jakarta
introduction
The following pictures and information are provided to help employees who are considering an assignment in Jakarta see what it is like to work and live in Indonesia.
work environment
housing
Most houses and apartments have swimming pools, maid's quarters and laundry facilities. There are many furnishing options - employees may bring their own furniture or rent property fully or partially furnished.
Both house and apartment leases are normally on a two- or three-year terms basis with full payment expected up front. By paying up front, there may be difficulty in getting the landlord to make house repairs, however, Chevron's Housing Services works to represent tenant interests with landlords when issues arise and will provide guidance for the lease agreement to help limit exposure.
Some home renters recommend residences previously occupied by a Chevron employee, as the probability of unknown issues arising is lower. If there are problems in the house, it may be better for hired household help to make the repair calls. They speak the language, have experience addressing home repair issues, and generally speed up the pace of repairs.
Home repairs are not as much an issue with apartments. Apartment complexes tend to have maintenance on site with prompt response time.
- Kemang: This neighborhood is suggested for those who wish to live close to many restaurants and shops. Although Kemang is usually very busy, the housing areas are more secluded and quiet. It is close to the main road and are between the office and Pondok Indah area.
- Pondok Indah: Pondok Indah neighborhood is a neighborhood popular for families with children that will attend Jakarta International School (JIS) preschool to high school. It is located near the Cilandak and Pondok Indah campuses.
- Kebayoran Baru: This neighborhood is close to the office, offering both an apartment complex and residential houses. It provides access to Jis (Pattimura), which is the smaller campus that provides education to pre-school to middle school aged children. Please note that due to limited class size, it is important to ensure class availability.
- Cilandak: Houses, apartments and compounds found in the Cilandak area are conveniently located between the Pondok Indah and Kemang neighborhoods. It is very pleasant with more of a rural feel. There are many restaurants that can be found in this area and it is located near the French International School and the Jakarta International School. However, there is a fair amount of traffic in this area.
- Bintaro: Although Bintaro is fairly far from the business district, this neighborhood has a very pleasant and fresh environment. It is close to the British International School and is secluded from much of the traffic that comes with several other neighborhoods. However, there is very bad traffic flow to other areas in Jakarta.
The Cilandak area is near the SOS Clinic. Because the neighborhood is owned by the same landlord, rent includes all gardening, pool services and maintenance for houses on the block.
Recently several townhouse compounds have been built around several areas such as Cilandak, Cinere, Pondok Indah and Kemang. These complexes are fairly reliable as security is provided as a whole as well as individually. The larger compounds also provide space and parks for children of all ages to enjoy without parents having to worry about traffic.
There are a couple of high-rise apartment buildings near the Sentral Senayan office building. The Pakubuwono Residence is a short drive from the office. The five-tower complex has two and three bedroom units and many facilities. Most apartment complexes do not allow pets, however, some do allow cats.
The Senayan Apartments are a five-minute walk to the Sentral Senayan office building. Two malls and multiple restaurants are in walking distance. Traffic is quite heavy in this area which makes walking a good option. These apartments may be small for a family, but great for a couple or single person.
Senayan City is a new apartment complex that offers larger units and is located across the street from the Sentral Senayan office. It contains many of the facilities listed below.
While slightly older, the Darmawangsa apartments also offer many amenities and are located in-between Kemang and the office.
Facilities in the above apartments can include:
- Security
- Library
- Café
- Health club
- Bike trail
- Putting green
- Tennis courts
- Basketball courts
- BBQ
- Spa and hair salons
- Indoor and outdoor swimming pools
- ATMs
- Dry cleaner
- Mini-market
- Pharmacy
- Parking
- Power and high-speed Internet
- Cleaning services are available for residents who don't want to hire domestic help
- Event room
- Children's playground
- Music room and music tutor for single, duos and/or groups
- Jogging track that is approximately 0.9 km long
- Power: Electrical wiring in some of the houses may not be up to western standards. In these situations, too many appliances running at the same time may cause the circuit breaker to trip. This can affect water because pumps are electric and may go down during a power outage. Chevron Housing requires the wiring systems be checked by a Chevron provider prior to signing a lease. In some areas, power goes out about once a week for about an hour during weekdays and a couple of hours on weekends.
- Telephone: Most people have two telephone lines. When there are problems with one, they switch to the other. The extra line may also be used for fax. Telephone calls can be expensive. Home telephones and cell phones are not always reliable. Another option to telephone service is to subscribe to computer services and place calls through the Internet. This service is very reasonably priced. If you are planning a move, be sure to ask about how to place telephone calls. The steps vary from office, home and mobile.
