2024-2025 competition is closed. 2025-2026 competition will open in April 2024. 

US Fulbright Logo

Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply.If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. college or university, you will apply through that institution, even if you are not currently a resident there. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.

Artist

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

FPA

U.S. Professor/Administrator

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org.

To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.

Non U.S. Citizens

If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program.

Indonesia

20 English Teaching Assistant Award

Accepted Degree Levels
  • Bachelor's
  • Master's
Grant Period
August Start
Grant Length
8 Months
Award Type
English Teaching Assistant
Award Profile

Since 2004, AMINEF as the Fulbright Commission in Indonesia manages the Fulbright Program in Indonesia and has placed Fulbright U.S. Student English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) in high school classrooms in Indonesia to assist local English teachers.  ETAs work to improve students' English language abilities and to promote mutual understanding and knowledge of the United States' culture through English study. Each host school will tailor the assistantship to its English language teaching needs, and will place the ETA under the supervision of a counterpart teacher. The schools normally pair an ETA with one to three local English teachers with whom ETA will teach 20 - 25 hours per week.  

The program is an entry-level professional development opportunity for ETAs to advance their teaching skills, to learn about the host country, and to exchange knowledge about the U.S. at the same time. The intensive cross-cultural interaction in a local community almost invariably provides valuable and even life-changing experiences for the ETAs who have come to Indonesia. 

Indonesia is a great place to be an ETA. The world’s most populous Muslim-majority country, and one of the world's largest democracies, it is a diverse and multi-ethnic society. A nation of around 17,000 islands, it is home to hundreds of ethnolinguistic groups. Indonesia is a dynamic country with a rapidly growing economy and it is gaining momentum on the international stage. ETAs will enjoy the extraordinary natural beauty of the country in addition to experiencing first-hand its stunning cultural riches. ETAs are mostly placed in rural areas and can get a sense too of the needs and aspirations of citizens of a developing country. For many Indonesian students and teachers where ETAs are placed, their previous interactions with Americans are minimal, and they know the US mainly from Hollywood movies and the local media. Thus, meeting and interacting daily with an American gives them an opportunity to get to know Americans first-hand. ETAs play an essential role as cultural ambassadors for the US in Indonesia, therefore.

Indonesians are well known as open, friendly, and hospitable, and ETAs in Indonesia inevitably talk of their experiences as ETAs there as transformative and life-changing.

There are many things to adapt to, and a posting as an ETA in Indonesia requires high level of tolerance, responsibility, empathy, patience, and maturity. But for the right person, it is an excellent choice.

Grant Length
8 Months
Grant Period
August Start

The Grant is planned to begin in mid-to-end of August 2024, and will end in mid-to-end of April 2025.  

Orientation
Pre-Departure and In-Country Orientation

AMINEF will organize online pre-departure orientation sessions in June or July 2024 which all selected ETAs are expected to attend. This will consist of 4 to 5 sessions held over 4 or 5 days. A single session will last for a maximum of 2 hours.

During the first month after arrival in Indonesia, there will be a mandatory orientation lasting around 2 to 3 weeks.  This orientation goals are to enhance Indonesian language skills through an intensive course, to enhance Englisih-teaching skill especially geared for Indonesian context, and to develop intercultural skills. Details of the orientation will be available upon arrival. 

 

Candidate Profile

To comply with the regulations of the Government of Indonesia, ETA candidates must be able to produce a Bachelor's or Master's degree diploma by January 2024.

Candidates must also have relevant teaching experience, and be committed to working in an instructional setting with Indonesian high schools students. Candidates with degrees in education, English, and Teaching of English as a Second Language are given preference, but candidates from all majors are welcome to apply. Since some ETAs will be placed at vocational high schools, the program especially welcomes new teachers with teaching experience in trade or vocational schools.  

Throughout the grant, ETAs are expected to exhibit high levels of professionalism, cross-cultural sensitivity and respect towards people in their host schools and community. As cultural ambassadors, ETAs are also encouraged to share aspects of American culture with their schools. 

Candidates must be fluent English-speakers. They should be mature, responsible, open-minded, articulate, resourceful, motivated, and flexible. They should show initiative and be collaborative with their peers, co-teachers, and members of the school community where they are placed. 

Candidates must be able to adapt and thrive within a variety of cultural environments. This may mean dealing with the challenges of living in a less comfortable setting than they are used to. Candidates must be willing and able to physically and mentally adjust to work in the Indonesian cultural context and educational  context, which may differ greatly from the American one. Candidates, for instance, may be asked to teach in a rural setting without many urban conveniences. 

Candidates should be interested in and curious about learning Indonesian history, culture, language, local values and norms. 

ETAs cannot be accompanied by dependents.

Eligibility
Dual citizens of this country are NOT eligible
Residency in host country NOT permitted in year prior to grant
Indicate how many months is considered residency:
1 Month
Accepted Degree Levels
  • Bachelor's
  • Master's
Special Application Instructions

Upon receipt of the Fulbright award, all English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) will be expected to complete a 120-hour online TESOL/TEFL course designated and paid by AMINEF. Those already holding TESOL/TEFL certificates or who have a degree in TESOL/TEFL are not required to complete the course.

