EF English First Indonesia – Director of Studies Fact Sheet

Section One - General Information

EF English First is part of EF Education; the largest privately owned English language teaching organisation in the world. EF was founded in Sweden in 1965 and originally offered English language courses for young Swedish students to study during the school holidays in England. EF Education today is a multi-national group of 14 companies and non-profit organizations with over 3,000 staff and 20,000 teachers at work in 50 countries. Each year, two million people benefit from an EF program. EF Education divisions include international language schools primarily in native English speaking countries. A diverse range of courses are offered including semester and year abroad programs, educational tours, corporate language training and the world’s largest online English language school,

EF English First (also known as E1) was founded in 1993 and is a division of EF Education that provides English language training centers for students who do not have the opportunity to travel to a native English speaking country such as the UK or the USA. EF English First, a company with over 200 training centers world wide, operates a franchise system in the following zones:

Russia, Global Zone (inc. Poland, Morocco, Lithuania, Chile, Mexico), Indonesia, the Middle East, Thailand and China. Indonesia is the second largest zone in EF English First and has 65 training centres throughout the archipelago of Indonesia.

The first schools in Indonesia were opened in 1995 and since this time the training centers have expanded rapidly and the zone has gone from strength to strength. Indonesia is the only zone where EF English First is recognized as a brand name. It is not unusual to see people with EF English First car stickers or wearing EF English First t-shirts who may never have actually been to an EF English First training center. This puts EF English First Indonesia in an enviable position.

The EF English First Indonesia support office is based in Jakarta. It supports the EF English First franchise partner schools and ensures that the highest standards of education and management are maintained. The Academic Operations Managers in the national support office communicate directly with the Director of Studies in each school regarding issues such as texts, testing, teacher development and resource materials. The office also acts as liaison between the schools and our teacher recruitment offices in Boston, Brighton, Manchester and Sydney.

Each franchise school is owned by an investor who appoints a Centre Manager to manage the sales, marketing and general administration of the school. The Centre Manager works with the Director of Studies who manages the academic side of the operation. As is the case with all EF English First training centers, DoSes in Indonesia have contracts directly with the Franchisee.

There are exceptionally good prospects for promotion/transfers to other countries around the world for staff who prove themselves in their posts. The larger schools in particular benefit from the expertise of DoSes with an eye on the commercial aspects of a training center as well as specific areas such as Young Learner programs. Many of our successful Franchisee’s open a second or third school so a competent, career oriented DoS can find themselves in a Senior DoS position, responsible for more than one school.

1.01 DoS Basic Package:

Contracts for EF English First in Indonesia are not entirely standardized due to local demands, conditions and school set up. However, the following points outline general conditions.

  • Flights both to and from country of origin are provided by the respective EF English First school for twelve-month contracts.
  • Directors of Studies are entitled to a minimum of 12 working days holiday per twelve-month contract in addition to public holidays and school closings such as the end of Ramadan and Christmas holidays. Indonesia has the enviable record of having the most public holidays in the world, 18 in total.
  • EF English First schools pay for visa and work permits.
  • Health insurance is provided. Consult your school’s representatives regarding details.
  • Directors of Studies receive five days of training during the DoS Initial Training and Induction program conducted in Jakarta. Travel, accommodation and lunch are provided by the respective training center.
  • Annual nationwide DoS Conference.
  • Accommodation is provided by the English First school. Should the DoS choose not to take up EF English First’s offer of accommodation, a housing allowance may be given. Consult your school’s representative for more details. The amount of the allowance varies according to the location and the local real estate market. The Director of Studies is entitled to single accommodation.
  • Salary is paid in Indonesian Rupiah (local currency) and can be the equivalent of US $800 to $1200 per month (8 million to 12 million Rupaih). Salaries do vary from school to school and location. The school representative should be consulted. Salaries are generally higher in Jakarta due to the density of population which incurs a slightly higher cost of living. This salary offers a very comfortable standard of living.
  • Contracts are for a 40-hour week with between four to twelve (4 to 12) real hours, (six to eighteen (6 to 18) academic hours) of teaching per week. One academic hour equates to forty five minutes, including a five minute break. Hours of work will mirror those of similar local schools and will involve morning, evening and weekend work. Good time management skills are necessary for potential DoSes.
  • Working weeks have been typically five and half days, weekdays plus Saturday morning. Today, E1 Indonesia is looking at the prospect of opening seven days a week, with two full days off for staff working on Saturday and Sunday. This will depend however on school location and market demand. Scheduling tends to be from between 3.00 pm to 9.00 pm with this time slot being squeezed due to local competition. E1 Indonesia has developed products to address the daytime utility which the DoS should endeavour to implement.
  • Learners range from absolute beginners to advanced. There is a high percentage of young learners from five year olds upwards, therefore a good working knowledge of young learner programs would be a decided advantage. As the E1 Indonesia schools have been established for almost ten years, the challenge is to provide specific training courses to students who feel they have reached a sufficient level. Training programs including international exam preparation and business English are some of the potential opportunities which the DoS can exploit.
  • Training centers hold regular social and marketing activities for the students which the DoS will be expected to organize and participate in.