- Gas: Tanks with LPG gas are delivered to homes for cooking. Adjusting to cooking with LPG may take some time as it is more difficult to regulate the heat while cooking.
- Water: Apartments have their own filtration system. Some homes have filters and water can be boiled for drinking. Although tap water is fairly safe, drinking tap water is not recommended. Drinking filtered water is recommended. Some residents, even those with filters in their homes, choose to use bottled water for everything except for washing clothes.
support services
National doctors are on site and by Indonesian law, are required to provide initial medical services. An expatriate doctor is available for back-up or secondary consultations 24 hours a day. The clinic performs minor surgery and coordinates evacuations with Chevron HMS in the event of a medical emergency. First aid training is available at the clinic.
Global Doctor is another expatriate-oriented medical clinic in Jakarta. They are smaller than ISOS but provide similar services, in terms of primary care backed by visiting specialists. They also are connected with a medical evacuation service which works closely with Chevron HMS in the event of an emergency.
Currently Chevron has an HMO-like contract that provides for partial services for expatriates with ISOS only. Global Doctor is an alternative; however no prepaid arrangement exists.
Occasionally, patients may be referred to the Pondok Indah Hospital to see a specialist. The hospital is close to where many expatriates live, and is the most Western-oriented of the hospitals in Jakarta.
Some expatriates choose to go to Singapore for dental work, although they pay for it themselves. Dental services continue to improve in Jakarta and Chevron HMS can provide local recommendations based on reviews conducted with the US Embassy in 2006. Contact the Jakarta HMS office for details.
Although prescriptions are required in Jakarta, care should be taken in regards to quality. Products do fail and there is a lot of falsification with products and expiration dates.
Employee Assistance Program (EAP) support is available to expatriates in helping them to adjust to their new assignments in Indonesia and in providing family, marital and psychological support. As part of the Employee Assistance Program, Chevron has an agreement with a local provider whereby expatriates can obtain confidential counseling with Western-trained and certified psychologists and counselors. This help can be critical in helping individuals and families adjust to the many changes of a new culture and country. EAP services are available on a prepaid basis and are completely confidential.
MedikaLoka is another reliable clinic available in Jakarta. It is in the Kuningan area and includes dentist, dermatologist, general doctors, physicians and cardiologist.
There is a bank with an ATM in the Sentral Senayan office building lobby.
Health safety is a concern as malaria, dengue fever, typhoid and TB are present in greater Jakarta. The company provides up to date information and resources for all employees through the IBU Health & Medical Services website (intranet access).
education
There are several international schools in Jakarta, including:
- Jakarta International School
- British International School
- Australian International School
- French International School
- Deutsche Internationale Schule
- Nederlandse Internationale School
- Singapore International School
- Ghandi International School
where many expatriates live. Chevron employees rate the school very high. School information is available on the school's website. The school is open to students from pre-school through high school with an average class size of 18. The maximum number of students per class is 21. The campus is divided into elementary, middle and high schools. There are two elementary campuses in Pondok Indah and Pattimura. The middle and high school campuses are located in the Cilandak area.
The Jakarta International School has campuses that are near where many expatriates live. Chevron employees rate the school very high. The education is top-notch and teachers give a lot of care to students. School information is available on the school's website. The school is open to students from pre-school through high school with an average class size of 18. The maximum number of students per class is 21. The campus is divided into elementary, middle and high schools. There are two elementary campuses in Pondok Indah and Pattimura. The middle and high school campuses are located in the Cilandak area.
School facilities available to all grade levels include swimming pools, baseball fields, basketball courts, cafeterias, a theatre, libraries, tennis courts, nurses' station and extracurricular activities include sports, band, choir, orchestra, arts and crafts, drama as well as other special interest instruction. College and university counseling is available to high school students. There are also several high-ranked universities and colleges that visit the high school campus to provide information to the students that are interested.
Buses pick students up at home and bring them to school. Supervisors who are either teachers or teacher aides are present on the bus to ensure safety for the elementary students. Late buses are available for middle and high school students participating in after school activities.
Depending on the children's ages, students may go on local field trips or travel outside Jakarta to Yogyakarta, Sulawesi or Bali. Students in the ninth grade have the choice of a "Project Week" field trip to anywhere from Jakarta to several nearby Asian countries, such as India, Nepal or China.
Parents are actively involved in the school reading programs, classrooms, activities, sports, fundraising and advisory forums. The Parents Booster Club and Parent Teacher Association are great community clubs for parents. The school environment is very friendly and parental involvement is welcomed. There are parent led basketball, soccer and baseball games every weekend.
