Salaries in Israel - Vent 😟

amother

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 4:51 am

It's so hard here, we're living on a minimum budget, tiny 2 bedroom apartment with 4 kids bh,
Both working, and no way of not going into debt, after years of not finishing the month, we have a million shekel debt!
Salaries are so low here, even if dh works around the clock literally, 30-45 shekel an hour (10-15 dollars)adds up veeeery slowly Sad

I found a "good" job, which pays 45 shekel, on the higher end, it's an 8-5 job, which means leaving my kids, paying babysitter from 7:30 am!!! to 5:30, leaving me drained and exhausted, only to start cleaning, ironing, taking care of the kids, cooking for the next day, errands.....
You can say that plenty woman do it, in the U.S too, but this salary would not even cover half our expenses! It's just over 2000 dollars a month!
I'm not lazy, I'm ready to work, but I want to get paid decently for my hard work!
Why are people in Israel so underpaid?
Dh just started a new backbreaking job, delivering heavy boxes all over Jerusalem, after a 12 hour exhausting workday, he also earns just over 2000 $ a month! This leaves him no time or energy to take on a side job, never mind breathing and seeing his family Sad

Expenses here are comparable or more than in New York, where most of our family lives
Tuition is the only thing that's just about free here, and expensive there.
How are we supposed to get through the month?
I'm so angry at the unfairness Mad

I know we can move to a cheaper city, but that would mean leaving all our friends that we finally made, and the bit of family we have here.
I also have a home business which would not do well in other cities....
Please be kind, this causing me a lot of pain, all I want is to finish the month respectfully, and it seems so out of reach Sad

Thanks for listening

shabbatiscoming

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 4:55 am

OP, Im so sorry you are going through this. Can either you or your husband go to school so that you can up your earning potential?
Not everyone in Israel is making a minimum wage salary. There are many people who are making way more than just minimum wage (or slightly higher).
Would you speak to someone at Paaminim or any other organization like that? They help people figure out what they need to do to live financially better/smarter.

But yes, working inimum wage jobs will not see people through the month. That is true. I am so sorry OP. It is rough.

DrMom

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 4:56 am

Look, you are living in one of the most expensive cities in the world, and you are both working at very low-paying jobs, and you have 4 kids to support.

You will either need to develop skills that allow you to get better-paying employment, or move to a cheaper city (or probably both).

There's really no other way around it.

amother

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 5:02 am

We just started some sort of financial "course" , and the reality is hitting us.
We actually own our apartment, but we probably have to sell it and rent until we earn more, which is hard, physically and emotionally.
We don't have the luxury of going to school now, we need to just work to get through the month
I get upset when I speak to my siblings in New York, who get through the month just by working at a decent job
Thanks for your replies

amother

Alyssum

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 5:11 am

The only way to make it is to get a job that doesn't pay minimum wage. Hi-tech, Cyber security, doctors, therapists, mental health professionals, all make better than minimum wage.

I just landed an entry level job doing communications and social media that's over 50 shekels an hour - and I don't have a degree. Just online courses and doing freelance work here and there.

Hopefully after this job I'll be able to move up and on to a bigger company and better salary. Or maybe I'll go to school eventually. I'll see.

Also living in Jerusalem is incredibly expensive. If you don't have a mortgage, or if you have a really low one - I'd say your best bet right now is to NOT sell your apartment. It's so hard to buy one (how on earth were you able to with minimum wage jobs?) but to find someone to rent it out to and move to a very cheap area if doing so will mean you will have leftover money from your tenants.

Rappel

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 5:12 am

Oh, OP, hugs. I hear you. That sounds incredibly hard.

We make it by living somewhere very cheap - our rent is 1900 for 3 bedrooms and a yard, and that gives us the budgetary room to maintain a car. So a monthly budget of 12k covers 3 little kids, without debt. We got here by having parental help while we gained our education, we lived somewhere very, VERY cheap in our early marriage, and we upped our earning power as we shifted into mainstream Israeli society. We could never live in Yerushalayim, the Merkaz, or anywhere near either of them -- it would quadruple our current rent, and we would never be able to make it.

The only people whom manage to live in the expensive cities are: 1. In high-earning professions 2. Reliant on parental help or 3. Have a large and interconnected family network (Israelis. Ex: Grandma babysits, and does some cooking and cleaning, while parents work long hours; House is a family heirloom and already paid off; etc.).

