How to get volunteers?

Yama

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Jan 21, 2021
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Does anyone have any experience getting volunteers for a work exchange? I know Workaway and Worldpackers are popular for attracting foreign volunteers but with the borders closed I'm not sure there is much activity on them now. We would provide housing and meals in exchange for help with general maintenance around our homestay. Indonesian or foreign help is fine, but I'm not sure how to go about advertising. Any tips?
 
Does anyone have any experience getting volunteers for a work exchange? I know Workaway and Worldpackers are popular for attracting foreign volunteers but with the borders closed I'm not sure there is much activity on them now. We would provide housing and meals in exchange for help with general maintenance around our homestay. Indonesian or foreign help is fine, but I'm not sure how to go about advertising. Any tips?
How are you are going to provide kitas for foreigners ??
 
It's only volunteering in exchange for accommodation. I didn't think KITAS would be required for that? In any case, we're happy to have Indonesians stay with us, just not sure how to go about advertising the opportunity. We live in Karimunjawa, so we're looking for people who don't live on this island who would want to come stay here.
 
It's only volunteering in exchange for accommodation. I didn't think KITAS would be required for that? In any case, we're happy to have Indonesians stay with us, just not sure how to go about advertising the opportunity. We live in Karimunjawa, so we're looking for people who don't live on this island who would want to come stay here.
""...not sure how to go about advertising the opportunity." An opportunity to work without pay?
Most people associate volunteering for helping out with a good cause. Are you a good cause?

In Australia orchardists and farmers are always complaining about finding it impossible to get people to work. The answer is simple. Poor wages and usually poor conditions.
 
""...not sure how to go about advertising the opportunity." An opportunity to work without pay?
Most people associate volunteering for helping out with a good cause. Are you a good cause?

In Australia orchardists and farmers are always complaining about finding it impossible to get people to work. The answer is simple. Poor wages and usually poor conditions.
Well, we live on a beautiful island that is a CoVid-19 green zone with limited restrictions. I imagine some people might be interested in coming to live here where they can snorkel in coral gardens and go island hopping during their free time. In exchange for a few hours of help they'd get their own room, delicious meals and free wifi lol. Maybe it's not a "good cause" but it's also not a bad deal for people who want to have a low cost extended holiday.

Not sure what's going on in Australia. I've never been there, but I hear its lovely.
 
It's only volunteering in exchange for accommodation. I didn't think KITAS would be required for that? In any case, we're happy to have Indonesians stay with us, just not sure how to go about advertising the opportunity. We live in Karimunjawa, so we're looking for people who don't live on this island who would want to come stay here.
Speak to Manpower and immigration ,see what they say.
 
I'm not trying to slap you down here or anything, Yama, but there is another thread on the forum at the moment about Kristen Grey and others recently getting deported for working in Indonesia.

There is a link from there to a news article that quotes an Immigration official, "“If [digital nomads] are working for foreign companies or individuals and doing all their research online or just talking with people overseas, then that’s OK,” he says. “But if they are gaining benefit from activities with businesses in Indonesia – it’s illegal if they do that on a tourist visa. That means anyone who is a blogger or travel writer or anyone who uses Instagram for commercial purposes – whether they get paid in cash or receive a free night’s stay at a hotel they’re breaking the law.https://amp.scmp.com/lifestyle/trav...enforcement-bali-lets-digital-nomads-get-away

I don't know why immigration would bother with you guys, but I also don't know how you can advertise the fact that you are looking for foreign "helpers" without... advertising the fact that you are looking for foreign helpers.

Only idea that comes to mind with looking for locals is the couch-surfing community, if that is still a thing in 2021. There must be Indonesian travel groups on Facebook, as well. Good luck.
 
Well, we live on a beautiful island that is a CoVid-19 green zone with limited restrictions. I imagine some people might be interested in coming to live here where they can snorkel in coral gardens and go island hopping during their free time. In exchange for a few hours of help they'd get their own room, delicious meals and free wifi lol. Maybe it's not a "good cause" but it's also not a bad deal for people who want to have a low cost extended holiday.

Not sure what's going on in Australia. I've never been there, but I hear its lovely.

You want to bring unskilled foreigners or privileged Jakartans to your beautiful, Covid-free island during a pandemic to do some odd jobs ?

Just employ some lokals and pay them per job or m2. It’ll work out cheaper than some vegan demanding avocado on toast.
 
Wasn't the fine for illegally employing (volunteer or not) someone around 50 million IDR?
 
You want to bring unskilled foreigners or privileged Jakartans to your beautiful, Covid-free island during a pandemic to do some odd jobs ?

