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A foreign degree in your pocket doesn’t guarantee a good job back home, nor a good salary, graduates are learning the hard way.

“I was expecting to get a good job here, better than [jobs available] for graduates from Indonesian universities, as I had a diploma from a foreign country,” Ira Marti Isfandiari, who studied psychology at the University of Oregon in the United States, told the Jakarta Globe.

“But when I applied for a job, it turned out [I was treated] the same as graduates from local universities ,” Ira said, adding that she had to pass exactly the same screening process as those local graduates.

Ira said she had to wait for six months before getting her first job in 2001, as a junior clerk at Rabobank with a starting monthly salary of just Rp 1.5 million ($170).

“Yes, I was disappointed, but I knew it was hard to find a job here,” she said. Ira now works as brand service manager with Commonwealth Bank in Jakarta.

Caecilia Tiara, an executive producer with private television broadcaster RCTI, started her career as a junior reporter with Qtv despite having graduated from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology School of Media and Communication.

“They treated me the same as those who graduated from Indonesian schools — everyone went through the same process,” Caecilia said.

Hendro Sunarmin began working in the marketing division of a private company in 2001 with a monthly salary of Rp 1.9 million. He stayed for only six months.

“It’s hard and I am not satisfied. It’s better to apply for citizenship and work there [in the country where you studied]. Work there first for several years, then return to Indonesia setting up your own business,” Hendro suggested.

With a degree in social science and development studies from the University of Kwazulu Natal in South Africa, Hendro now works with an Aceh-based medical equipment distributor, collaborating with the local branch of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi).

Rene Suhardono Canoneo, a career coach who wrote “Your Job Is Not Your Career,” said many Indonesians who studied overseas had “monochromatic thoughts.” They were expecting bigger salaries and acknowledgement for spending a lot of money on their foreign education. “First of all, stop looking at the money,” he offered as advice.

“It is not all about the degree, but about what you can do.”

He emphasized the importance of having a strong network before starting a career after graduation.

“Those who tend to be successful are those who already built a good network when they were studying, such as young entrepreneurs,” he said.

“The employability rate in Indonesia is 10 percent, which means only 10 percent of fresh graduates are ready to work.”

In 2009, 50,000 Indonesians studied overseas, according to data from the Indonesian International Education Consultant Association (IKPII).

A 2010 report released by the Indonesian Regional Science Association indicates that nearly half of all Indonesians going abroad to study do not return to the country but rather stay overseas to work there.

Aditia Sudarto, a human resources consultant at Daya Dimensi Indonesia, said degrees were only one of many criteria for companies in selecting candidates for vacancies.

Although a foreign degree does carry certain advantages, such as the ability to engage and communicate with expatriates, “it does not guarantee the candidate will be more successful than graduates of Indonesian universities,” Aditia said. “And companies also have development programs for all of their employees,” he added.

Foreign graduates, he said, should not expect to make more money than their colleagues as companies usually already have their own salary scales.

“A foreign title surely offers added value but it is no guarantee for absolute success,” he said.

Suhartono, a spokesman of the Ministry of Manpower and Transmigration, said that last year 32 percent of jobs available had remained unoccupied because there was a mismatch in demand and supply.

“People tend to choose jobs that match their expertise. They are waiting for suitable vacancies instead of trying a job in a completely different field,” Suhartono said.

“Besides that, sometimes geographical distance also plays a role for some people. Because they live in Jakarta, they would not accept a job in Sumatra, for example, even though it is a suitable [position] for them.”