Jakarta, Yogyakarta & Java

Jakarta: where the teaching market lives

Jakarta is Southeast Asia’s second-largest city — 11 million people in the city proper, 31 million in the Greater Jakarta metro area. It is Indonesia’s commercial and political capital, and by far its largest English teaching market. More language schools, more international schools, more corporate English training, and more kindergartens are concentrated in Jakarta than in any other Indonesian city.

Jakarta is also one of the world’s most notorious traffic cities. The daily commute from southern residential areas (where many teachers live) to language school locations can take 1.5–2 hours in each direction during peak hours. This is the city’s defining daily challenge. The Jakarta MRT (Mass Rapid Transit), opened in 2019 and expanding, improves the situation along its corridors. Gojek (the Indonesian super-app for ride-hailing, food delivery, and payments) makes on-demand scooter transport fast and cheap. Teachers who rent near their workplace or near MRT stations navigate Jakarta far more efficiently than those who don’t.

Jakarta’s rewards: the largest expat community in Indonesia; a cultural scene that ranges from the old Dutch Batavia quarter (Kota Tua) to cutting-edge galleries and restaurants in Kemang and SCBD; proximity to the Thousand Islands (Kepulauan Seribu, accessible by boat for weekend diving and snorkelling); flights from Soekarno–Hatta International Airport to Bali for as little as IDR 200,000 ($12.50) on budget airlines; and salaries that are Indonesia’s highest for English teachers.

Yogyakarta (Jogja): culture, volcanoes, and Borobudur

Yogyakarta — “Jogja” to everyone who lives there — is the cultural heart of Java and one of the most intellectually alive cities in Indonesia. Nineteen universities in a city of 400,000 people create an extraordinary student population, a density of warungs and budget accommodation, and a genuine arts and culture scene that includes traditional batik production, gamelan music, wayang kulit puppet theatre, and contemporary visual arts. The Sultan’s Palace (Kraton) is not a museum but an active royal court where the Sultan of Yogyakarta still governs.

For English teachers: Yogyakarta’s teaching market is real but smaller than Jakarta — language schools, private schools, and university positions are all available. The appeal: extraordinarily low living costs (room IDR 1.5–3M/month; full warung meal IDR 15,000), a genuinely creative and welcoming local community, and the most extraordinary cultural and natural setting of any teaching city in Indonesia.

Borobudur: The world’s largest Buddhist temple is 40 minutes west of Yogyakarta by road. Built in the 9th century; abandoned; rediscovered; now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 2,672 relief panels. 504 Buddha statues. The sunrise experience from the upper platform, with Mount Merapi visible to the northeast and mist rising from the surrounding plains: genuinely one of Asia’s great sights. Teachers in Yogyakarta can visit casually; teachers anywhere else make it a day trip.

Mount Merapi: The most active volcano in Indonesia — 30km north of Yogyakarta, visible from the city on clear days. Regular eruptions (minor and major). The 2010 eruption killed 353 people. Merapi is monitored continuously; evacuation alerts well-managed. For teachers: Merapi is part of Yogyakarta’s daily visual landscape and a significant cultural and geological presence. Managed volcano tourism (hiking with guides) operates during safe periods.

Bandung: Dutch colonial charm and mountain cool

Bandung is the capital of West Java Province, sitting 768m above sea level in a volcanic highland basin — giving it a reliably cooler climate than Jakarta’s coastal heat, earning it the nickname “Paris Van Java” from Dutch colonists who found the temperature and architecture European. The Dutch colonial architecture is genuinely well-preserved in the city centre; Villa Isola (a stunning Art Deco building, now a university) and the Concordia Society building (now the Merdeka Building) are representative of the era’s quality.

Bandung’s teaching market is growing — language centres, private schools, and international schools (Bandung International School and others) all operate in the city. Living costs are meaningfully lower than Jakarta while the quality of life (climate, food, arts) is high. The city’s proximity to Jakarta (2 hours by train or Damri bus; the new Whoosh high-speed rail cutting this to 45 minutes from 2024) makes it accessible as a base. Teachers who find Jakarta’s heat and traffic exhausting often cite Bandung as the Java alternative that provides better daily quality of life.

Surabaya & East Java

Surabaya is Indonesia’s second-largest city — a major port and industrial centre on the east coast of Java, with a strong business and maritime economy. Less glamorous than Jakarta as a destination but a genuine English teaching market with lower competition. International schools, language centres, and corporate English training all operate here. Gateway to East Java’s extraordinary volcanic landscapes: Mount Bromo (the most photographed sunrise in Indonesia, 3 hours south), Kawah Ijen (the turquoise acid crater lake with blue fire at dawn, 4 hours south), and Sempu Island’s sheltered lagoon.

Surabaya is 45 minutes from Bali by flight — making it both a strong teaching base and a gateway to the island. Teachers who find Bali too competitive for job-hunting sometimes establish themselves in Surabaya first, then use the salary and experience to compete more effectively for Bali positions subsequently.

Java’s extraordinary travel landscape

Java is 1,000km long — about the length of Great Britain — and contains more geological, cultural, and historical variety than most countries. From a teaching base in any Java city, teachers have access to:

• Borobudur (Central Java): World’s largest Buddhist temple. Near Yogyakarta.
• Prambanan (Central Java): 9th-century Hindu temple compound; extraordinary; near Yogyakarta.
• Mount Bromo (East Java): Active volcano; rim hike at 3am for sunrise over the “Sea of Sand”; otherworldly.
• Kawah Ijen (East Java): Turquoise acid crater lake; blue sulphur fire visible at night; unforgettable 2am hike.
• Karimunjawa Islands (Central Java): Archipelago nature reserve; clear water; coral reef; accessible from Semarang by ferry.
• Dieng Plateau (Central Java): High volcanic plateau; ancient Hindu temples; the world’s highest concentration of geothermal features on a single plateau.
• Bali: 45 minutes from Surabaya; 1.5 hours from Jakarta by budget airline for IDR 200–400K.

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