These people are none other joki, a catchall term for individuals who provide certain academic services for a fee, from ghostwriting a final thesis to taking an exam for their “client”. They are a known phenomenon lurking in the shadows of the education system.

The academic world frowns on these services that, if exposed, could lead to sanctions for their clients if not outright expulsion, as well as legal ramifications for the joki.

The new niche that opened up as a result of the COVID-19 online schooling policy, however, provided a broader gray area to offer a new service: summarizing classroom and lecture notes for students who were finding it difficult to keep up with classwork due to the technical challenges of online learning.

Arianti (not her real name*) is one such joki selling her services to summarize class notes. "I started at the beginning of the pandemic. [By the] seventh semester, I was taking the gig seriously," said the 23-year-old information systems undergraduate.

She is not alone. Thousands of other joki like her are providing the same service. Simply visiting the dozens of Twitter accounts they use to promote their services reveals the magnitude of this niche trade, which could be seen as unethical at worst.

Gray zone: Hiring 'joki' to summarize class notes, tutoring services or other ways to aid with subject comprehension could have positive learning outcomes for students, while 'joki' benefit from an additional source of income. (Unplash/Krzysztof Maksimiuk) (Unsplash/Courtesy of Krzysztof Maksimiuk)

New income source

The COVID-19 pandemic has severely affected the labor market and increased poverty. It is therefore no wonder that many cash-strapped students, both current and former, have welcomed the opportunity to make some extra money.

"I had long heard about this gig from before. I eventually started [treating] it as my main job when the pandemic hit," said Jennifer, 27.

The self-professed joki has been providing her services since October 2020, making between Rp 2 million (US$140) and Rp 3 million ($210) each month during low seasons, such as at the start of a semester. During peak exam seasons, including mid-term, semester and final exams, she can make Rp 6 million to Rp 7 million a month.

As the breadwinner in her family, the service Jennifer offers is more than an additional source of income, and she spends the money she earns on the daily needs of her family, whose circumstances are less than ideal.

"I currently live with my mother and two siblings," she said. "My father is a convicted criminal and is serving 20 years for drug abuse and distribution. My mother sells snacks and drinks on the street. My older sister works at a money changer, while my younger brother is a ShopeeFood driver."

Arianti, whose parents own a small textile factory in Purwokerto, reinvests the money she makes into her education.

"The [local] regent has forbidden schools from collecting the fees for [school] uniforms because of the pandemic, causing my parents' income to decline 100 percent. I save my earnings to pay for exams and graduation, which costs more than Rp 1 million," she said.

It is different for Kia, who makes around Rp 200,000 per month and uses the extra money as a personal allowance. But the senior high school student refrains from taking too many orders so she has the time to attend to her own studies.

"I must finish my school assignments no later than noon. After that, I can do the joki [business] from 12 to 6 every afternoon," she said.

Online supply and demand: Twitter is the most popular platform for academic 'joki' to offer their services and for potential student clients to seek them out. (Unplash/freestock) (Unsplash/Courtesy of freestock)

No walk in the park

Although summarizing someone else's notes might seem straightforward, the opposite is typically the case.

"Summarizing is also a challenge,” Kia said, referring to gigs in which her client is a university student. “Usually, I read their notes more carefully and make sure I understand the context. And if I still don't understand, I will read related materials on Google."

Physical endurance is critical to this niche trade. Deadlines are tight and some joki even rely on task management software to help them.

Arianti used to work until dawn, only to wake up to her personal responsibilities a while later. "I was doing my thesis. If I had to do some revisions, I would decline any job order, usually for a week,” she said, adding that she physically felt as though “I'm burning the candle on both ends".

Mental endurance is also a must, given how the public generally perceives the trade.

"While some accept us as [providing] a professional service, others berate us because they believe that we make students lazy and corrupt. Sometimes, people would DM [direct message] me and chastise me," said Jennifer.

Mutual benefits

Most students use the joki service to save time or to help them overcome the challenges they encounter during online learning. Jennifer, who has an education degree, has noticed that student clients turn to joki services not only for writing resumes and completing assignments, but also for tutoring.

"Many students look for joki who can give them intensive tutoring sessions to teach them specific material they couldn’t understand from online schooling. I think [this is] because many teachers, especially those with poor digital literacy, are struggling to teach students so they understand the lesson effectively," she said.

The digital learning gap can also be observed among students. High school freshman Dania Eka admitted that she had no idea how to use presentation software like PowerPoint (.ppt), so she had no choice but to hire a joki to complete any assignments that need to be submitted as a .ppt file.

In addition, Dania often used joki services so she had more time to study. "I would use jockey services if the [class] notes were too long. I have additional classes until the afternoon. I don't have the time to take long notes," she said.

Bella Riska, on the other hand, used joki services to help with subject comprehension. "I [would rather] focus more on the other assignments that I can do without a joki. I regret it, though, since now I feel like I don't have enough knowledge in those [other] subjects," said the public relations undergraduate.

Meanwhile, Indah Permata Sari, a senior high school teacher in Serpong, Banten, welcomes the tutoring and other services joki offer to aid student comprehension as a viable alternative.

Indah said that some students were auditory learners who focused on listening to the teacher’s explanations. Back in the days of offline learning, she said that auditory learners would flock to the photocopying center to copy the notes of their fellow students.

"[Taking notes] is a positive thing if the child has high endurance. But if the child is easily tired and stressed, it leaves [them with] very little time and strength for drilling [practice] questions," said Indah. Students like these could benefit from relying on joki to provide summarized notes as learning materials, which would give them more time to work on the practice questions.

It remains to be seen whether the demand for this service continues after offline learning resumes, but it certainly gives joki affected by the pandemic a way of making ends meet.

*All names of joki have been changed in this article to protect their identities.

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