Teaching in Bandung

The Schools

First things first. There are three EF English First schools in Bandung. The oldest of the three is at Jl. Cipaganti, the second Jl. Banda and the newer at Jl. BKR in the Buah Batu area to the south of the city. The two older schools are located in old, Dutch buildings. The newer school is smaller but has an extremely pleasant working environment. All of the classrooms have a CCU (Classroom Companion Unit). The CCU is a computer and monitor linked to an EF server and the Internet. This gives teachers access to a wide range of multimedia to use in their lessons. At the time of writing EF English First Bandung employed 16 full-time native speaker teachers and 16 full-time local teachers.

The day to day running of the schools is handled by two Indonesian Centre Managers, while the Academic running of both schools is handled by two Director of Studies. The schools are owned and run by one owner.

The courses that are run here include a full range of children’s classes, Teenagers’ classes, General English, Conversation, International Examination Preparation Courses and Business.

Children’s classes including Teenagers’ classes represent around 40% of our market so prospective teachers should be prepared and willing (rather than afraid and daunted) to teach a wide range of age groups. We believe this offers a great chance for teachers to gain valuable experience in a rapidly growing segment of the English Language market.

Accommodation and getting set up

We arrange and pay for simple, clean hotel accommodation for new teachers for the first week of your stay while you get your bearings and start looking for permanent accommodation.

View from the balcony at a teacher's house in DagoMost teachers choose to rent a house. Prices for small but clean houses in Dago, North Bandung range from Rp 8-13 million for a year. Most landlords want a year paid in advance, so we offer a once a year interest free housing loan of Rp 7 million for teachers.

New teachers need to be aware that most houses do not have hot water (this is normal for most tropical countries). Some houses are furnished but others are not which suits some teachers who prefer to set up their house as they like it.
It is advisable that teachers come with at least some money to cover the cost of setting up a house eg. rent, refrigerator, gas cooker, bed, bedding etc. These items are all available locally at comparatively cheap prices.

The other option for accommodation is to stay in a Kost kosan (boarding house) Where rent is paid monthly (approximately Rp 1-2 million) and all are furnished and include hot water, laundry service, and sometimes cable TV. All the bills are included in the monthly price.

Things to bring

Clothes
Teachers will obviously need to bring clothes for work that conform to the school dress code. For men these are pants/slacks (strictly no cargo pants), leather shoes (strictly no trainers) and collared shirts. Ties are optional. For women these are pants or skirts/dresses, neat shoes and any variety of tops/blouses (we recommend nothing too strappy or revealing).

The climate in Bandung is superb with daytime temperatures ranging between 25-28 degrees Celsius and nighttime temperatures between 14-18. Light jackets and jumpers will be sufficient for any cold weather. Travel to other cities in Java and the rest of Indonesia will normally mean slightly warmer temperatures.
So how many clothes should you bring? Bandung is the textile industry capital of Indonesia and home to perhaps 50 factory outlet shops that sell brand name clothes for a fraction of the normal price.

Others
Bedding and towels are all available locally. If you use contact lenses then there are plenty of opticians here which offer a range of different brands. If you require any prescription medicine it is advisable to bring enough for a year from home – it may well be available here but it’s better to be prepared.

A good travel book is advisable. Most include a section at the back with basic phrases and vocabulary so you can get started with at least familiarizing yourself with the language.

Location

Tea plants in the hills above BandungBandung is located in West Java approximately 3 hours by car or train south east of Jakarta. Bandung is around 700 metres above sea level and is surrounded by a ring of mountains on almost all sides. Dago, a popular area to live for teachers, is slightly more elevated and continuing up the hill you will eventually reach Lembang, Tangkuban Perahu (the volcano) and Ciater (the hot springs).

Teachers relaxing on the beach at Pelabuhan RatuTo the beaches, it is a 4-hour drive to Pelabuhan Ratu and a 6-hour drive to Pangandaran. Yogyakarta is a 7-hour train ride away.

Cost of Living

As with anywhere, the cost of living is as one makes it. A meal at a local street stall – Rp 7000, a large beer – Rp 15 000, a western type main course at the Sheraton Rp – 80 000+. From home to school on public transport – Rp 3 000. There are many good supermarkets that stock a lot of the items you may miss from home.

Most teachers find it comfortable. Considering that the salary here is comparable to some schools in Jakarta, and the significantly higher living costs there, EF Bandung offers one of the most competitive packages of any EF in Indonesia. Ask around!

Entertainment

A costumed pub crawl kicks off at Cloud Nine in DagoWith beaches close enough to make them realistic options for weekends, Jakarta 3 hours away by train, Yogya an overnight train ride away, and plenty of things to see locally like hot springs and volcanoes, there are plenty of things to do. There is some night-life on the weekends and enough of a western community to find someone to socialize with any night of the week. The Sundanese people are generally speaking very tolerant when it comes to the sometimes very different lifestyles of westerners.

On Indonesia

Just remember that not all of Indonesia is palm-fringed tropical beaches. Oh, they are here but often they take a bit of getting to! But isn’t that half the fun?

Like most other places, the majority of the population lives in cities and some of the cities here are huge with all of the things that go along with big cities. Don’t let this put you off though. Just do a little research and know where you are coming.

You might be someone who comes just for a year and has the time of their life, or, you might be one of those people who like it so much you can’t leave.

Click here for more information about living in Indonesia.

Hope this helps,

Chris Lloyd
Director of Studies