1.02 The Students:

As noted above, EF English First training centers offer classes to all age groups. They are from the more affluent sector of Indonesian society and typically come to study for a few hours a week after their classes at private elementary and secondary schools. Some schools also have a good number of university students and young professionals. English is part of the curriculum in Indonesian schools so a strong but passive knowledge of grammar is not uncommon. Students like the fact that we offer relatively small classes, which have a strong communicative element and it is practice in speaking and listening that they value most from EF English First classes.

Teachers invariably comment on the pleasure of working with Indonesians who are generally motivated and enthusiastic about their English classes and trainers. They tend to study with their friends and the time at our schools is to a certain extent an extension of their social life. This is encouraged by EF with regular school activities above and beyond “just English classes”.

In many of the E1 Indonesian training centers, 50% of the students are young learners aged 7 to 14. Parents are looking towards their children’s future and are seeking out the best programs for them.

1.03 The Teachers:

There are currently over 450 full time foreign teachers working with EF English First in Indonesia. They range in experience from those who have just completed a TEFL/TESOL certificate course to those who have been teaching English as a career for a number of years. There is also a good mix of nationalities; we have teachers from Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand, and the U.K., the only countries from which we are permitted to hire teachers by the Ministry of Labour. The various accents, vocabulary and spelling differences are equally respected and are of benefit to our students who may need to work in one or more of these environments.

EF English First has its own textbook series for general English classes but encourages teachers to make full use of other EFL resource books found in all of our schools in order to make lessons as student centred and proactive as possible. Teachers have full access to a wide range of other support material such as photocopying facilities, multimedia lab with CD ROMS, Computer Aided Language Learning programmes and to the extent possible given local service providers and telephone lines, internet access for students and staff.

EF English First schools also employ local (Indonesian) English teachers who are usually responsible for lower levels. They provide a useful insight into Indonesian culture and society for foreign teachers and are an integral part of the teaching staff.

1.04 Director of Studies:

The position of Director of Studies requires total dedication. Professionals of outstanding calibre with a dynamic approach to managing EFL education programmes and teachers, who also enjoy being part of a youthful and mobile team will thrive in this post.

The DoS is usually the most experienced teacher in the team and as such is expected to do a certain amount of teaching hours, leading by example. A key area of the position is regular observations and the implementation of workshops, promoting professional development of the team. The Franchisee’s and Center Managers often see the DoS as the answer to all their prayers, so a high degree of patience, tolerance and flexibility is a must. A DoS who is actively involved in the commercial aspects of the school will be an extremely valuable asset to the Center Director/Franchisee. Many of our DoSes have stayed in Indonesia for five extended periods or have advanced their EF careers in other zones.

1.05 E1 Indonesia Tamara Support Office:

The support team for E1 Indonesia provides help to each of the training centers and its’ managers in many areas including Operations, Academics, IT, Legal and Recruitment.

The Academic Operations Managers provide support and advice about the academic management directly to the DoS in each training center. They also work to continually design and aid the implementation of new academic programs, curriculum and academic procedures. As well as coming from the top down, new and innovating ideas come from the down top. Most new products come from experts in the field and Indonesia is no exception. For creative DoSes the first port of call will be the Academic Operations Manager who can offer help and advice in developing a new idea.

The recruitment Department supports the training centers by providing a steady flow of new and experienced teachers by means of the TRC (Teacher Recruitment Center) ensuring the DoSes are always able to maintain a full team.

1.06 Methodology and Curriculum:

EF English First uses the communicative/integrative approach. The aim is to improve fluency, confidence and accuracy while improving the essential skills of reading, writing, listening and speaking. These are not merely conversation courses, but rather a method to encourage oral practice and interactive learning.

