After seeing countless olim come and go during my nine months in Israel, I felt I had to do something. I’ve always been a planner, and making Aliyah (immigrating to Israel, for the uninitiated) is the craziest thing I have done to date and also the best thing. Out of all my friends who are recent olim I feel like I’m among the happiest and most well-adjusted, and as I speak to many of them I am beginning to see a pattern of common mistakes new olim make. None of the solutions I am about to propose are mandatory and they might vary from person to person, but these are the things that worked for me.
Previous instalments: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7
Problem #8: Help! I have two masters degrees and I’m working at a call center!
The quintessential oleh complaint. I’ve seen this problem more times than I can count, and it’s a shame. The call center jobs are simply the most available to non-Hebrew speakers with no connections, and many olim need money quick to support themselves.
Solution: Take advantage of career placement services for olim like Gvahim and NBN’s Career Center
Take a look at the Nefesh B’Nefesh Job Board for a job in the mean time, while you’re working on improving your Hebrew and building connections.
If you have a lot of degrees and are “highly skilled”, I highly recommend a training and mentorship program like Gvahim which boasts good results in getting highly educated and skilled olim their dream job in their field. Gvahim can train skilled olim for the Israeli market, place medical professionals, help with startups, and even provide advice to olim who want to start their own businesses. I should know – I’m a J6 alum!
