wealth. But, expats are also attracted to other sectors such as telecommunications industry and education where they can offer their language skills, such as teaching English to the locals.
Expats can be found in Bali, the popular tourist hub, and Jakarta, the capital city of Indonesia that also happens to be the major economic, cultural and financial center. Papua also attracts the fair share of expats for the mining sector in remote areas.
Bureaucracy, on another hand, is a challenge. There are no differences, whether the expats are planning to move in, or already inside, the requirements and processes for obtaining visa and work permit can be frustrating and they keep on changing. It is important to stay up to date with these changes if you are currently living in the country or plan to do so in the near future.
In comparison to many western countries, living in Indonesia is considered inexpensive. Besides accommodation, the expats will likely spend the most significant expense on education for their children. Indonesia offers numerous school options with some of those being international schools located in Jakarta.
Islam largely influences the culture in Indonesia as it is the country with the biggest Muslim population in the world. Thus the expats, especially westerners and female, have to put an effort to adjust to the local cultures, including the style of dressing and the concept of personal space may be different from what the expats expect.
Cities in Indonesia, like Jakarta, have grand modern offices and tower blocks that create beautiful skylines that are surrounded by villages on the outskirts of the city. Indonesia also has lines of volcanic mountains, tropical beaches and jungles outside the cities which offer a perfect outdoor lifestyle for expats. Due to the tropical and hot climate, expats that come from colder climates need a little time to get used to the humidity to enjoy the beauty that Indonesia offers.