EF English First has its own textbook series for general English classes, a series of Work in English for business English and late in 2004, will launch its own material for young learner students. The categories of young learners are; Early Learner – 5 to 7 year olds, High Flyer – 7 to 10 year olds and Trail Blazer – 10 to 14 year olds. Many other courses are run using recognized published materials such as international exam preparation.

Teachers are encouraged to make full use of a wide range of EFL resource material, found in all our training centers, in order to make lessons as student centered and proactive as possible. Teachers are encouraged to make use of all other teacher support material such as, photocopying facilities, multimedia lab with CD ROMS and Computer Aided Learner programs and permanent Internet access for students and staff.

Section Two – Legal and Financial Information

2.01 Visa Information

Depending on the school’s norms and your place of origin and timing, you may enter Indonesia on a tourist visa and within the 30 day validity of that permission, obtain the work visa (the school does all the paper work). It may also be possible to obtain the work visa before entry given enough time and your proximity to an Indonesian consulate within your own country. In any case, you will receive clear instruction from your future employer.

2.02 Bank Accounts, Foreign Currency Conversion and Credit Cards

Most teachers open a bank after arrival. Salaries are deposited in this account, which is accessible from the widespread installation of ATM machines throughout the country. There are no limits on the conversion of Indonesian money into another currency. An idiosyncrasy of Indonesian banks and authorized moneychangers is that they will only accept US dollars which are new and have not been folded. We mention this in case you intend to bring significant amounts of cash in that currency.

Visa and MasterCard credit cards are available from your local bank as well as debit cards for use in local shops or around Indonesia. If you already hold these (credit) cards they are, of course, accepted here as well. However, caution is advised in the use of international credit cards due to the increase of Credit Card fraud in Indonesia.

Section Three - Country Information

3.01 The Basic Facts:

Location:Southeast Asia, archipelago between the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean

Geographic500 S, 12000 E

Co-ordinates:

Area: total:1,919,440 sq km

land:1,826,440 sq km

water:93,000 sq km

Area slightly less than three times the size of Texas

Comparative:

Landtotal 2,602 km

boundaries:border countries; Malaysia 1,782 km, Papa New Guinea 820 km

Coastline:54,716 km

Climate:tropical, hot, humid, more moderate in highlands

Terrain:mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains

Elevation:highest point: Puncak Jaya 5,030m – lowest point: Indian Ocean 0m

Natural petroleum, tin, natural gas, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver

Resources:

3.01 Indonesia the Country

Indonesia is a very large country. The distance from west to east is comparable to the distance between California and New York. More than 200 million people live here and although the majority speak Bahasa Indonesian, there still exists more than 350 different languages. There are very distinct cultural regions although this is not apparent until one ventures out of the major cities which can be deceptively “Western” in appearance including elegant shopping malls, cinemas and a good variety of restaurants. Visitors are either disgusted or delighted to find every major fast food chain on the planet.

The majority of the population is Muslim but there are significant minorities of Christians, Buddhists and Hindus. Although extreme elements of Islam do exist, the practice of the religion in Indonesia is one of moderation and is not one which Westerners would describe as fundamentalist.

The climate is tropical with alternating rainy and dry seasons. The very green countryside is dotted with volcanoes both extinct and active. The cultivation of rice, bananas, palms and spices is an important part of the economy as is logging and mineral extraction. Attractions for the international tourist include the island of Bali, the 9th Century temples of Borobudur in central Java, the orang-utan preserves and Lake Toba in northern Sumatra and the scenery, opportunities for snorkelling and scuba diving virtually everywhere along the archipelago.

Despite the establishment of democratic institutions after the resignation of President Soeharto in May of 1998, there still exist a good deal of behind the scenes power struggles endemic to the region. These factions and their complex relationships to regional disputes based on historical, religious, economic and ethnic rivalries make for “interesting” times. It is perhaps appropriate to mention that no EF English First schools are located in the relatively isolated areas subject to violence nor is it directed at foreigners. The news story of a street demonstration in Jakarta (the capital) is no more representative of this huge country than the occasional racial or political violence experienced in the West although it must be said that it sometimes results in a few frantic e-mails from home. This is a new democracy and the new found freedom of expression can be noisy and irksome. Most of us just ignore it but if seeing a photograph of a demonstration at your embassy freaks you out, you’d probably better stay at home.