Moving to Israel is not without challenges, and one of the big ones is the language. If you went to a Jewish day school you might have a passable knowledge of Hebrew, but it’s equally possible that while you can read a Jewish text, you can’t carry on a conversation in Hebrew without getting stuck mid-sentence. If you didn’t learn Hebrew at all as a kid and you’re starting from scratch as an adult, learning the language will be a bigger challenge.
It’s obviously a good idea to learn as much Hebrew as you can before you get here and continue to learn once you arrive. You’ll need Hebrew most places you go. Although many Israelis speak English, it will be hard to deal with bureaucracy, customer service and parent-teacher meetings without any Hebrew.
Work in English
Work can sometimes be the exception to this rule. Depending on your profession, you may be able to find a job where English is a huge plus and Hebrew is not as important. Examples include teaching English, US accounting for expats, technical writing, computer programming, marketing to international clients and overseas sales.
Be aware that even at jobs where the work is in English, office communication may be in Hebrew. Emails, WhatsApp messages, meetings and friendly conversation may all be conducted in Hebrew. You can certainly start a job like this without fluent Hebrew, but you will feel more comfortable and succeed better if you work on improving your language skills over time.
How to learn Hebrew
The best way to learn a language is to use it as much as possible. When you really need to get your point across in a professional setting, it is probably a good idea to speak English. But if you speak Hebrew in one-on-one conversations with colleagues, during coffee breaks and outside the office, you will gradually become much more fluent.
Many olim choose to start their lives in Israel with a stint at ulpan. There are both government-run and private ulpan programs, which focus on acquiring language skills which are useful in day-to-day interactions. An ulpan can be time-consuming, so if you don’t need to start working as soon as you arrive, you may want to focus on learning Hebrew first and look for work later. If you can swing working during the day and going to ulpan in the evening, there are some programs with convenient schedules for employed people.
Bring your job with you from abroad
More and more olim are now choosing to come to Israel with a job they brought with them from abroad. This has the obvious advantage of not requiring Hebrew at all, but it’s a double-edged sword; if you don’t need Hebrew for work, it is likely to take you much longer to learn the language and integrate into Israeli society. However, it certainly makes life easier at the beginning and can be a very useful first job in your new home.
For more information on working in Israel, download our free e-book, Your Route to Career Success in Israel.