So if you plan on staying in an expensive city, one of those 3 options needs to be available.

But that million shekel debt... That's going to be a long road to walk. I know there are organisations which help people take control of their finances, like Paamonim. Are you interested in going there?

Last edited by Rappel on Fri, Aug 13 2021, 7:19 am; edited 1 time in total

FranticFrummie

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 5:32 am

I hear you.

20 shekels an hour babysitting.
30 shekels an hour as a prep cook in a very busy catering company.
40 shekels an hour as a personal chef in someone's home.
50 shekels an hour as a house cleaner.
60 shekels or more an hour if you can walk multiple dogs at once. (but if you're babysitting multiple kids, you don't get to charge 20 shekels each!)

It's really hard.

DD works at Starbucks, and makes twice what I do per hour.

amother

Bellflower

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 5:33 am

OP you will need to either earn more or spend less. There is no way around that.

Are you in touch with Paamonim? They can help you learn to manage your finances better and also help you get back on your feet and pay off debts. Please contact them.

[Edited, didn't realize this wasn't in the Israel forum.]

Can you list us your monthly expenses? Maybe we can help you find some way to cut them.

chanchy123

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 5:38 am

Op - what are your jobs? You are making a lot under average salaries, you should be looking for more lucrative employment for at least one of you - even if it means doing night shifts etc.
I’m pretty sure most Israelis are not providing for for four children on two minimum wage salaries. It might be worth it to go on unemployment and taking a vocational training course that will provide you more income (high tech related if you have the capability but not exclusively). A million shekel debt is a lot of debt you really should seek professional help like paamonim to help cut that down.

Last edited by chanchy123 on Fri, Aug 13 2021, 5:41 am; edited 1 time in total

amother

Bellflower

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 5:39 am

chanchy123 wrote:

We are similar to OP in terms of salaries and children.

I'm struggling to understand where OP went wrong, because even with those salaries in a place like Jerusalem, a million shekels debt is not standard.

chanchy123

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 5:47 am

amother [ Bellflower ] wrote:

Maybe they took out a loan for a down payment on their apartment?

amother

Copper

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 5:52 am

Why are you a million shekels in debt? Is that mortgage?

In general, I would not advise selling your apartment. If you sell and don't immediately buy something else, that money will just disappear.

A good idea might be to rent it out and then move to a place where rent is much cheaper.

One of you definitely needs a higher paying job. Can either of you teach English? Do you have any sort of degree or diploma?

amother

Denim

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 6:02 am

OP, I hear you and agree with you. And I've been living here 20+ years.
It's frustrating when salaries are not what you'd be making in America, while your expenses are the same. (Personally, my tuition here is a fortune so I don't get that benefit either.)

I don't know what to say or have any particular advice to offer, other than just I hear you and I agree with you. You can try studying for something on the side after work and you and your husband can try to keep networking and networking to hear of openings with higher growth potential (even if starting salary is lower.) Tell every friend and neighbor that you're interested in hearing any job opportunities they hear about. When you run into someone you haven't seen in a while say, "What do you do? Are they hiring?" My husband and myself, and actually all my friends with decent jobs got them that way.

We have 6 kids and the way we do it as that we each have 3 jobs. Yes, it's hard. No, we don't have much of a social life or time for anything extracurricular, but we don't have debt. We probably don't need to work 3 jobs each, but there are things I want to be able to provide for my kids, and I also need the security of savings. So this is what we chose for ourselves.

amother

Linen

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 6:14 am

This is one of the reasons that makes me hesitant to move to Israel. My husband and I make a very comfortable salary and the thought that it might be slashed by a third, maybe even half? After all of the schooling we’ve done, moving up the ranks, waiting our turn for promotions, recognition, etc. Just don’t know if we can do it.

amother

Bellflower

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 6:16 am

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

And depending on your field, some of your schooling might also not be recognized...

chanchy123

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 6:36 am

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

It’s true that salaries in Israel are generally lower than in the US, but many many Israelis make a lot more than minimum wage, depends on your field (and some luck/hashgacha) you can do well financially here.

Success10

Fri, Aug 13 2021, 6:54 am

amother [ Linen ] wrote:

Get educated! You have to do research of Israeli salaries specifically in your field, and crunch numbers of all expenses too.

It's not about the salary, it's about the lifestyle you can afford.