Husband leaving kollel, what to expect

amother

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 10:54 am

My dh is venturing into the working world from being in kollel for a number of years. Can anyone tell me how it went for them in terms of finances? What type of job did your husband get, and how did you manage on a starting salary?

My dh does not have a college degree (besides what he gets from Yeshiva) or much of any real work experience.

He's exploring different ideas but curious what people here may suggest.

Also, we currently live in Israel and are moving to the states before he starts working.

(I work part time, keeping same job when we move)

amother

Pink

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 11:38 am

There was a thread like this very recently! Everyone gave their input. My dh left kollel and started premed and is now a med student so still no income so I cant be much of a help but there were some inspiring stories of guys earning 6 figures right after kollel....

Which types of careers interest your DH?

amother

Apricot

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 12:45 pm

It takes time and a lot of patience until your husband finds his niche and yes typically starting salaries are low for people without experience or degree .
My husband and 3 brother in laws all recently left kollel in the last year or two.
Two of my Bil's are still without jobs and started doing career training / college . My husband is tutoring in kodesh subjects and one of them has a job in fundraising and is doing well.

amother

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 1:00 pm

amother [ Smokey ] wrote:

https://www.imamother.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=364018

I hadn't seen that. Thank you.
This scares me because I hope never ever to go into debt.

He's interested in nursing home administration but not sure....

Can someone give me a straight answer - when they say a job/internship pays peanuts/starting salare - whats the dollar amount? I can't crunch the numbers to see if it could work for us if I dont have numbers to crunch!

amother

Peach

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 1:06 pm

No one can give you numbers if you have no job! My husband took about 2 years doing this that and the other before he found a steady job. We were supported during this time.

amother

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 1:18 pm

I know, but how can I choose what area to live in if I don't know if I can afford to live there?
Still undecided as to where we are moving. we have certain options but some are more expensive for rent than others... is peanuts $10/ hour? is $35k a year considered peanuts?

out-of-towner

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 1:24 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Assume that he will be making minimum wage, whatever that is wherever you will move to (it varies by location). Use that number, along with your salary, to determine if you will be eligible for Medicaid and other benefits, again this is something that varies by location and family size.

pizzapie

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 1:25 pm

It's impossible for anyone to give you an answer because you haven't said what your husband will be doing or where you'll be living.

Is he going to go back to school? Then you'll be looking at student loans and no income until he's finished. If he will be taking an entry level job you would have to find out what the rate is at entry level according to the region you'll be living in. If he will start interning for a specific field the pay will be negligible, if at all, until he completes training.

amother

Teal

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 1:37 pm

amother [ OP ] wrote:

We don't know what he's doing yet, thats what this post is about Smile

We are considering Monsey, Waterbury, and Chicago. Does that help?

Not really. Why don't you focus on finding a job? Its impossible to calculate a budget if you don't know your income.

pizzapie

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 1:39 pm

You might be better off first figuring out what dh wants to do and then choosing the community that meets those needs. Not all communities offer the same career options.

amother

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 2:53 pm

We're trying Sad

Thanks to the poster who suggested just basing the number crunching on minimum wage, that was a helpful idea.
I hope and pray that he makes more than that, but its a good way to figure things out.

amother

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 2:54 pm

pizzapie wrote:

You might be better off first figuring out what dh wants to do and then choosing the community that meets those needs. Not all communities offer the same career options.

Actually working with a career coach so he does have direction in this.

amother

Burgundy

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 3:36 pm

My husband left kollel last year and since then has had a few minimum wage jobs. Think 12-14 an hour, not always 40 hours a week. This is with a degree. Was out of a job for a few months as well. It's tough. He's hoping to take a course in the fall that will help him with a career change (he had been planning and going for schooling towards one career but figured out early on in the year that it's not the best career for him in practice).
Good luck with all the planning. I'd take into account rent prices in a certain area, gov programs and local chesed organizations in addition to everything else like community schools shuls etc. Assume minimum wage like another poster said. Also expect that your husband may not enjoy his minimum wage jobs - it's a big adjustment from kollel, especially if it's not as meaningful work - but will hopefully find something that he likes after a little while. Hatzlacha!

amother

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 3:38 pm

amother [ Pink ] wrote:

To answer the nursing home question. First year (AIT) admin in Training no money. After that I think 85k approx

Oy. It's no way an option for him not to be bringing in a steady paycheck from the first month we are there.

amother

Yellow

Sun, Jul 07 2019, 3:42 pm

You have to decide based on your known income--your take-home pay and whatever help you get. What others are saying is you can't count on what your dh will bring in because you don't know what kind of job he'll be able to get.