One of the challenges of the Israeli workforce is that there are many days when kids are on vacation but their parents are not. These include erev chag, the days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot, Chanukah, Purim and Shushan Purim, the week before Pesach, and – of course – the long summer vacation. If you have small children who can’t be left home alone, these days can present a huge challenge. Here’s how Israelis manage regular work days that are school vacations.
Taking vacation days
Many Israelis use their vacation days to hang out with their kids while they are on vacation. Most employees don’t have enough vacation days to take off all the days, plus there’s lots of competition among workers to get these days off, so this option has its limits. One way to deal with this is for the mom to take some of the time off while the dad takes different days off.
Kaytanot
Kaytanot (or camps) are not just for the summer! Many municipalities run camps for kids during Chanukah vacation, the week before Pesach and the days between Yom Kippur and Sukkot. Sometimes these camps are connected to afternoon programs (Tzaharon) and sometimes they are open to the public. There are also enterprising individuals who run private camps during these times to keep kids entertained and safe while their parents are at work.
Working from home
If the kids are capable of entertaining themselves at home, working from home is a good solution. This is, obviously, only possible if the workplace allows remote working. It works best if the kids have new activities or friends to play with that will keep them occupied for long stretches of time. It may also necessitate some work being made up later in the evening when the kids are asleep or someone else is watching the kids.
Grandparents, relatives or babysitters
Many Israelis rely on grandparents to help out on vacation days. If the grandparents work themselves or are otherwise occupied, they might ask aunts, uncles or cousins to pitch in. When all else fails, they rely on paid babysitters. Since olim tend not to have relatives in the country, the babysitter option may seem like the only one. Alternatively, olim can help each other out by taking care of each other’s kids so that each family is free some of the time to work.
Flexible or remote jobs
Since this is a recurring issue, and is compounded by the necessity of caring for sick kids, taking kids to doctor’s appointments, getting them to extracurricular activities and other parenting tasks that get in the way of work, one or both parents might choose to work in a more flexible job. Jobs that aren’t flexible but whose vacation days are aligned with the school calendar can also alleviate a lot of these issues. Teachers, guidance counselors and other educational professionals work hard but enjoy vacation days when their kids are home.
Remote jobs and freelance work tend to allow for more time off. People in these jobs can often schedule their work around their home lives and be there for their kids when they’re on vacation. And in later years, when the big kids are old enough to take care of the younger ones, parents may reevaluate and choose full-time in–office employment.
For more tips on how Israelis with young children manage their careers, see Juggling Kids’ Schedules and Work: How Do Israelis Do It?