What does the Career Israel program have to offer me? The Career Israel program provides you with the opportunity to gain professional work experience in Israel in a wide range of fields. This is an opportunity to enrich your resume while experiencing a genuine encounter with life in Israel. You will also benefit from personal enrichment through a supplementary curriculum including a Hebrew study program (Ulpan), trips and tours and seminars and lectures on subjects such as Israeli society today, religion and the Jewish state, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Jewish identity in modern Israel, trends in the Israeli job market and more.
Internships provide an individual with a monitored or supervised work experience where the individual has intentional learning goals and reflects actively on what he or she is learning throughout the experience. These learning goals can include: academic learning, career development, skill development, and personal development.
In order to find an internship that is most suited to your needs and in order to allow sufficient time to determine your eligibility for a MASA scholarship prior to your arrival, you should apply to the program at least three months prior to the starting date of the program.
To begin the application process you should fill out the online application form and submit it with a copy of your resume in English.
After your phone interview, notice of either acceptance or denial will be sent to you within 10 working days. In the acceptance notice, accepted candidates will be asked to make a confirmation deposit of $300. Receipt of the confirmation deposit will initiate the internship placement process. Before arriving in Israel you must send in all other required documentation including your medical forms signed and stamped by a physician.
The program is open to English-speaking, Jewish, college or university graduates ages 21-30.
We are committed to making every attempt to find an internship for you in the profession of your choice. On the application form you should detail your areas of interest and list the types of organizations in which you would like to do your internship. We will do our utmost to find you an internship that meets your requests.
It is important to remember that many organizations that you may be interested in have specific requirements for accepting interns. Many leading companies and organizations are only willing to take interns with a high level of Hebrew and therefore it is not always possible to accommodate requests for placements in specific companies. It is also important to take into consideration that many of the smaller companies and organizations are more flexible and give more responsibility and challenging tasks to interns than the larger organizations. Therefore the internships in the smaller organizations are often times more successful.
If you have a personal connection with an Israeli company or organization where you would like to do your internship, you are welcome to arrange your internship independently. It is important to notify us of this arrangement so that we do not start working on your internship placement.
Upon completing the program, you will receive a certificate from the Israel Experience Ltd. citing your participation in the program as well as a letter of recommendation from your internship workplace.
The supplementary educational programming is conducted in English and therefore you must have a high-level of English to participate. There is no Hebrew language prerequisite; however Hebrew speaking candidates will have a wider range of internship options.
There is always the likelihood that you will find members of the staff at your internship workplace who speak your mother tongue. We will do our best in order to create optimal conditions for you, but we can not guarantee that the internship will allow you to work only in a language other than English.
The Israel Experience Ltd. is responsible for operation and implementation of the program. There will be a counselor assigned to every group of 35 participants, to accompany the group during group activities and to assist the participants in finding solutions to any problem that might arise during the program.
The program offers a fascinating supplementary educational curriculum including a Hebrew study program (Ulpan), trips and tours and seminars and lectures on subjects such as Israeli society today, religion and the Jewish state, the Arab-Israeli conflict, Jewish identity in modern Israel, trends in the Israeli job market and more.
As a large portion of the educational programming takes place during the orientation, the daily schedule during the orientation will be very structured and intense. However following the orientation program, you will be living on your own and you will determine your work schedule in coordination with your employer. Outside of work hours you are free to experience life as an Israeli by shopping for groceries, visiting friends or enjoying near-by cafes or restaurants. You will receive a schedule of seminars and trips that will take place during the internship portion of the program which are an integral and mandatory part of the program.
Aside from your internship hours, participation in the supplementary educational curriculum is compulsory.
The program costs $7380 for a five month session, prior to the MASA scholarship. In addition, there is a one time $50 application fee.
The cost of airfare is not included in the cost of the program. The airfare is a separate expense that has to be financed independently.
It is important that you bring sufficient funds to cover basic needs, such as food, toiletries, travel etc. Most participants find that they spend between $250-$500 a month, depending on the lifestyle that they lead. It is important to remember that Israel is not an inexpensive country and to plan accordingly.
Career Israel is a recognized program of the Masa initiative, and therefore all participants in the program are eligible to apply for Masa funding. Masa offers grants and scholarships that vary according to criteria such as your country of origin, your age, and the length of the program in which you are participating. According to the Masa policy for the 2009-2010 academic year, all eligible Career Israel participants will receive some funding from Masa.
Download an application for Masa funding or to read more about the Masa funding policy for your country.
You can also view other scholarship options at: http://www.masaisrael.org/Masa/English/MASA+Grants/Additional+scholarshi...
The internships are voluntary, and therefore you will not earn a salary although you will benefit from professional enrichment.
It may seem counter-intuitive to pay to be an intern when you could be earning a salary at home. However it is important to realize that if you were working and earning a salary, a significant portion of that salary would go to cover costs such as housing, food and insurance. In the Career Israel program, these costs are covered for you. In addition, you are receiving placements services, staff guidance, language instruction, and trips and tours that will make this a positive and unforgettable experience for you.
In Tel Aviv we provide accommodations in dormitory style buildings with two participants sharing a room. In Jerusalem there are 5 people to an apartment, and each person has his or her own room. In Haifa, participants have their own room in shared apartments in dormitory style settings. The apartments are equipped with basic furnishings, kitchen utensils and other essentials. Bedding and towels are not provided.
We currently offer accommodations in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, and Haifa only.
Yes. If you have independent accommodation arrangements, the cost of the program will be less, and this cost will be the one reported to MASA.
In the course of preparations for your arrival in Israel, we will do our best to provide you with the social and professional environment that best suits your needs. In the event that in the course of your participation in the program, a problem of any kind should arise, you will be able to consult with the counselor and/or program coordinator who will assist you in resolving the matter; however we can not guarantee that you will be able to move to another apartment.
No. Upon joining the program, you sign an affidavit whereby you make a commitment to fulfill all the requirements of the program. From the time of your arrival in Israel for the program, you are under the supervision and exclusive responsibility of the Israel Experience, Ltd. and therefore, by leaving the program prior to its conclusion, you would be violating the terms of the program to which you made a commitment. Under these circumstances, you would be required to reimburse the funds invested in your participation in the program until that stage. In addition, if you leave the program before its conclusion, you will lose your Masa funding and will be required to reimburse the program for that funding.
Prior to your arrival in Israel, we will do everything we can to ensure that your internship workplace and the professional staff there are compatible with your professional and personal skills. Nonetheless, should you be dissatisfied with the internship, the specific circumstances will be examined and considered in order to deal with the situation in the most appropriate manner.
There are many companies in Israel that offer inexpensive cellphone rentals to tourists. Career Israel does not work with a specific company and you are free to rent from any company that you choose. In the past, participants have had a positive experience with Talk N Save, www.talknsave.net
For more details, we can be reached
by telephone at: 972-2-6216209
or
by e-mail: career@israelexperience.org.il