Post edited 12:08 pm – August 29, 2009 by Baeksu

Howdy, all! I'm browsed this forum a bit in the past but am a first time poster here.

I've been living in Seoul, South Korea for over a decade but several years ago visited Indonesia and realized that I would be a fool not to spend some time there and perhaps even settle down there permanently.

I like big cities and will probably head for Jakarta. My question is about universities there. I've taught English and writing at several universities in Seoul and am wondering if anyone knows about the university teaching scene in Jakarta? I'm also a professional writer and critic and mainly am looking for a place to work that has low hours and gives me a visa on a year-to-year basis. I expect a uni salary to be not so extravagant, but if I bring some savings of my own that wouldn't be too much of a hindrance. 

I'm also wondering what the best neighborhoods are to live in in Jakarta for an expat on a moderate income. I'm familiar with Jakarta's notorious gridlock so I suppose I'd want to live close to where I work, so I wonder if any of the neighborhoods around any of Jakarta's universities are pleasant places to reside in? Also, I might be interested in staying in Jakarta's Koreatown, at least initially, since I like Korean food and can speak Korean so that might also be a good place for me to "acclimatize" myself to the local situation.

Any thoughts on any of the above would be much appreciated! 

Post edited 11:23 am – August 30, 2009 by Baeksu

Hello Ross, thanks very much for the information. Yes, I'm a "native" speaker of English, from the SF Bay Area originally, but have also lived in London and Mebourne, which means I can effectively speak Surfer, Gansgta, Ocker and Pom.

Binus and Monash seem to be somewhat recently established institutions in Jakarta. I'll be sure to look them up, and thanks again for the leads.

I pretty much like to live in city centers and have been able to get by in Seoul right downtown the whole time I've been here, and considering it's one of the world's most expensive cities rent-wise, Jakarta shouldn't be too bad by comparison. The only problem, as far as I can tell, is that Jakarta seems to be very spread-out and polycentric, somewhat like Berlin, for example, so it's hard to say what the most "central" of Jakarta's centers is. The last time I was there I stayed right near Monas but the area seemed rather quiet at night and didn't exactly feel like a genuine city center, with lots of foot traffic and the like.

A lot of Koreans apparently live in Tangerang, but that seems far too away from the main urban core for my tastes. They also seem to have established a beachhead in Kebayoran Baru, which is known to be quite wealthy, but I'll have to investigate further to see what sorts of digs are available in the area.

Cheers again!

Jalan Jaksa? Do any expats actually live there long-term?

I thought it was mainly a "decompression chamber" for tourists, a watering hole for ESL teachers and a night market for trannies and druggies.

Surely it would not be a very impressive residence to put on one's namecard, at least in the eyes of locals, would it?

I do recall that Jalan Jaksa was close to Tanamur, of which I have fond memories, but I think I've read somewhere that it closed down a while ago after some thirty years. 

Hi Baeksu,

If you wanted to know the market price for houses or apartments in Kebayoran Baru and surrounding area, here is a site that you can look at.

Houses and apartment listing. The term "Dijual" means for sale and "Disewakan" mean it is for rent and "Dikontrakan" means for lease.

Rp 1 jt = rupiah 1 million (juta = million), 1 jt approx = to US $100.

I hope it'll help with your search.

Salam.

Yeah definitely.  Besides, choosing where to live should really take into account where you are going to go for work, and how you are going to get there.  If you take the bus, try to be close to the bus route you need to take.  If you will drive, try to have a clear route to your workplace that doesn't stick you in some 3-in-1 macet nightmare.

Post edited 3:45 am – September 7, 2009 by Patung

@ Baeksu & Cmeiwa,

This site is also a good place to make your research in living in Indonesia.

http://www.expat.or.id/

Salam.

Try getting a property agent to get a better variety of location and the choice of price.

I think that would be the best bets.

Most property agents you could search them in your hometown to give you referrals to that in Jakarta.

This way it would saves you a bit of time.