Job Discussion Forums

Jared · Joined: 07 Sep 2004 Posts: 319 Location: Canada

Hey there. I just have a question with reguards to teaching in Israel. I'm interested in seeing the place, and I'm also considering teaching there. It seems to me that it's not safe in Israel because of all the suicide bombings and the fact that alot of middle eastern countries hate Israel, is it really safe for someone from Canada to go to Israel to teach english? Also, does the Israeli government require you to have a university degree to teach in Israel? I'd appreciate any info you could give me. Thanks.
Jared

Communist Smurf · Joined: 24 Jun 2003 Posts: 330 Location: San Francisco

I don't know a whole lot about Israel, but since no one is replying I thought I might take a stab.

As far as safety, you're more likely to be hit and killed by a car than a suicide bomber. I, personally, think too much emphasis/concern is put into this. That's just me.

A friend of mine was teaching English to Ethiopian Jewish immigrants with a program for Jewish Americans to come to Israel and do volunteer work. He did have a university degree. I suspect not everyone in his group did, however. He, my friend, had no teaching credentials.

Through this program (being Jewish), he was easily able to obtain a work permit. My understanding is that this is a big obsticle for most people (non-Jews). Your visa ties into this also. I think you're not supposed to stay longer than 90 days without proving yourself to be financially viable.

CS

meastfreak · Joined: 01 Aug 2004 Posts: 9

dude, it's safe. I'd feel safer walking around any part of Israel at night than in a number of cities in the USA.

Rice Paddy Daddy · Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 425 Location: Japan

no very?

bomzis1 · Joined: 26 Feb 2005 Posts: 29

i realise this may be a bit late to reply but i thought i'd throw in my two cents worth. i spent a while in israel on a kibbutz near the sea of galilee in northern israel (just outside of Tiberius). i was there in 2000 and although at the time there were suicide bombings it felt surreal watching the news of an evening because being in the country (relatively speaking) meant that it was very peaceful. there was the occasional army checkpoint and one arvo in tiberius there was a bomb scare- someone had left a brown paper parcel in a park. they evacuated the park but it turned out just to be some empty bottles. when i went to jerusalem it felt more tense but i never saw anything and jerusalem and tel aviv are very safe at night wrt crime/violence esp. compared to US cities. if ytou were intereste din teaching english there and jewish there are programmes you can come on (i don't know whether you need to be a uni student, but i think most of the americans i met doing that were). the pay is minimal and they reckoned the israeli students were difficult to discipline.

Ramat Aviv Teacher · Joined: 09 May 2007 Posts: 7 Location: Tel Aviv, Israel

I've lived here in Israel for 8 months, and I feel safer here than I did in North Carolina. Although you should never ask for troble, I feel very comfortable walking alone late at night. The violent crime in Israel is much lower than most US cities. If you decided not to come to Israel, I hope it's for better reasons than safety.

boubou · Joined: 07 Mar 2007 Posts: 61

It's going to be hard to work in Israel if you aren't Jewish... It's possible yes, but very difficult.... I wouldn't be to scared about the safety either...

lyndalorient · Joined: 10 May 2007 Posts: 58 Location: Dublin

I went to Israel (as a tourist admitidly), I stayed in old Jerusalem in the Muslim quarter. I could not have felt more safe in old Jerusalem. Police partol absolutley everywhere. We were 2 girls (I am blonde blue eyed Irish and my friend is a British Muslim who wears hijab, so we make an odd couple Laughing

) but we had no problems in Jerusalem. Outside the old city walls, things felt a bit open but I suppose that feeling is to be expected.

I drove through the rest the country (Hibron, Jericho,Bethlehem and ramalleh ) sorry I don t know the English spelling of the last town (but its where Yassar Arafat is buried). I have to say they felt a bit tense but I didn t feel any hostility towards me. Its just more all the security checks make you feel a bit anxious but I suppose if you live there you get used to them.

anglosaxy · Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Posts: 3 Location: Tel Aviv

After spending many years in the Holy Land, I think this article sums it up nicely: http://igoogledisrael.com/2008/11/is-it-safe-to-travel-to-israel/

aab7855 · Joined: 27 Nov 2008 Posts: 5

I know plenty of people (Jewish and non-Jewish) who've been to Israel with no incidents. Not everything is what it seems. There are right-wing Jews who have carried out suicide bombings; there are also Muslim Palestinians with Israeli citizenship and no disdain towards the Israeli government. Go and have a great time. If you're really worried you can always get a guided tour with military escort, but you won't really need it. Actually the most beautfiful landscape in Israel is in the occupied territory of the Golan Heights; yep, that piece of land between Syria and Lebanon has tons of tourists. So don't listen to the hype of the media.

greyskymornings · Joined: 17 May 2011 Posts: 7 Location: South Korea

I was in Israel and the West Bank less than a year ago and didn't encounter any problems. I think that a lot of places you go though there is kind of this weird, subtle tension in the air. It wasn't until I got off the plane in Switzerland that I realized I had been tense the entire time.

That said, I loved visiting. Haifa was absolutely gorgeous.