Teach English online?

If immigration finds out about it, you will probably be deported and banned from visiting Indonesia again for 5 years unless you have a legitimate working visa and work permit and declare your earnings.

abdulkhalil wrote:

If immigration finds out about it, you will probably be deported and banned from visiting Indonesia again for 5 years unless you have a legitimate working visa and work permit and declare your earnings.

That's possible but less likely if the customers are outside Indonesia.
However, in order to be sure, be honest and tell immigration your intentions when you apply for a visa.
If they won't accept it, that's the end of it.
Saying that, if you're spending money in Indonesia and not doing any work that can deny an Indonesian a job, well, immigration aren't stupid so they might very well ignore it.

This is an 'honesty is the best policy' thing.

I really appreciate your reply, I’m confused over when to know what visa I should/could apply for considering that I want to live in Indonesia for 6 months out of the year or more, and I want to supplement my income by teaching English online to people outside of the country. Any idea what my visa options would be under those circumstances?

You'd need a sponsor to get a sosbud social visa. The thing is valid for 2 months but can be extended twice times without leaving the country.

Fred wrote:

You'd need a sponsor to get a sosbud social visa. The thing is valid for 2 months but can be extended twice times without leaving the country.

The SosBud visa is indeed the one you need to get, but it depends on which Embassy of Indonesia you apply at, whether they'll give you 1 or 2 months to start with. In Malaysia they usually only give you 1 month, in Singapore 2 months, and in South Africa 2 months. I'm not sure about other countries.

It can be extended 4 times, for 1 month at a time, so you will get a total of 5 or 6 months depending on whether you entered with a 1 or 2 month allowance. At each extension you have to motivate "why" you need to stay longer.

The Sponsor you need is an Indonesian that you will be doing something for, which you need to explain on your Visa Application, i.e. they are not really interested in where your money comes from (they assume that most foreigners have "unlimited resources"), but they are very, very interested in what you are going to do here and for whom.

When you extend your SosBud visa for the 1st time, Immigration will send their "investigation team" with a photographer, to come see if you are really doing what you wrote on your Forms, and especially checking that you are not receiving any money whatsoever from Indonesians.

And if you want to stay for longer than those 5 or 6 months, you will need to find another Sponsor, and repeat the process. The same Sponsor cannot be used more than once (for longer than 5 / 6 months), because then it goes beyond the purpose of a Social / Cultural visa.

A tourist visa can be extended for up to 3 months and all the while nobody will ever know that you are teaching English on line ~ the internet is often patchy and drops out so you need to be sure you have a very reliable and strong connection. Immigration will never find out so long as you are getting your pay sent elsewhere and drawing your own money into the Indonesian economy through the ATM!!

@Zoé.7:

Thank you for that very clear and detailed explanation.

Thank you so much for your detailed reply. I wonder why they care if I'm doing something for an Indonesian or not. I just want to go there, bring in money from another country, and spend my own money in Indonesia, I don't understand why that would be anything but accepted with open arms by the Indonesian government.

I guess they don't trust foreigners who just come to "hang around". Your Sponsor will be responsible for keeping an eye on you; that you don't deal in illegal substances, or cause other kinds of trouble.

And with your Sponsor, will come other 'visible' people whom Immigration will interview about your whereabouts. When you live here, you will learn who is your "Pak RT" and "Pak RW" (kindof comparable to your area's Small Chief and Big Chief). They are people whom you will have to submit some papers to once you plan to start living here for longer than 2 months (simple stuff, like a copy of your Passport, a copy of the SosBud visa in it, a copy of your Sponsor's identity card, etc), and they will ask many questions about your plans here when you supply them with your copies, so when Immigration comes, they will be aware of your whereabouts.

For the sake of painting a fair picture, Indonesians also have to do all the above but without the immigration stuff.
It isn't anti foreigner as such.

Fred wrote:

It isn't anti foreigner as such.

Indeed it is not anti-foreigner at all.
But most governments will tolerate a local just "hanging around" being of no clear benefit to the country, because he is a Citizen. The tolerance for foreigners doing that, is unfortunately less.

But it's not as hard as it may sound to  "TheTempehNinja".
I would suggest that you come for a holiday to Indonesia, and meet people with a need which they cannot justify creating a job for, whom you can help for FREE. The possibilities are endless, depending on your qualifications and experience.

Just keep in mind that if you mention the word "volunteer" to Immigration, they will expect you to register as a Social Worker first.

Here's an example to make it practical:
I first came to Indonesia in 2012, making Professional videos for a University FOR FREE.
In return (which they did not have to do at all) they allowed me to attend some language classes FOR FREE. I never had time to attend any of the language classes, but that verbal agreement was approved by Immigration, and I got to use the SosBud visa for 6 months.

You might also want to consider where you want to be, Thailand or here. If you are coming here, better you come, learn what is happening and make a decision about how and what to do. You get 30 days free visa on arrival and then from there you can sort extensions through an agency (search online) or at Immigration.

You need to weigh up the costs of living and where you will stay. Also to get a range of clients and a market of customers. Skype is easy enough but it might be enough.

Or you can try the same in Thailand but I am sure that they still give 90 days so that would give you more time.

Good luck, whatever and where ever you choose

I found this some while ago.

https://preply.com/en/Purwokerto/englis … e-speakers

No recommendation, and not a lot more than an option to look at as I have absolutely no clue if the company is any good or not.

As to the legality of working for someone like this whilst on a SosBud, probably strictly illegal but it's also very possible nobody will care as long as there is no work taking place on Indonesian soil.

Be honest, tell immigration everything, and let them tell you if it's acceptable.

Fred probably knows more about Indonesia than most other Indonesians that I know, so I would heed his advice. Tell immigration that you want to teach English online and ask them if it's alright. And remember to tell them that you are doing it as a free service and won't be paid.

When I was at Immigration in Bandung 1.5 years ago helping a friend, they did not accept Agents doing SosBud extensions anymore. Tourist visa extensions, yes, but not for SosBud.

It might very well be different at other Immigration offices, but IN BANDUNG they wanted to meet the Applicant with the Sponsor at the 1st (or latest at the 2nd) extension, and then they asked questions as to establish whether you really know each other, whether your being here will really benefit your Sponsor (or other Indonesians under his influence), etc.

Immigration said that in the past, foreigners would communicate with a "Sponsor" online before coming to Indonesia, for example a Travel Agent whom the foreigner will supposedly be helping (with e.g. English customers), and then they would hire an Agent to do the extensions for them, while the Sponsor and Applicant never meet personally or do anything together, and so there is no-one keeping an eye on / being responsible for the foreigner's whereabouts.

In order to avoid that, they started insisting on meeting the Applicant with the Sponsor, and asking those questions.

But maybe it's just like that at the Banding Immigration Office.....