Membangun Negeri: coming home to professional success and a sense of community

It’s a classic story: leaving the comforts of home, family, familiarity for various reasons: adventure, bigger opportunities, a yearning for something new. Moving abroad to work or study is something that people have been doing for centuries, and those doing so join a long line of people, but one question remains – what really happens when you come home?

Many Indonesians working abroad come back home after their time spent overseas. We sat down with one of these Returning Indonesians, Astri Arifin, a marketing professional based in Jakarta, who came home after several years working and studying abroad. She shares her story:

Having grown up as a child in the UK for a good 6 years it was easy to make the decision to live there and pursue my Bachelor’s degree and Masters in London. In addition, an international qualification would provide me with more career opportunities down the road and widen my network.   

My experience of studying and living abroad definitely surpassed my expectations as it was a very fun experience. Not only did I have lots of good memories, I learnt a lot about myself. As a minority in London that speaks a foreign language, I became more open-minded and independent as a person.

After completing my Bachelor’s degree and Masters, I decided to embark on my career in UK. However, I was met with setbacks and challenges. It was not easy getting a job in the UK, especially for foreign students, because the job market is very competitive and there are so many international students who want to work in the UK due to the living standards and high-paying salaries.

Final thoughts on returning home

Whilst there are pros and cons about moving home, I have seen more pros – for example, feeling more confident after landing a job at Bioderma, embracing my roots, being close to family and having my support system at hand. There are many aspects of local culture that I can now enjoy like Buka Bersama with friends and visiting the supermall. Coming back to Indonesia has also allowed me to build a new community of friends and I have since started a British Alumni Running group every Sunday. I believe that so many other returnees face the challenges I have faced, but I believe that these are all challenges that helps one to develop as a person.

While you may not have a long term plan in place, my advice is to enjoy the journey and the cultural experience of moving back home. Being an emerging market, opportunities are abound in Indonesia, and there are so many possibilities awaiting returnees.

Planning to return home? Find out how Michael Page’s Membangun Negeri campaign can help you look for a new job opportunity and facilitate your move back to Indonesia.