Working in Israel

I was raised by two workaholics, so spending almost a year without being able to have a job was probably the toughest time I have experienced – and I have survived a pandemic and I am currently surviving a war. I moved to Israel in 2020 under the impression, because everyone said so, that I would get a job right away, lies and lies. It was hard, very hard.

My first job in Israel was something completely unrelated to my experience and knowledge but very related to my roots. Uriel hired me as a Business Development Manager to help him conquer the Latin American market. I was going once a week to his office in Nir Tzvi, all the way from Jerusalem in the middle of the summer. God only knows how I did not die of dehydration walking from the bus stop to the office and back – it was quite a long walk.

I was a freelancer, his accountant did not know how to hire someone on the B1. And here I am going to pause to explain to you what a B1 is. It is a work visa. The problem is exactly that. B1 is also the visa you get if a company sponsors you. Completely unrelated and with different terms as the B1 you get for being in a relationship with an Israeli. His company did not want to pay extra taxes for me (which he did not have to!) so they proposed the freelancing option. It was great to gain experience, but to get an osek patur (freelance in Hebrew) it is a whole different adventure. One day I will write about it, but the wound is still open.

Since we are married, I only needed to be a B1 for 6 months, but unmarried couples stay as B1 for up to 4 years. Can you imagine 4 years without a Teudah Zehut, without proper health insurance or social security or regular pensia? This is what we, women (or men) in love with an Israeli go through. Is it worth it? I just know that my love for Israel is conditional to it being the only place in the world where my husband can be as Jewish as he wants without fear of repercussions. If he is safe, my heart is at peace, my heart beats normally.

Anyway, back to Uriel. He was a great first boss, he did take a leap of faith in hiring me, and I wanna believe I did a good job. He was also a very Israeli boss. Stubborn, impatient, pushy, but always with good intentions and trying to teach me the business. I left the company after 4 months because I was going on my honeymoon. I had one more freelance gig and then a payroll job in between after I landed in my current company.

I never thought I would end up in a startup, my background is pure social sciences, humanities. Nonetheless, Yair took a chance with me. We met once in the office. He asked me why I left my last job. I was honest, I needed a daily challenging job and boy did he deliver. I have not been bored one day since I joined his company.

Work culture in Israel is much more relaxed than in Peru, in certain fields even way too relaxed. Having coworkers walking barefoot around the office is something I am still digesting. I got used to the casual dressing very quickly. I now wear shorts for work! Not the kind of shorts you use for the beach, but shorts nonetheless. I don’t own any high heels anymore, flats and sandals are my friends. Seeing your manager having a beer in the middle of the day would be a memo in Peru, here is very normal. It is just a drink, not to get drunk.
Disclaimer: of course there are more “serious/classics” fields, like the government or a law firm, but in general the Israeli work vibe is very chill, very informal.

Working in a startup is very interesting. I work with mostly men now, until like 3 months ago I was literally the only woman in the office and sometimes to prove yourself can be hard. I do love working with them. They are mostly Israelis so I get to know more about this country’s culture, way of doing things, traditions, and more. And lucky me, there are also now Latinos, so I get to speak Spanish and share a bit of my culture, too.

There is this one guy at work, he is probably one of the most experienced in the office and once in a while he is like: Ana, you are the best worker, no seriously, you are. I know he means it, but he is also kinda joking. He has no idea how much he lifts my spirit. Some days I really question myself if I really can do this, while I am actually doing it. The impostor’s syndrome hits harder when you are a non Jewish migrant woman working in Israel.

My boss asked me a few days ago why my Hebrew is not as good as other olim. He thought that by being married with an Israeli I am considered an olah and get all the benefits that aliyah gives you. The Hebrew question really annoys me. My act of resistance is not paying out of my pocket for a benefit that should be given to all migrants in Israel, as a way to help them integrate into the country. This country demands of me to prove every year how committed I am to live here but does nothing to help me. I am doing what I can with what I have – rant over!

Working in Israel keeps being an adventure overall. Learning about my work rights, and also duties. Learning how to read my payslip. What to do in case I get fired or decide to quit. Enjoying the social benefits but also paying very high taxes. I think that saying Israel sees me as a second-class-citizen might be too extreme, but I was indeed undocumented for almost 10 days last year. My husband was fighting the good fight in the north and I was home unsure about my job, health insurance and even my permanence in the country. It took a lot of calls and tears to get an appointment and the visa renewed.

Do I see myself working forever in the Israeli market? Like I said, as long as Israel is the safest place for my husband to be as Jewish as he wants, I am here. It is not easy to build back my career but I think I am getting there. I have been lucky enough to land in jobs that paid well and believed in me. I do believe that migration, especially to Israel, is an opportunity to reinvent ourselves. This is me, the social studies woman, somehow thriving in a startup enjoying tasks I once said I did not like.

The bottom line is that women like me, we need more Uriel and Yair willing to take the risk. For them to see beyond our visas and into our work experience, into how we can contribute to their organizations. Uriel will always be my reference on giving someone their first opportunity when coming to a new country and Yair on looking beyond what you are supposed to be and what you can actually achieve in your job.