Possibly moving to either Brazil or Jakarta with DH's work

[rainbowsaregoodomens]

And I'm
Nothing has been decided yet. DH has been asked to consider a move to Sao Paulo or Jakarta, and they want an answer tomorrow. (We've has a few weeks to consider applying for the post in Brazil, but the second option only given on Friday.)

So, this isn't even an offer of a job yet, just a, would you be interested in applying? And we're just going round in circles.

Nobody knows yet, so I can't discuss it with anyone in RL. I don't want to drop a bombshell on parents and adult kids just before Christmas, especially as there's a possibility that he won't be offered either, or the package won't be enough for us to accept anyway.

There's a lot consider: Both sets of parents alive and well and in 70's whom we see once every two months or so at the moment. Two kids in Uni and away from home term time. Two well loved pets that I can't part with.

Then there's which is the best megalopolis to move to? In terms of safety, quality of life, health and happiness, cost of living, opportunities for me to work....

Would the package being offered justify me giving up work? Would we be covered by health insurance? What happens in crisis times with family back in uk? Will my menopausal anxiety hit sky high being away from home?

All this worry and we're not even decided if he'll apply yet!

The reasons why were considering is: DH is worried that they won't offer a promotion if these two options are turned down, so he'd be stuck in same role for another 20+ years; It's an adventure and an amazing opportunity; it would give our kids the "freedom" to look for work anywhere;

I would be grateful for any insights from mumsnetters who've lived in these two places. @ifink if she's still around was in Jakarta.

BTW, new user name as my friends know I'm constantly on MN and don't want anyone accidentally finding out......

Thanks

ah ha! I am sort of still around but I got an email to say someone had mentioned me and here I am....happy to help.
Jakarta - well I was there for 18 months approx. I met some wonderful people and lived in a great expat area. I could not work as the visas are heavily controlled and working as a spouse without a visa is a big no no.
The lifestyle as an expat spouse is very much coffee, school (if you have school aged kids), exercise, shopping and clubs - so typical expat stuff really. I loved my short time doing it but I knew it was only for a short time - I was never hoping to remain an expat spouse forever as not working would drive me mad.
Jakarta is big, hot, dirty, busy busy busy and the traffic horrendous. We could spend hours literally trying to get out of our suburb. Standards of public health are poor and you have to fly to Singapore for anything medical - top notch health insurance a must. Indonesians are beautiful people and generally I felt very safe but petty crime does exist since most people are so so poor. Travelling around to see Indonesia is a fab opportunity, there are some amazing places to go and see but I would qualify that with saying it is NOT cheap to fly to other islands or stay in top hotels (particularly if you are only prepared to fly on Garuda as I was - they are licensed to fly in UK airspace so I take comfort that their safety is good - not always the case for other Ind airlines). So thats my round up! Yes, it was a wonderful time, yes I miss my life there but I was happy to leave and get back some normality. HTH

Thanks for replying! We're also looking at a short contract, so, that would be an adventure rather than a life changing move. I've never been in a situation where I've been able to be home and not work, and we're unsure of the package they will offer.
Lots and lots to think of!

Join Two Fat Expats on FB - lots of experts on there who'd be well placed to advise you. You can post safely (ie your friends won't see what you've asked) BUT your FB friends can see that you've joined the group.

Thanks Damn :-)

I am not in either of those places, but here are some things to consider re package:
medical and dental including medical evacuation
help with tax returns
relocation allowance - air shipment, sea, storage - how much?
housing allowance - utilities included?
car and driver?
language lessons
flights home - how many per year and what class
flights for your children to visit - how many per year
what happens to your husband's pension - can he remain in the same scheme?
visas and health checks - covered by the company?
payment for flights home in event of death of close relative or medical emergency?
tax free salary?
Travel allowance?
Not all of the above will be applicable to your situation, but it's a starting point.
Good luck with your decision.
I have friends who lived in Jakarta for 10 years - for surgery you would need to go to Singapore and traffic is utterly horrendous!

Thank you for those points Shanghai. It's huge and no doubt I will be back here if he's offered the post.

As we stand now, he will tell his boss he's happy to be considered. We will only go if the package suits us.

Nerve wrecking

I've never been to Brazil but I stayed in Jakarta for a month at my ex's place. Just know you're going to live IN traffic, meaning you will probably spend 1/3 of your life in traffic there it is literally insane. It's worth mentioning that most Indonesians are Muslims so things like public display of affection like kissing is frowned upon. They will probably refer to you as "Bule gila" which basically means crazy white person (assuming you're white of course), they are often super friendly but be careful about breaking their social codes. Indonesians are proud nationalists, so do NOT ridicule or belittle their country lol and do not say Malaysia is better in any way they tend to hate Malaysia. There is trash everywhere on the streets. People often don't wear seat belts and you can literally just pay to get a driver's license. Food is incredible but pork and alcohol are hard to come by. Don't drink or eat in public during Ramadan, it's considered disrespectful.
Jakarta is insanely hot but it is filled with malls that have very nice air conditioning and clean toilets.
Extremism has been somewhat on the rise the past few years, so I would be cautious in certain areas.
The schools often have violent rivalries there which have actually resulted in deaths.
Trans women are treated very badly there and can be seen on the roads, doing stuff to entertain people in order to earn a living somehow because no one will employ them.
I had an excellent month there but I would not want to live there.
Obviously it's you and your DHs decision to make as a family.

Mama , thanks for those insights. DH is keener on Brazil if he had the choice. In reality, we wouldn't choose either bit it's kind of expected or loose out on any further notice.
Next step in his career I suppose. ( I have never been a career woman even though I've had good jobs which I have enjoyed)

Waiting to hear about next steps now. 🤔