> How would I get paid?
> What are the hours?
> What's a thirteenth month?
> How long is a contract?
> Will I have to do placement tests ?
> If I'm an inexperienced teacher, what kind of support is there?

How would I get paid?

The salary is paid monthly and is based in Indonesian Rupiah. Salary is transferred to the teacher's personal bank account on the last working day of each month. It's not possible to be paid in any currency other than Rupiah. However, it is possible to open a Dollar bank account here and to transfer money to an account in another country. It is easy to exchange money into other currencies at most local banks and money changer.

What are the hours?

EF classes last for 1 hour and 20 minutes. A teacher's workload is 17 or 18 classes a week. This works out to be 24 hours a week, in the classroom. Although we have our own textbooks, it is still necessary for teachers to put in preparation time.

In addition, teachers may be requested to substitute classes in case of sickness or other teachers on holiday. Teachers never teach more than 4 classes in one day and if a teacher teaches more than 18 classes in a week, they are paid at the overtime rate.

What's a thirteenth month?

The thirteenth month is a final bonus for successful completion of a one year contract. It is intended to either help with resettlement in another country or, for those who take a second year, it is often used for a trip home or travelling in Asia or Australia. The bonus is a full month's salary, so the final pay check is double the usual monthly check and teachers have the choice of either a one-way airline ticket to their point of departure or the US Dollar cash equivalent of the price of the above airline ticket. Teachers who renew contracts also get the bonus and the US Dollar cash equivalent of the price a return ticket to their point of departure (that includes returning to Indonesia).

How long is a contract?

Contracts are a little over one year as teachers finish at the end of our schedule. In Surabaya, we have schedules finishing every 2 weeks - this means you will work a maximum of 1 year and 9 days.

Will I have to do placement tests interviews?

Yes, this does vary from school to school but generally teachers are required to be available during some of their breaks to interview prospective students. This generally happens on days when teachers have 3 classes so they can be available to do Interviews at times when they are already at the school.

The School Assistants mark the Grammatical part of the test while the teacher assesses the written part and conducts a short oral interview. Teachers are not required to do Placement Test Interviews for the first 3 months of their contract, so that they have experience of the levels they are placing the students in.

What kind of support is there?

Teachers are expected to be familiar with modern communicative teaching methodology. Basic training and support is offered by Director of Studies and Senior Teachers. There will be one weeks orientation at the start of the contract to familiarize yourself with the texts, computers and the school.

We also run several teacher's workshops, including a monthly "Ideas Exchange Workshop". All teachers are strongly encouraged to participate in these workshops. In addition, there is an extensive and expanding resource library with teachers guidelines.