Jakarta's Leading School for Indonesian Language Studies

What are the qualifications of LSI's language tutors?

LSI’s “product” is its faculty! Given this fact, the organisation devotes more time and effort to the recruitment and development of world-class Bahasa Indonesia language tutors than it does any other aspect of its operation.

LSI’s teaching faculty is comprised wholly of university-accredited Indonesian language instructors. All are multilingual native-speakers who have held positions of responsibility for many years prior to joining the organisation.

Their credentials notwithstanding, tutors are required to graduate from LSI’s ‘Teacher Education Programme for Bahasa Indonesia Studies’ before joining the faculty. Throughout their tenures, they are expected to attend Indonesian school conferences and pursue opportunities for professional development.

LSI’s careful selection process and ongoing development programmes ensure that clients receive the highest level of professional, friendly and helpful service from an Indonesian tutor with solid teaching skills.

Does LSI provide private lessons or classroom instruction?

Learning to communicate in Indonesian requires more than attending general Bahasa Indonesia language classes. Achieving linguistic aims in the shortest possible time requires that language instruction be personalised - “individual.” The private tutorial is a particularly beneficial setting for language learning, as it allows a private instructor who understands the needs of her or his client(s) to tailor the training methods, material and pacing to meet those specific needs. While this can be attained relatively quickly with the undivided attention of a private teacher, it is a slow and arduous process when instruction is delivered through large group lessons in a general classroom setting.

Although traditional classroom instruction may be lucrative for a language school, experience has taught LSI educators that Indonesian “classes” do not provide ample opportunities for students to practice new language acquired. Modern educational research has shown that mastery of a given language requires active use of the language. LSI methodology emphasises the constant practicing of Bahasa Indonesia through one-on-one interaction - something best achieved between a client and tutor or among a small group/family.

LSI’s individual or small-group tutorial is the ideal configuration for effective language acquisition. The tutor is able to create relevant, practical and enjoyable Indonesian lessons that serve the needs of her or his clients, and provide clients the practice time necessary to gain confidence and competence in Bahasa Indonesia.

Where are LSI lessons taught?
Do I come to your facility or do you come to me?

Automobile traffic in Jakarta has reached an all-time high, with one-way work commutes now averaging two hours. With this in mind, on any given day, a client wishing to take a two-hour Bahasa Indonesia language lesson at LSI’s facility must be prepared to invest up to four or five hours of her or his time - an investment that many expatriates are not prepared to make to develop their Bahasa Indonesia skills.

Indeed, a 2007 city-wide survey conducted by LSI identified “long commute times” as the overwhelming reason for foreign residents discontinuing their Bahasa Indonesia language courses at Indonesian schools. As a leading advocate of Bahasa Indonesia instruction in Jakarta, LSI responded to this dilemma by committing itself to developing a viable alternative for expatriate residents living in the congested Capital. In 2008, LSI became the “Bahasa Indonesia language school that comes to you,” with the introduction of “in-home lessons.” Today, LSI conducts all Indonesian instruction on-site, exclusively at the homes and offices of its clients.

Under the on-site programme, a prospective client receives an in-home or in-office visit from an LSI representative prior to commencing her or his Indonesian language training (to assess the client’s needs and establish an appropriate space in the home or office for instruction to take place). For the duration of the course, LSI’s support staff ensures that the Indonesian instructor is delivered to the home or office promptly at the start of each lesson, together with all necessary lesson materials. The on-site programme relieves clients of the stress normally associated with “keeping appointments” in Jakarta, by shifting that responsibility to LSI.

LSI’s in-home instruction makes individual study easier than it has ever been before.