One of the first things to consider when moving to any new place, not just Bali, is what are your specific reasons for moving there? One of the great things about Bali is that it has something to offer just about everyone. Many people decide to move to Bali to enjoy a much more relaxed lifestyle, although that will require some amount of money as a cushion to support your relaxing and carefree lifestyle. Bali is a cheap place to live but you can easily spend a lot of money in a short amount of time if you don’t plan things well.
Opening a business
Just like in any developing country, many foreigners think they will be able to open up a business quite cheaply and make a fortune from it. While there are definitely a lot of success stories out there, you can probably find at least twice as many who have failed miserably.
If your intention of moving to Bali even remotely includes opening a business of some sort, I highly recommend looking into an e-book written by fellow expat Mike Henry, which details all of the pitfalls, do’s and don’ts and all around good information on what to do to make sure your business model doesn’t fall flat on its face. The book includes many interviews with successful foreign business owners in Bali, and could easily be the best investment you ever spend on your Bali business.
One of the main things to remember about running a business here is that the market is highly saturated from just about every possible angle. You may be able to make some cash from a restaurant, bar or similar business, but to really strike it big, you will need a truly unique idea.
New experiences
Some choose to move here to experience an exciting and new culture and Bali is excellent for that. Not only do the Balinese have one of the world’s most unique cultures, their religion, beliefs and tradition have remained largely unspoiled by the influx of tourists which is rising in numbers every year. Also, if you are brand new to living abroad, you should find Bali to be a very user-friendly place as the Balinese are very welcoming of foreigners and are just as excited to learn a bit about you and where you come from as you are to learn about them.
Also the level of English here is quite good here by comparison to most other South East Asian countries. There are many expats who have lived here for many years and have never gained a command of the language, although you will be greatly rewarded if you are willing to learn some Bahasa Indonesia and even better yet, Bahasa Bali.
Working in Bali
Many people choose Bali to become their new workplace as they want to be able to enjoy all that Bali has to offer, but don’t have the cash saved up for years of relaxation with no work involved and don’t have the either the start-up money or confidence in required business skills to open their own business. While there are jobs available in Bali, it is indeed a very competitive market as everyone would love to be here. One of the most popular jobs for foreigners here in Bali is teaching English, which doesn’t cost a whole lot to get certified for and can even be done online.
Keep in mind though, everyone would love to be teaching English in Bali and openings can be slim, with many more job openings in Jakarta, Bandung and rural areas of Java. If you have any special skills that can be utilized by an Indonesian company that they feel could not be performed by a local worker you have a shot of being hired as well. Some examples of this include chef, hotel manager or project manager of building projects.
KITAS
The most important thing about working in Bali, is that you are given a working visa, which is called a KITAS. If your employer is not willing to both sponsor and handle the creation of your KITAS, they are not someone that you want to be working for.
Whatever your reason may be you should be able to find what it is you are looking for on this beautiful island.