We're having a discussion on my Yahoo group. I suppose it's a little off topic but, anyhow, one of the members who has made aliyah and tells the rest of us to come along suggested to one of the girls that she should make aliyah. Anyhow, it segwayed into a discussion topic of who makes money in Israel?
So, now I'm asking the public, think of people you know who live in Israel, especially those who have made aliyah. How do they derive income in Israel? For those who know, I've been curious, what are the "good jobs" in Israel?
In the US, as we all know, Jewish women usually go into Speech Therapy, Occupation Therapy, Teaching, Social work, Nurse, Bookkeepping and maybe accounting. The Orthodox Jewish men in the US become rabbis (of course), rebbes in a school, accountants, doctors/dentists and lawyers. Sephardic men go into the family business which might be diamonds or fashion. At least, these are the occupations I hear over and over associated with each gender.
One of the girls from my group posted this example:
A few things
ReplyDelete1. Segwayed is acually segued
2. Your post is rife with assumptive stereotypes
3. The majority of people I know who made aliyah and who are "making money", who have been able to KEEP their standard of living the same in Israel as in the US, work for or have US based businesses. They either telecommute or actually commute between countries.
Re: stereotypes,
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you look at some shidduch databases? You will find that 90% have one of those jobs. Ooops! I left out the fact that some do sheitels and/or make up. There's some of those. However, look through a list of women and their occupation and you will see teacher and therapist OVER and OVER.
Personally, I think since people don't have any strong preference for an occupation, they go into what their friends and relatives have gone into or are going into.
You must be the same snotty know-it-all who corrected me when I used the term Tznius. I am not an English major and I don't claim to be one. I don't even play one on TV, hahah.
I am opinionated. I started this blog to be opinionated online. That's kinda the idea behind a blog.
Personally, I think since people
ReplyDeleteThat was some supposed to read WHEN people don't have any strong preference.
The Curmudgeonly Israeli Giyoret says:
ReplyDeleteNo, that were not me. I could care less (sic) how you write English; I am a Hebraicist snob not a grammatical snob. There is nothing advantageous in intelligent gerim aping pidgin yeshivish Yinglish. I am not an English major either. I work for a living.
There don't seem to be all that many American frum nurses here in Israel. Lot of Russians, but very few Americans.
Several years ago, my husband and I reflected on the fact that almost everyone in the Israeli workforce felt their sector was not doing well in proportion to everyone else. During a stint in IDF reserve duty at Ramle prison, he found that the regular guards thought that in respect to their education levels, they had relatively good salaries and great benefits (they are a division of the police).
Which all goes to show how hard it is to predict what will be remunerative and what won't here. I think the "good jobs" in Israel are likely to change with the drop in the American economy, hence, American-based jobs may not be a safe bet in the next few years either.
While there are other Occupations, like I said it seems like all the women here are therapists and teachers. Let's just say that an Orthodox woman is guaranteed to know a therapist or two and a teacher at least one of which is married to an accountant.
ReplyDeleteSo, no strong trends like that in Israel (observant Jews)?
Not a Jewish environment but, in Buffalo people wanted to get into a union company: Ford.. Sorrento Cheese... or county/city jobs. When I lived in San Antonio it was USAA... In NYC, people want a finance job. Often, these are people without a degree let alone a degree in finance. In NYC, a college degree is more important than other places.
Truthfully, in the USA, if someone can stand it, they should look at the medical jobs. They pay well and there is a good growth outlook for them. Personally, I could never do anything medical.
The Curmudgeonly Israeli Giyoret says:
ReplyDelete"So, no strong trends like that in Israel (observant Jews)? "
Quite a few, except the frum nurses here are almost all Sabras.
Physiotherapy, Occupational Therepy, Speech Therapy, Respiratiory Therapy are all big, teaching is always big.
Among the guys, it's "something with computers".
I think that for many in the Diaspora contemplating making Aliyah one day that chances are that what we are currently employed in may not be the job we end up being employed in.
ReplyDeleteMaybe chances are we will secure a job in Israel for what we are qualified to do. But then there is also the possibility of this not happening.
My sister (who made aliyah) works as a nurse. But yes, just about all of the frum nurses she has come in contact with are sabras.
ReplyDeleteAnother sister (in the process of making aliyah)telecommutes. But even when she worked in the U.S., she often did stuff over the computer.
Being able to do work online for an American company is probably your best bet. Otherwise, I think a lot of people end doing stuff like babysitting/teaching, which doesn't pay that well.
It's true, living expenses are less in Israel, but salary rates are much, much lower.
The Curmudgeonly Israeli Giyoret says:
ReplyDeleteTrue enough, nobody ever promised anyone would make aliya and get rich. I do know a few who have, however. Anonymous 10:49 has a point though, fortune favors the flexible.
Most of the people I know in Israel who are making money are working for companies like Teva, or are in the tech sector. Israel has a lot of money to be made you just have to have the correct connections to make it. I have been offered jobs in Israel several times and feel badly that I can't get the paperwork I need to make the move.
ReplyDelete