Romania will import childcare workers from Indonesia. Experts present the pros and cons of this measure.
The shortage of staff in kindergartens and nurseries has led to drastic measures, so that hundreds of Indonesian nursery nurses and childminders will be employed in Romania from the fall. But there are pros and cons to this decision.
Acute shortage of staff in the pre-school education system
One of the reasons why Romania faces a shortage of staff in the pre-school education system is salary. The workload and the fact that many teachers are retiring or are not specialized leads to many open, yet unfilled, posts.
According to data published by the Ministry of Education and analyzed by FANATIK, in 2023 - 2024 there were 37,896 educators, 2,016 auxiliary teaching staff, and 1,372 caretakers. Thus, 60,179 people were working in nurseries and kindergartens last year, accounting for just over 20% of all staff in pre-university education. Compared to last year, the number of pre-school staff increased by 1,255. We are talking about 24,480 in urban areas and 13,416 in rural areas. We also have the lowest average age in pre-school education. Over 201TPTP3T of the teaching staff is under 29 years old.
In 2023 - 2024, 515.9 thousand children were enrolled in pre-school education, 5.8 thousand fewer children than in the previous school year. In recent years, the number of children per teacher in pre-school education is much higher in rural areas (16 children) than in urban areas (12 children).
Benefits of importing childcare workers from Indonesia
For our country to face this crisis a solution has been found to import foreign workers. Thus, from September this year, hundreds of teachers and caregivers from Indonesia will come to work in private nurseries and kindergartens in Romania.
We are talking about at least 200 Indonesian women to be hired in Romania. Depending on performance and requirements, Work from Asia says more will be sent. They will communicate with the rest of the staff, as well as with their young children and their parents exclusively in English. In this context, recruitment experts talk about the pros and cons of employing Indonesian staff in the Romanian education system.
"The pros would be exposure to English from an early age. Children would have the opportunity to learn English in a natural, immersive way, just like in bilingual kindergartens in other countries. Then cultural diversity. Contact with people from other cultures can encourage tolerance, curiosity and empathy. It is an opportunity for intercultural education.
Dedicated workforce. Foreign employees often come with a strong motivation to work well and integrate, especially in structured professional environments. It is also a solution to the shortage of skilled employees. The Romanian private system faces a shortage of people in early education. Hiring from other countries can be a viable solution in the short and medium term"HR expert Corina Neagu tells FANATIK.
Main disadvantages for future employees in Indonesia
Although it seems a favorable solution for both Romania and Asian workersthere are also some disadvantages. These disadvantages are faced in almost all areas by foreign employees brought to take jobs in our country.
The arguments against are cultural and communication barriers with parents. Even if English is the working language, many parents prefer to communicate in Romanian and may perceive a distance between the family and the educational staff. There is also a lack of understanding of the local context. Cultural and social values, as well as the particularities of child development in Romania, may be different from those in Indonesia and may require intensive adaptation.
Professional integration can also be difficult. Employment legislation, recognition of qualifications, working conditions and residency can be major bureaucratic hurdles. There are also costs and public perception. The costs can be higher, and public perception can be negative if it is poorly communicated. For example, that they are looking for cheap labor from outside the country, although the reality may be different"explains the recruitment specialist.
Indonesian staff internationally recognized for performance
According to representatives Work from AsiaFor education to continue to remain high quality, concrete and long-term solutions are needed. They say that the staff coming to Romania are very well trained by experienced specialists and will apply what they have learned in our country.
"The staff trained in the training center in Indonesia is extremely well trained, and this gives us the confidence to offer Romanian employers unprecedented guarantees. Both the selected educators and caregivers, as well as the selected nannies and housekeepers, go through a rigorous training process under the guidance of specialists with more than 10 years of experience.
We are convinced that these professionals will be appreciated not only for their performance, but also for their reliability and impeccable character. Romania is facing a staff shortage in the education sector and through this partnership we are able to bring efficient and high quality solutions for employers"said Yosef Gavriel Gavriel Peisakh, General Manager Work from Asia.
The recruiting agency says it will also bring in intensively trained nannies and housekeepers. In practice, children, parents and the pre-school and pre-school education system will benefit from quality service from employees who are internationally recognized for the seriousness with which they carry out their duties.
Employees in Indonesia are being trained to be as skilled as possible in hygiene, child safety, age-appropriate healthy cooking and caring for the elderly with special needs, and many of them will also be employed in social work.
