Day in the life

Hello, my name is David.Back in 2023, I embarked on one of the biggest and best decisions I will make in my life: saying goodbye to what I knew from the UK and to start my new life in Depok, Indonesia and becoming a teacher in English 1. One decision, one offer, and one email is all it took to open so many new doors. I always knew I wanted to teach, but I just didn't know what or where to teach.All the way back in 2022, after completing my degree, I decided to go on a small vacation. Wanting to escape Europe for the first time in my life, the decision was made to travel to Indonesia. As soon as I landed in the country, I loved the atmosphere. The people, the manners, and especially the heat was so far different from anything I had seen before. I fell deeply in love. My trip took me all over Java, from Jakarta to Jogjakarta and finally to Surabaya. The food, exquisite! The people, inviting! The weather, hot!I went back home, still in love with the idea of Indonesia. I struggled for a year, not knowing what to do for work. After weeks of looking for work, I was recommended to try applying for English 1, and they responded so quickly with an offer. I knew then I had to drop everything and take the opportunity running. This was a once in a lifetime opportunity.English 1 took care of me, finding me an apartment to live in. A fully furnished single room apartment. This would be my new home to make my own. The art of having a place I can call my own after a long day was fantastic. The security to the apartment were lovely, trying to speak to me in English to help me. The local shops are just a five-minute walk down the road where you can get anything you might need. One surprising feature that's much better than the UK is that a lot of small shops are open twenty-four hours a day.Work lifeHaving never worked in an office before in the UK, but only doing part time work, this office experience was something brand new and unexpected. My office hours are balanced, giving me time in the morning to pursue other activities from my day-to-day life. I have plenty of time before the lessons start to plan for fun and engaging lessons, and also enough time to sit and socialise with my friends in the office. And because the office day starts around lunchtime, there is no early morning wake up, and I can start feeling refreshed and ready to start the day. 

The office is a buzz of energy, allowing me to recharge my social batteries to begin teaching for the day. It is borderline infectious. There is always somebody talking, planning and ordering food. We all get ready to order food together, giving me a chance to practice my newly learnt Indonesian with the locals. Allowing food to be gotten with other people means I can expand my food repertoire. The ability to talk to anyone in the office means I can come out of my shell in a place I know well, getting ready to speak and perform in front of the students. Speaking of which, I have never met students so interested and ready to learn. From days of old, I always disliked learning foreign languages in school. However, the students are so keen to learn and practise, even if there are some hitches with understanding. I especially love being able to get more one-on-one with students, talking about their interests and hobbies. The moment when the class becomes less about teaching and more about discussions of the topics at hand. Even better is allowing the students to teach me a topic I might not be well versed in. The polite yet informative interactions allow for a more comfortable teaching experience, adding a sense of spontaneity that you cannot get from anywhere else.

After a successful day, the workday wraps up, and I head home. Living so close to my workmates means that we can head home together. Just outside the apartment, we grab food and discuss the topics for today, unwind, and share funny anecdotes from the day we just had. Having the chance to decompress and having that level of work life balance is unprecedented, and a perfect way to finish the day. 

What about when I'm not working?

Being so close to such a big city is amazing. I don't live in Jakarta so I don’t have to deal with its hassle, but I can travel very quickly and explore the sights. I am starting to fall in love with the idea of malls, as this is a relatively new concept to me. Throughout my life, I have always lived in villages or small cities, but nothing compares to the scope and size of Jakarta. 

I can spend an entire day in a mall, walking and exploring new shops that I've never seen before. I am a huge coffee fan, and Indonesia is well known for its coffee. In many different malls you can find so many different artisanal coffee shops. They really are so amazing. 

I spend many days off with local, out-of-work friends. You can usually find us cooped in one of the many boardgame cafes spread around Jakarta. We all have very similar hobbies of model building that can be explored in the different shops. It's a lot of fun being able to hang with friends, especially walking through the malls, discussing and learning together. The small friend time will beat the big exploration on my own. That being said, Indonesia's love for anime and other art forms means I can explore conventions and performances on a scale never seen before. Many times a year I can watch my favourite artists or go exploring around anime conventions. It is fascinating to see everyone, and to be in a ginormous room knowing everyone has a similar interest to you. That sense of community is amazing and makes you feel so much more.

So, what do I actually think?This is the biggest jump I have made and will ever make, and I don't regret it at all. I'm so grateful to the opportunities I have been given by English 1, and the opportunities I can still get in the future. I have found my happiness, security and friends. I was missing this in the UK. I have a new sense of life and for that I am eternally grateful. 

How about my family? Yes, this is something I was worried about when I left. However, the internet exists. If I need to phone them, I can call online and get through to them, and I have the ability to go home if I need to, and that sense of security keeps me here for longer. 

I wanted to start teaching, and i needed the experience, and that’s what I was going for at first. But English 1 is so much more to me than that now. It's a secure workplace where I have managed to fit in. I am in love with my workplace, and now I'm here I can't think of anywhere else to be. 

If you are wanting to teach, I would absolutely say, take the leap. Make the jump. Other situations can work around it; you can make anything work. You will never forget your time here, and it'll set you with skills for life.