Moving to Jakarta

Hi everyone,

Great forum. I'm moving to Kelapa Gading, Jakarta next month. Learnt a lot browsing the different posts but I still have some questions I hope you can help me out with.

Apartment Rental
The landlord is asking me to pay a 5 month security deposit on top of paying two years rent up front. Is this normal? How do you protect yourself if the owner decides to sell his apartment half way through your lease?

Driver/Helper Costs
I'm looking for a part-time helper to come in for two hours a day. What is the market rate in Jakarta? I understand that we should pay them a yearly bonus, especially during the Indonesian New Year. How much should we give, and is this cost out of pocket or paid by your firm for most expats?

Fitness & Sports
Are there any English-speaking or expat sport leagues (soccer and basketball) in the East or are they all in South Jakarta? Any recommendations for a good personal training gym in Jakarta? I go to Ultimate Performance in Hong Kong & Singapore, and I'm looking for something similar.

Travelling Around Indonesia
What is the best accommodation of choice if I am exploring Indonesia every weekend? Apart from luxury resorts, and backpacking hostels, do you recommend a kos or airbnb or others? I plan to pick up surfing, and dive more while I'm here. Any recommendations for a good surf school, or destination for beginners? Any recommendations for good dive spots that are not in Lonely Planet?

Volunteering in Indonesia
Thinking of sponsoring a child through World Vision where I can play a bigger part in his/her life, or get involved with Habitat for Humanity or work with Orang Utans. Is this recommended if I can only spare my weekends? Should I work with large NGOs or contact local organizations directly? Anyone here involved in any interesting volunteering projects?

Many thanks in advance. Warm Regards.