One of the frequently asked questions is how much money should you bring?

It is, of course, difficult to give a very precise answer to this question. But broadly speaking, it is really about how much you can manage to save before the internship starts and how much would you be able to afford in your spare time? 

Danish interns will be receiving SU during their internship as a financial support. This may look different depending on your country of origin. 

You can live in Bali by relying on your SU if you find cheap accommodation and eat locally for most of the time or shop and cook yourself. A budget-friendly version is to find a fellow student to share accommodation with. Naturally, the better you want your accommodation to be and the more things you want to do in your spare time, the bigger the savings you need to have. 

If you already wish for an internship early on, then there is also more time to save up. Prices vary a lot out here depending on which area you will be in. The most expensive areas are Canggu and the Seminyak area. As an example, a 3-bedroom villa in Canggu costs 20-30 million rupiah per month (and up). In comparison, you can rent a 3-bedroom house around Sanur, for example, for 40-60 million rupiah per year.  

If you would like to get a diving certificate, climb volcanoes, visit nearby islands, and go on overnight stays around Bali, I would recommend saving up around 20 million rupiah a month to cover your living expenses, experiences, etc. A bit lesser than that will do as well. About 15-16 million rupiah would be a decent range, but it mostly depends on how much you will be spending in your spare time. It is also possible to have an even smaller budget if you can consider choosing a placement in the cheaper areas of Bali. 

How much does housing cost?

The most common choice of accommodation is a guesthouse. There are endless possibilities when it comes to finding one. Here you must consider how close you would like to live to where you will be conducting your internship. When you have chosen an institution and this has been confirmed, you have the opportunity to get the contact information of a housing agent who collaborates with Balife Foundation. She can offer guesthouses situated near many of the different internship opportunities. 

In Canggu, an ordinary room in a guesthouse costs 7-8 million rupiah and up. Here, there is usually a shared pool and access to a shared kitchen. The rooms basically have a bed, bedside table, sometimes a desk, a chair and a private bathroom. Not far from Canggu area, similar guesthouses can be found for around 5 million rupiah, and the further away from the most expensive areas, the cheaper it gets. The housing agent can be helpful in finding a solution that matches your budget. 

I would always recommend that you draw up a rental agreement where you pay per month and not the full amount in advance, so you are guaranteed not to waste your money if you end up wanting to move during your internship. 

Scholarship

Before your upcoming internship, you can apply for a financial support scholarship during your stay. There are many different options and the earlier you apply, the better. Some foundations have application deadlines and different application requirements. You can find out more about these on the scholarship handbook, fonde.dk, or seek advice and guidance from your school. They could also be offering scholarships. 

When it comes to the application, I often get the question "What makes a good application?" and my best answer is that there is no specific recipe for what a good application should contain. I have seen many different applications from those who have been both approved and rejected, and I would recommend writing your own best bid for an application and be yourself. 

Here are some additional prices to start from: 

If you eat at western-inspired expat cafés, a meal costs about DKK 60 per meal, whereas if you eat at local establishments you can get a meal for only DKK 20. 

• Scooter bike rental

If you are comfortable getting around on a scooter bike, then the smallest and cheapest scooter bike out here is a Scoopy. It costs approx. DKK 350 per month to rent. Vario is also one of the smaller models for approx. 350-400 kroner per month. If you'd like a bigger scooter bike, you can go for models such as Nmax and Lexi. These cost approx. DKK 6-700 per month, depending on condition. 

• Driver's license 

For those who will stay in Bali longer, I always recommend getting a local driving license for scooter bikes. Your regular driver’s license does not work out here. I have seen police officers reject international driver’s licence as well. Check out the Tips highlight with “bike and helmet” symbol on @balifefoundation to find information on a contact person, who can help you get a local driver's license. It costs approx. 1,6 million rupiah (one-time payment). If you are stopped while driving a scooter bike without a local driving license, you will be fined. The fine varies between 400,000-1,4 million rupiah, and the police officer will gladly follow you to an ATM if you don't have enough cash on you. 

• Water

Now that you are not allowed to drink tap water in Bali, there is also an expense in getting plenty of water. Most guesthouses have a water tank where you can fill a large drinking bottle as you wish. If they don't have one, or there isn't one in the room, it might be worth going out and finding one. You can get a cheap water container for approx. 200 kroner. Here you give approx. DKK 10 for a large water container with 19 liters of water. The vast majority of guesthouses can be helpful in finding such water containers, as well as give you the contact information of someone who can come and change it when it runs out. This way you can save a lot of water bottles and a lot of money. 

• Visa prices

The prices mentioned here are indicative. Minor changes may occur from time to time, but when your internship is in place, you will get in touch with a visa agency that will help you through the process, and they are always up to date with the latest changes. 

In order to be allowed to do an internship in Bali, you must have a special visa. This is because you are, in principle, carrying out work without a work permit. So this visa gives you permission to do an internship at a Balinese institution. There is no way you can do an internship without this visa (it is illegal without it). 

90 days before departure you can get in touch with the visa contact you are assigned to. They are partnered with the Balife Foundation, so they are familiar with the kind of internship you will be doing. 

The price of the visa you apply to before arrival costs approx. 2200 kroner. This covers 60 days. After those 60 days, this must be extended. Most of the time, the agency will remind you when it's almost time, but to be absolutely sure, ask them from the start to send out a reminder when it's time for an extension. The extension costs approx. DKK 1,350 and provides an additional stay of 60 days. Afterwards, it must be extended again for the same price. Your original visa can be extended for up to 6 months, after which you must travel out of Indonesia. So for education students, you must be aware that you cannot stay more than 6 months. If it is a matter of a few days, then you must contact the visa agency, and they can help with payment for the days in question. 

You don't want to leave Indonesia on an overstayed visa. This could result in large financial fines and blacklisting from Indonesia.