As part of the selection process, AMINEF may ask nominated semi-finalists to participate in virtual interviews. This step is not a guarantee that the semifinalist will be selected for the grant, however. 

Due to the immediate post-COVID situation and to protect the safety and health of the ETAs, host communities and AMINEF staff, and to adhere to Indonesian Government's disease mitigation rules, some aspects and policies of the Fulbright ETA program in Indonesia may be different in 2024 - 2025 than in previous years. This can include higher level of domestic and international travel restrictions, visitation restrictions, and restrictions on social activity and gathering. This will require ETAs to comply with the standards, policies and guidance set by AMINEF. This also requires ETAs to understand and to have the willingness to accept the additional risks that come with the commitment to participate in Fulbright ETA program during the uncertain post-pandemic period.   

Foreign Language Proficiency
Recommended - Novice

Additional Information: Some study of Indonesian prior to arrival is recommended in order to ease transition to school and community life. ETAs will be provided with intensive but basic language instruction in Indonesian as part of the in-country orientation, and limited fund for personal language tutor at site, if requested. ETAs should have the desire to learn about Indonesia and Indonesian language. The following websites may be useful:

1. https://bbiact.wordpress.com/online-indonesian/

2. https://indonesian-online.com/ [highly recommended course from University of Hawai'i and Australian National University, but charges a fee]

3. https://www.rosettastone.com/learn-indonesian/

2. https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Indonesian/Lessons/Introduction

3. https://www.duolingo.com/ 

ETAs are not eligible for the Critical Language Enhancement Award.

Critical Language Enhancement Award

ETAs are not eligible for Critical Language Enhancement Award. 

Placement Type
  • Secondary School

ETAs will typically work with Indonesian high school teachers in teaching conversational English to students at selected public and private schools throughout Indonesia, mostly in remote areas. 

Approximately 20-25 hours per week of classroom teaching alongside local English teachers, from Monday through Friday, plus requisite class preparation time and school-related activities, will be required. ETAs also spend up to 10 hours per week leading extracurricular activities at their host schools.

ETAs are also required to initiate and execute Community Engagement Projects in the communities where they live, for which small amounts of funding will also be available.

Each school usually has additional expectations for their ETA.

Placement Locations
  • Rural

ETAs will typically be placed at high schools that are mostly located in remote areas.

ETAs should expect to encounter various daily challenges, such as power outages, language and cultural differences, unwanted attention and lack of proper health care facilities. Local attitudes toward gender, religious, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation and other layers of identity can be unexpected and discomforting, but they can also be seen as opening opportunities to have rewarding and fruitful discussions and exchanges of opinion to better understand and educate one another. ETAs are expected to be prepared to negotiate these differences with maturity, diplomacy and respectful manner. ETAs are also expected to observe all security, safety and health practices appropriate for a developing country. 

Supplementary Project
Required

ETAs are also required to initiate and execute a minimum of two Community Engagement Projects in the communities where they live, for which small amounts of funding will also be available. However, due to visa restrictions, ETAs are not allowed to carry out research, act as journalists, work for NGOs, engage in political, missionary, medical care, commercial or fundraising activities. ETAs are not authorized to accept employment, whether paid or unpaid.

Housing Arrangements

Housing arrangements are made by the schools where ETAs will be placed, subject to approval by AMINEF. Most ETA sites are in remote, rural areas which tend to be more conservative and communal. ETAs must be prepared to adapt to local customs, conditions and norms. This includes dealing with much less privacy than what they are used to and different standard of facilities (i.e., cold water showers, pests, open-air homes, etc). Housing situations vary greatly from site to site. Many placements lack conveniences such as air conditioning, hot water, gyms, Western groceries and internet connectivity. This requires a high degree of flexibility and adaptability on the part of the ETAs.

Dependents
Dependent financial support is NOT available
Health Disclosure and Eligibility

In compliance with the Indonesian government regulations regarding health and assignment in the school system, candidates must include any medical disclosures for the applicable medical conditions listed below in the medical examination forms provided by IIE and AMINEF after being selected as Fulbright finalists. Strict adherence to these regulations is mandatory, and your grant is contingent on the ability to secure a placement in Indonesia. Any ommissions or falsifications of information are immediate grounds for revoking/terminating the grant. 

The Indonesian government requires proof of the following:

  • HIV/AIDS test result
  • drug test result

Due to the increasing concerns on HIV/AIDS and drugs abuse, and given a lack of quality medical facilities and treatment for HIV/AIDS patients and drug addicts in Indonesia, Indonesian Government is unlikely to provide legal temporary stay permits to people living with HIV/AIDS or to those with a drug addiction. 

Selected candidates must also disclose the following conditions:

  • Conditions worsened by stress such as: epilepsy, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, etc.
  • Severe food allergies including, but not limited to: nuts, shellfish, beans, gluten
Fulbright Program Management Contact
FBstudent.EAP@iie.org
Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy Website
http://www.aminef.or.id
Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy Contact
American Program, AMINEF: infofulbright_usa@aminef.or.id
Additional Online Resources
Information to Consider Before Applying for Fulbright Grants in Indonesia: http://www.aminef.or.id/grants-for-americans/information-consider/
ETA Guidebook: https://goo.gl/M0lsVA
Indonesiaful (Unofficial Indonesia ETA Blog): https://indonesiaful.wordpress.com/