Shalom chaverim! Well, the hard work seems to be finally paying off on the job front, at least for Elul. Last Tuesday, he went down to Hod Ha'Sharon, a Tel Aviv suburb near the more well-known city of Kfar Saba, and interviewed for a position. And he got it! Without going into too much detail, it's a work-at-home sales position for a software program and database that helps a certain business sector do its work more cheaply and more efficiently. The company seems reputable and has been in business since the 1990's, so that's a good sign. The HR director who interviewed him is a Russian woman with an MBA, who left another good job to take her position with this company, so that's also a good sign.
The only caveat that keeps us from breaking out the champagne just yet is that the job doesn't begin until next month, and although he left with a signed contract, it had no fixed start date. This is because the company is still in the process of hiring other employees and organizing a training program for everyone. Elul is determined not to get too excited until he's been trained, has started working, and receives his first Israeli paycheck. In Israel, as in much of the world of work today, nothing is real until it's real.
As for me, I've recently managed to secure some freelance writing work, which will hopefully continue on an ongoing basis. It involves writing content for SEO purposes, which means writing articles that get posted on various websites to help a company come up on the first page of search engines like Google. Of course, I will have to figure out a way to keep track of and pay the appropriate amount of Israeli and/or American tax on this income, so that's the next step. My employer is a mysterious man named Vladimir, whom I have only met over the telephone and by email.
However, yesterday I got a phone call on a job I'd applied for that involved my profession, which is teaching English as a Foreign Language. In short, after a very brief conversation, I was told that my Hebrew was not adequate for the position. She explained that her company needed all English teachers to speak, read, and write Hebrew at a fluent level, as well as being able to explain the English language to students in Hebrew. So, there it is. I may resign myself to not finding work in my field for at least another half decade, which is probably how long it will take for me to achieve that level of fluency in Hebrew. Fortunately, there is an "Ulpan Bet," the Ulpan that follows on from our first Ulpan Hebrew course, which starts in September.
I will learn this language if it kills me.
Shabbat shalom, chaverim!
The only caveat that keeps us from breaking out the champagne just yet is that the job doesn't begin until next month, and although he left with a signed contract, it had no fixed start date. This is because the company is still in the process of hiring other employees and organizing a training program for everyone. Elul is determined not to get too excited until he's been trained, has started working, and receives his first Israeli paycheck. In Israel, as in much of the world of work today, nothing is real until it's real.
As for me, I've recently managed to secure some freelance writing work, which will hopefully continue on an ongoing basis. It involves writing content for SEO purposes, which means writing articles that get posted on various websites to help a company come up on the first page of search engines like Google. Of course, I will have to figure out a way to keep track of and pay the appropriate amount of Israeli and/or American tax on this income, so that's the next step. My employer is a mysterious man named Vladimir, whom I have only met over the telephone and by email.
However, yesterday I got a phone call on a job I'd applied for that involved my profession, which is teaching English as a Foreign Language. In short, after a very brief conversation, I was told that my Hebrew was not adequate for the position. She explained that her company needed all English teachers to speak, read, and write Hebrew at a fluent level, as well as being able to explain the English language to students in Hebrew. So, there it is. I may resign myself to not finding work in my field for at least another half decade, which is probably how long it will take for me to achieve that level of fluency in Hebrew. Fortunately, there is an "Ulpan Bet," the Ulpan that follows on from our first Ulpan Hebrew course, which starts in September.
I will learn this language if it kills me.
Shabbat shalom, chaverim!
Mazel tov on your husband's job! I think you are in a good field, and should not give up. You guys give us potential middle aged Olim hope!
ReplyDeleteShabbat shalom, Fran