The Benefits and Drawbacks of Being a Teacher in Indonesia

Teachers are a very noble and important profession. Being a teacher in Indonesia provides
opportunities for people to encourage the advancement of the world of education. This
illustrates that the profession of being a teacher is indeed very meaningful but does not rule
out the possibility that this profession is also full of challenges in its implementation. Here,
the author will explain the advantages and disadvantages of being a teacher in Indonesia.
Being a teacher in Indonesia can offer two good profit points. The first point is short
working hours. People who choose to become teachers in Indonesia are lucky in terms of
time. At first, teachers were set to have working hours for 6 days like other professions in
general. This is different from today where teachers who teach in educational institutions that
implement full day school, working hours will not increase too much (Baisuni 2021). The full
day school policy in Indonesia directs teachers to work around 40 hours each week, with
details of 8 hours of work per day. This working hour is shorter when compared to the
working hours of other professions which on average is 8 hours per day starting from
Monday to Saturday.
The second point is to play an important role in the formation of the future of students.
Teachers become substitutes for parents in schools, where they are not only required to teach
their students about subjects but also model good life behavior (Pramono 2021). It means
being a teacher in Indonesia ready to impart knowledge, skills, and moral values to students.
Then participate in helping students to become successful individuals and contribute
positively to society. Furthermore, a teacher will always be considered as a figure who is
imitated and a role model for students. Thus, teachers only need to show good behavior in the
educational process in order to realize well-behaved and well-qualified students.
However, there are two drawbacks that can be considered from being a teacher in
Indonesia. First, the salary is minimal. There is a study conducted in Kota Komba District,
East Manggarai which shows the salary range of teachers in several high schools in the sub-
district is in the range of Rp300 thousand to Rp1.2 million per month (Shabrina 2023). It is a
concrete example where the distribution of salaries to teachers is still very minimal and
indicates that the life of teachers in Indonesia has not reached a prosperous status. This
minimal salary causes teachers to often complain and difficulty in meeting their daily living
needs because in the present time the price of basic necessities is increasing uncontrollably.
Secondly, the workload is high. Being a teacher in Indonesia is not an easy thing because
teachers have a big burden and responsibility. If in the past teachers in Indonesia focused
more on teaching, but now they are also given the burden of school administration work
(Sudiarta 2023). It makes the teacher's workload even more complicated and redundant. A
teacher is burdened with a lot of school administrative work, such as preparing lesson plans,
analyzing learning outcomes, and attending various meetings so that they cannot focus on
their main task, which is teaching and educating students. Such excessive workload can cause
teachers to experience physical and mental fatigue. This can have an impact on teacher health
and performance.
The teaching profession has a very important role in nation building. Teachers have the
opportunity to make a positive impact on society by playing an important role in shaping
students' futures. However, teachers also face various challenges, one of which is excessive
workload. Excessive workload can negatively impact teacher quality and performance, so
efforts need to be made to reduce it. Being part of nation building and having the opportunity
to have a positive impact on society, then becoming a teacher is the right choice. Teachers
have a very important role in shaping the future of students. Teachers impart knowledge,
skills, and moral values to students. Thus, teachers help students to become successful
individuals and contribute positively to society.
References:
Baisuni, Miela. 2021. “7 Keuntungan Menjadi Guru Sebagai Karir Anda.” Kejarpena.
January 22, 2021. https://blog.kejarcita.id/7-keuntungan-menjadi-guru-dibanding-
profesi-lainnyya/.
Pramono, Echo. 2021. “Alasan yang Bisa Bikin Bangga Jadi Seorang Guru.” Fakultas
Keguruan dan Ilmu Pendidikan (blog). December 2, 2021.
https://fkip.umko.ac.id/2021/12/02/alasan-yang-bisa-bikin-bangga-jadi-seorang-guru/.
Shabrina, Dinda. 2023. “Kesejahteraan Guru Disebut Masih Belum Terwujud, Ada yang
Bergaji Rp300 Ribu Per bulan.” May 28, 2023.
https://mediaindonesia.com/humaniora/584808/kesejahteraan-guru-disebut-masih-
belum-terwujud-ada-yang-bergaji-rp300-ribu-per-bulan.
Sudiarta. 2023. “Sudiarta: Beban Kerja Guru SD di Indonesia Tinggi.” December 5, 2023.
https://www.nusabali.com/berita/156313/sudiarta-beban-kerja-guru-sd-di-indonesia-
tinggi.