Pitfalls

Indonesia is full of people that will do anything to get a job – "anything" at that also means that you as the employer has to be extra careful checking people's credentials.
This is why the real test should be placed directly in the job interview. I work with a few simple rules when recruiting:

 
This article is not the absolute true. Jakarta is vast and the possibilities are endless and that means I can only scratch the surface of this topic in this article.
The traffic situation influences these decisions heavily; you have to take into account the employees have to be able to reach the workplace within reasonable traveling time.
You also have to take into account that if your company is dependent on a lot of material from and to seaports, airports or even the main roads.

Being an expat in Indonesia is not cheap; there are many expenses involved that Westerners usually do not take into account like: Education for children, health insurance, security factors finding a house, travel expenses etc.

Here are the most necessary key figures for the Jakarta area:

One child in private international school: USD 25.000 a year, this does not include field trips and other connected expenses.

Housing in Jakarta varies from USD 1.200 to 5.000 a month depending on area and quality of apartment/house.

Let me tell you a story about how my 1st business setup in Indonesia evolved. It all started in 2006 where I was suppossed to setup a software outsourcing company in Bandung.

I thought Bandung was the right place due to ITC (Institute Technology Indonesia) and recruitment possibilities. I met up with the local authorities KMBP to start processing my license to conduct business in Indonesia.