Life

I Can do WHAT? 5 Differences Between Working In Israel And The U.S.

Jerusalem Image by iStock

By Alyssa Fisher August 15, 2019

In the middle of the airport, shortly before boarding our flight to Israel, several participants on my Birthright trip were frantically unpacking their suitcases, looking to meet the 50-pound luggage requirement to avoid exorbitant fees. I laughed, amazed at my own success: While the majority of them were returning home to the United States after the 10-day introductory trip around Israel, I was extending my stay for three months to work at a media company in Tel Aviv. It was overwhelming packing for these different experiences, but later I learned there wasn’t much crossover — and that’s just one way working in Israel greatly differs from the U.S.

Check out all articles in our Guide to Working and Interning in Israel.

Top 5 Differences Between Working In Israel And The U.S.

The dress code is casual.

You will rarely find an Israeli company policy calling for “business professional.” “Business casual” isn’t a thing, either. I interned during the summer of 2014, when the weather was scorching hot, so I was pleasantly surprised that most of the clothes I wore throughout Birthright were acceptable, including jeans, shorts, tank tops and flip-flops. Keep the look appropriate — leave more risque outfits for the nightclubs — but you’re expected to dress much more comfortably than you would at any U.S. office. And no one is judging your style.

But keep modest items at your desk or workspace.

Other areas and groups have stricter laws than secular Tel Aviv — depending on where your job takes you or what your plans are later, have a back-up outfit to be respectful and safe in other neighborhoods.

The work week is Sunday through Thursday.

In observance of Shabbat, Israel’s two-day weekend covers Friday and Saturday. It may take a few weeks to get used to setting your alarm on Saturday nights, having to get up early for work rather than for brunch.

Israelis are blunt.

It may be jarring at first to get such honesty from your boss — don’t take it personally. In fact, Top Israel Interns suggests embracing it. Israeli workplaces value directness, and vagueness often leads to misunderstanding.

Israelis appreciate work-life balance.

Most people follow typical work-week hours, but it’s not uncommon to work overtime to get everything done. However, according to a testimony in Business Insider, if it’s a beautiful day, it’s accepted to call in sick and hit the beach or take a spontaneous trip. And it means they want you to get the most out of your short time in Israel — during my internship, I was encouraged to leave as soon as the clock hit 5 or 6 p.m. (17 or 18:00, in Israel) and have fun.

See More Stories

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. We’ve started our Passover Fundraising Drive, and we need 1,800 readers like you to step up to support the Forward by April 21. Members of the Forward board are even matching the first 1,000 gifts, up to $70,000.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism, because every dollar goes twice as far.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO