Hi from Jo Rowe

Jo Rowe

Hi everybody. I will be working in Denpassar as of next month for a year so am coming on the 29th June to find accommodation etc before my contract begins. Hoping to find something inexpensive as my salary is small and this is more an adventure into a new culture and lifestyle. Having said that i have been coming to Bali over 30 years now and i have seen huge changes but really feel this will be a great adventure. For the past year i have been travelling but before that i lived in the UAE, Ras al Khaimah teaching at a local university. Currently in Emerald Beach NSW and really looking forward to some sunshine and a more casual way of life. I have suffered severe culture shock in Australia as everything is so changed and bureaucratic and enormously over priced. If anyone knows of any good shared accommodation or reasonable rental accommodation in beach areas such as Sanur please let me know. Open to other ideas like house sitting or live in home help. Also hoping to find social network among other expats. Please advise best areas and have not ruled out Denpassar but am very beach orientated. I acknowledge Bali beaches are not the best in the world but still enjoy long walks along their shores. Looking forward to your learned advice and experiences. Best Jo Rowe

davita

Hi Jo and welcome to the forum. I cannot help much with finding accommodation other than assure you there is plenty on offer...depending on budget. Sanur is a good place to locate yourself but I'm not sure where you will be teaching as traffic can be a nightmare. Most expats don't actually live in Denpasar itself but there are 'kosts' (small rooms with a kitchen and toilet) available....also look for homestays. You'll find plenty of adverts in grocery stores, pubs. restaurants etc.... suitable for expats and backpack-type visitors on a small budget. Most expats rent scooters to get around as there is very little transport and, although taxis, Uber, Grab and go-jeks are all over the place and relatively cheap the easiest is to rent a motorbike/scooter by the month. BTW make sure you have a working permit from the school you intend to teach...many schools say they've applied for a working permit (IMTA) but lie and if the expat gets caught working without that permit the consequences can be grave...like fines, jail and deportation.

Jo Rowe

davita wroteHi Jo and welcome to the forum. I cannot help much with finding accommodation other than assure you there is plenty on offer...depending on budget. Sanur is a good place to locate yourself but I'm not sure where you will be teaching as traffic can be a nightmare. Most expats don't actually live in Denpasar itself but there are 'kosts' (small rooms with a kitchen and toilet) available....also look for homestays. You'll find plenty of adverts in grocery stores, pubs. restaurants etc.... suitable for expats and backpack-type visitors on a small budget. Most expats rent scooters to get around as there is very little transport and, although taxis, Uber, Grab and go-jeks are all over the place and relatively cheap the easiest is to rent a motorbike/scooter by the month. BTW make sure you have a working permit from the school you intend to teach...many schools say they've applied for a working permit (IMTA) but lie and if the expat gets caught working without that permit the consequences can be grave...like fines, jail and deportation.

Thanks for the advice.. internet has been down here. Not sure about renting a motorbike yet would have to really increase my confidence and local knowledge.

modelt1826

Welcome Jo The motorbikes are scooters all you do is point and go if your worried try to get some lessons in Australia first. The best place for an expat community would be Sanur, but trying to get from sanur into or around Denpasar by car can be demanding and expensive if using taxis. There are gojek which i am told are quite inexpensive and it would give you some experiance of handling an bike and showing you the route. this of course is all down to where is the school in Denpasar.