This was, if I remember correctly, the dawn of the new millennium. I was by now employing Indonesian Business Managers to look after the mechanics of running the schools and expatriate Directors of Studies to run the academic side of things, while I took a step back and looked for more lucrative and less stressful ways of making a living.
I realized I needed to broaden both my horizons and my education if I was really to succeed in the private sector, and so I set about learning about the world of finance. I called on my old contacts and started networking, picking the brains of former colleagues, associates and friends of friends, while also taking courses in banking and investment. I learnt how to trade in futures and options, how to spot-trade without too much risk, and how to take advantage of the currency markets. This took time, about two to three years to really get on top of, but I could see this was where the future was at.
The best decision I made at this time, however, was to learn how to leverage low risk loans at favourable interest rates. Done correctly, an individual or company is given the means to obtain loans and advancements of cash that enable he or it to purchase companies and businesses without providing any upfront capital of their own. Basically put, the company they are purchasing is then saddled with the debts incurred from the takeover and not the individual or company making the purchase. This is perfectly legal but is subject to adherence to a host of rules and regulations. Again, these can be bypassed or at least relaxed through simply knowing the right people.
Back to Neil. In early 2003 we needed more teachers for our schools and so our BMs made the decision to advertise for some on the internet. This was usually a successful method of recruitment but things could still sometimes go wrong. As almost all of the candidates we received applications from in this manner were based in their home countries, we would have to invariably conduct interviews over the phone rather than face-to-face and occasionally we would end up getting things wrong.
Sometimes a candidate would be accepted and then would turn up in Jakarta as agreed but then, for one reason or another, turn out to be totally unsuited to life in Asia. The reasons for this were varied but usually contained some element or trace of immaturity. The teachers we employed were usually first-time teachers in their twenties or early thirties who fancied a year abroad and for whom the idea of living and working overseas for a while represented a challenge or an experience rather than a career choice. This could lead to problems such as them arriving and instantly becoming homesick, or failing to adapt to Indonesian culture and the people. The most common problem though, came from the young men we employed who got carried away with the pleasures Indonesia has to offer. I lost count of the number of guys who had their heads turned by the attention their white skin and ‘westernness’ provoked and then ended up getting into trouble with local girls or their families, or, more seriously, the local police and other authorities
due to drunken mishaps.
It was for this reason that we preferred to recruit teachers we felt would be here for the long haul and ones who had at least an inkling of the country, its mores, and what was expected of them. Admittedly, though, it was hard to attract such candidates because they would be a little older and so probably more experienced and qualified and thus less likely to accept the salaries we were offering, which although good by Indonesian standards were a long way behind those advertised in international schools and the like.
Well, to cut a long story short, we received an application from Neil who, as far as I knew, was still living in Surabaya at the time. Although I didn’t usually get directly involved in the recruitment process, in his application letter addressed to our BM he had written that he and I knew each other, and so the BM handed over his application to me. Thinking Neil was in Surabaya, I invited him over to Jakarta for a chat, and it was then he informed me he was actually in England at the moment but he could come over and meet me the following week.
So, a few days later and Neil and I sat opposite each other after a gap of seven years or so. He hadn’t really changed much in the interceding years: he still had that slightly awkward air about him – a kind of sense that he could hold his own in any situation or conversation, but would rather be left alone if it was all the same, thanks very much.
We chatted amiably enough and I asked him why he was currently in England and what his future plans were. I was interested to know why he wanted to come and work for me now having been so keen to work for himself the past seven years. He was a bit evasive at first but then lightened up.
‘Well,’ he started, ‘I just think it’s time for me to settle down and start to build a career.’
‘Why now?’ I questioned. ‘ I mean, I don’t want to say ‘I told you so’ but ‘build a career’ are the exact words I said to you back in Sidoarjo all those years ago.’
He was quiet for a minute then continued:
