How do you do it? | Imamother

amother

Tue, Sep 04 2012, 10:17 pm

Did you find Parnassah before or after making Aliyah? Can we dream of doing it even if we can't afford plane tickets? It seems like such a catch 22- we can't move there without finding a way to feed ouselves, but how do we find Parnassah without living there?

shabbatiscoming

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 1:20 am

I think most people find work only once they have come here.
What do you and/or your husband do? Maybe some of us israeli amothers can help you out.

DrMom

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 1:25 am

Most people I know go on pilot trips and attend job interviews they've set up beforehand.

I think you should look carefully at your finances before you attempt aliyah. You may want to wait until you are on firmer financial footing.

See if you can at least establish some contacts beforehand via email.

What is your field of work?

Liba

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 1:40 am

The medina pays for your plane tickets and helps out financially the first ~7 months. Nefesh B'Nefesh (at least they did when we made aliya) gives out nice financial grants as well.

We came with my job, I was working from home and continued to telecommute from E"Y. Many people come with nothing more than a dream and the willingness to live frugally and work hard though.

Do not come without a penny in your pocket, knowing no Hebrew, and with the expectation that it will be easy and you will be able to maintain a high standard of living. That is a recipe for disaster.

There will be sacrifices, but if you are coming for the right reasons, for the kedusha, the wonderful place to raise children, the opportunity to grow as a Jew, then it won't feel like a sacrifice at all, most of the time.

amother

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 2:58 am

if you can't afford the plane fare, I don't see how you will manage here, unless you/dh are already fluent in hebrew. it is very difficult here and even with a good profession, we only managed cuz we had savings before we came.

imho do not make aliya until you/dh have done a pilot trip and at least had some interviews which sound promising. it is rare I think that any employer will offer you a job before you actually live here, but you can get a fair idea of how emplyable you are before coming.

sorry if this is not what you want to hear, but its very not easy here, especially for those with hebrew thats not good enough for the workplace.

Liba

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 6:23 am

As long as you aren't coming in debt and are willing to work hard and live with little while you are getting your footing, it can work.

amother

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 7:44 am

OP here. Thanks for your honest responses. I know NBN pays for tickets but they say you must do a pilot trip first, which we can't afford. The other problem is the jobs--DH is a lawyer, which I hear is a terribly overcrowded market there. I'm studying to be a therapist. B 'H we don't have much debt, just some student loans. Our Hebrew is..eh..but we could pick it up quickly in an ulpan (I used to speak a lot more than I do now). I just feel like we want to make Aliyah, and the older the kids get the harder it will be. Did any of you make Aliyah with a family?

Shap_E

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 8:31 am

My parents made aliyah with 6 children without coming on a pilot trip beforehand. I will say that it was not easy for them here financially but they were also older so harder to learn the new language, harder to find someone who will hire you etc. We also moved to a very israeli yishuv for the first year which was really not a good fit for us and that is one thing they would not have done if they'd come on a pilot trip. I think it's possible but you should try to do a lot of research and I think it is easier to find out accurate information now than it was when we moved here. Such as on imamother Smile

Shap_E

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 8:33 am

And the older the kids get, the harder it will be! You are right about that. Also wanted to add that most of my family is still living here and the ones who currently don't plan on moving back hopefully. So, even though it was hard, it was definitely worth it.

Liba

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 8:40 am

Nefesh bnefesh isn't the one paying for the tickets. The Israeli government is, and they most certainly will pay for them even without a pilot trip.

Tamiri

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 8:51 am

amother wrote:

well tuition & health ins is a joke compared to the US. that oughta help w/ something

It's not that much of a joke when you consider you will be earning a fraction of what you earn abroad and it depends on what you have to pay when you get here. My tuitions, 2, while much cheaper than the U.S. cannot be considered a joke anymore. You need money here.

amother

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 8:57 am

Tamiri wrote:

amother wrote:

well tuition & health ins is a joke compared to the US. that oughta help w/ something

Yeah. I know someone who moved here just for that reason- they couldn't afford tuition in the US anymore and thought life would be more affordable here. First of all they were surprised to find out how much high school tuition was. Second of all, they didn't find jobs for a while and are now working in very-not-well-paying jobs. They're not doing so well.

Tamiri

Wed, Sep 05 2012, 9:09 am

Personally, when we moved here 9 years ago it was a lot more of a joke. We only had 1 tuition to pay and one gan tuition. Things were far cheaper. Money went further. I'm not laughing anymore. Not at all. And BH we do fine but for someone on a lesser income, it's not a joke.