Just employ some lokals and pay them per job or m2. It’ll work out cheaper than some vegan demanding avocado on toast.
lol acovado on toast.
I'm not trying to slap you down here or anything, Yama, but there is another thread on the forum at the moment about Kristen Grey and others recently getting deported for working in Indonesia.

There is a link from there to a news article that quotes an Immigration official, "“If [digital nomads] are working for foreign companies or individuals and doing all their research online or just talking with people overseas, then that’s OK,” he says. “But if they are gaining benefit from activities with businesses in Indonesia – it’s illegal if they do that on a tourist visa. That means anyone who is a blogger or travel writer or anyone who uses Instagram for commercial purposes – whether they get paid in cash or receive a free night’s stay at a hotel they’re breaking the law.https://amp.scmp.com/lifestyle/trav...enforcement-bali-lets-digital-nomads-get-away

I don't know why immigration would bother with you guys, but I also don't know how you can advertise the fact that you are looking for foreign "helpers" without... advertising the fact that you are looking for foreign helpers.

Only idea that comes to mind with looking for locals is the couch-surfing community, if that is still a thing in 2021. There must be Indonesian travel groups on Facebook, as well. Good luck.
Yeah okay, thank you that is helpful and good to know. So perhaps since the Kristen Grey incident immigration will be patrolling activity on WorkAway as well. I wouldn't want to unknowingly put someone in a position where they could get fined/deported.

Honestly my boyfriend (who is Indonesian) asked me to do some research into how to go about finding lokals or foreigners wanting to do some kind of work exchange. He is still building a homestay here (it's his homestay, not mine) and is looking for some help. He's hired lokals for construction etc., but was looking for ways to save money by offering the opportunity to people who want to come stay here. I was having no luck and wanted to see if anyone here had any tips.
 
When there is so much unemployment and travel continues to be uncertain with sudden lockdowns and quarantining, not to mention increasingly high costs for air fares, this seems a very improbable way of finding manpower
 
The only "underemployed" Indonesian I know who would be interested in this is constantly looking for travel packages on FB.
She doesn't really need the money from a job to survive, but doesn't have the money to travel, and is crazy enough about travel to be willing to work while doing it. It's a pretty small group of people you are looking for, really.

Youngsters in the middle to upper-middle class who can rely on mom and dad to buy them a new phone in a few months and pay for their travel fees occasionally are not as common here as they are in the West, I reckon.

Yeah, there are these shared travel groups on FB, where everyone pays a bit and the bus and room and board are included for some number of days. Those are the lower end of the travel market, and probably what you are looking for. I imagine your boyfriend will know what I am on about, though the Indonesian term escapes ma at the moment.
 
The only "underemployed" Indonesian I know who would be interested in this is constantly looking for travel packages on FB.
She doesn't really need the money from a job to survive, but doesn't have the money to travel, and is crazy enough about travel to be willing to work while doing it. It's a pretty small group of people you are looking for, really.

Youngsters in the middle to upper-middle class who can rely on mom and dad to buy them a new phone in a few months and pay for their travel fees occasionally are not as common here as they are in the West, I reckon.

Yeah, there are these shared travel groups on FB, where everyone pays a bit and the bus and room and board are included for some number of days. Those are the lower end of the travel market, and probably what you are looking for. I imagine your boyfriend will know what I am on about, though the Indonesian term escapes ma at the moment.
Thank you, that is really helpful, I'n not i Facebook so I didn't think of that. And he isn't remotely internet saavy, which how i got this improbable task. I also wouldn't expect hundreds of people looking to do this right now, but still we can try. Or at least keep in mind for whenever travel restrictions lift.
 
When there is so much unemployment and travel continues to be uncertain with sudden lockdowns and quarantining, not to mention increasingly high costs for air fares, this seems a very improbable way of finding manpower
yea, i agree it's improbable.
 
“But if they are gaining benefit from activities with businesses in Indonesia – it’s illegal if they do that on a tourist visa. That means anyone who is a blogger or travel writer or anyone who uses Instagram for commercial purposes – whether they get paid in cash or receive a free night’s stay at a hotel they’re breaking the law.https://amp.scmp.com/lifestyle/trav...enforcement-bali-lets-digital-nomads-get-away

I wanted to post a small follow up. Indonesia even deports volunteers helping with natural disasters. I lost the link to the article, but a handful of volunteers were deported for helping with cleanup during the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami. Also deportations after the earthquake in Lombok in 2019. The official response from the government is to send money and pay an Indonesian to do the work.

Also the penalties for employing foreigners without a work permit are huge.

My understanding is accommodation can be deducted from minimum wage pay, and many native Indonesians pay domestic help below minimum wage anyway. I don't know why you would want to go through the hassle of dealing with volunteers that won't know anything and won't give a shit.
 

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