The British International School is available for children in pre-school through secondary school. The BIS campus is located in the Bintaro area. Although it is fairly far from central Jakarta, there are new freeways that make the journey much easier. Class size is limited to 22. Although it is an international school, it follows the English National Curriculum. The student population is diverse. The two-year International Baccalaureate program is available to students at age 16. Those beginning tenth grade are automatically submitted into the GCSE program. There is more information on the school's website.
The campus includes Olympic-size swimming pool, 800-seat theatre, computer labs, gym, lunch areas, basketball, soccer field, tennis courts, medical room, cafeteria and libraries. In addition to extracurricular activities, BIS offers cooking classes, design technology, art and textile classes.
The students in secondary school are able to participate in competitions with several others Southeast Asian schools in the FOBISSEA and SEASAC competitions. The activities that are included in this competition are soccer basketball, track & field and several more.
shopping
The Pasar traditional market, located in Jakarta, sells fresh fruits, vegetables as well as a few crafts. Expats may shop here or send their maids to buy produce.
Plaza Senayan is a large upscale mall that is adjoined with the Sentral Senayan office building. In addition to department stores, clothing stores and sporting goods, there are many fast food restaurants.
Another upscale mall, Senayan City, is located just across the street from Plaza Senayan. Stores such as JCrew, Zara, Dengki Electronics, two major grocery stores, Pizza Hut and a number of restaurants serving a variety of international cuisine.
There are several other malls that are very popular such as the two Pondok Indah Malls (A.K.A. PIM), Grand Indonesia and Plaza Indonesia. These malls have several department stores such as Metro, SOGO and Debenhams. There are also a wide range of restaurants available.
Two major malls that have a variety of electronics are Ratu Plaza, Ambassador Mall and Poins Square. They sell electronics such as:
- Televisions
- DVD players
- Computers
- Computer Accessories
- Video Game
- MP3/MP4 players
- Handphones and PDAs
- Music
- Movies
American Women's Association (AWA) shopping guide is a good resource.
transportation
Because of traffic during commute times (7 to 10 a.m. and 4:30 to 7 p.m.), the city has established three in one which designates specific routes for three or more people in a car. Taxis are not exempt from three in one and are easy and inexpensive to use. Employees and employee families should only use company recommended taxi companies such as the Blue Bird group taxis.
recreational activities and entertainment
The American Club is open to all nationalities; however, most members are American. It is the oldest sports club in Jakarta. The club is run by the U.S. Embassy, Recreation and Commissary Department. There are 20 houses surrounding the complex in which U.S. diplomats live.
Amenities include:
- A full-service mini-market
- Swimming programs for children
- Coffee shop
- Game room with pool, ping pong and videos
- Personal trainers
- Floor exercise room
- Happy hour on Friday and Saturday nights, offering 20 international beers. Prices are low because beverages are purchased through the commissary.
- Air-conditioned martini lounge
- A dining room for dining as well as meetings
- Performances by The Jakarta Players, a group of expats
- Climbing structure
- Playground
- Tennis courts
- Racquetball and squash court
- Basketball courts
There are numerous sporting opportunities; however they come with challenges. Planning is required to make arrangements with drivers in advance to attend or participate in sporting activities. Additionally, traffic presents some problems and activities such as golf can be an all-day event.
The Padang Golf Pondok Indah is an 18-hole golf course. Pangkalan Jati, Jagorawi and Rainbow Hills are other 18-hole golf courses that are very popular. There is an expatriate golf group called the Tee Set that plays every Sunday and welcomes new members. Chevron holds monthly golf tournaments. Some activities, such as golf or health clubs can be expensive. Horseback riding is also available.
The Sanayan Park facilities appeals to children and adults. There is a batting center, baseball field, putt-putt golf, driving range and stadium with soccer, track, squash and tennis courts.
In addition to fast food in the malls, there are quite a few high-end dining establishments including Cilantro in the BNI Building, La na Thai, kembang Goela, Tony Roma's, Outback Steakhouse, "C's" at the Grand Hyatt, Batavia Café, Zigolini at the Mandarin Oriental, Kinara, Dragonfly and Al Noufoura in the Le Meridien and Shangri-La Hotel. There is also a Hard Rock Café and Planet Hollywood in Jakarta. Amigos is another restaurant that is famous for its great food and live music.
There are a variety of ethnic restaurants including Italian, Chinese, Indian, Mediterranean, Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Middle Eastern.
There are also many national monuments such as Monas for the family to experience the Indonesian culture.
additional information
The Sunday edition of Jakarta Post and Web list church services.
There are many opportunities to shortcut through corruption. Company policy is not to pay people off.
Many expatriates go on home leave during the summer months. For those with children moving to Jakarta during the June-August time frame, be prepared for an absence of other children for your children to play with during that time.