https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNPdKlQPxNQ
*This information refers specifically to the Career Israel program. Israel Experience hosts various internship programs year-round, which may have different start dates, lengths, requirements, structure, participant profiles, etc. These programs are run for Spanish, Russian and French-speaking interns. If you are interested in hosting an intern with these language skills, please note this when filling out the Internship Description form.*
What is Career Israel?
Career Israel is a professional internship program. Young, Jewish adults between the ages of 19-30 come from around the world to gain experience in their career paths. While they are on the program, we provide them with educational experiences to help them understand Israeli society and deepen their connection with the country. The program is run by Israel Experience, a subsidiary of the Jewish Agency, and our 5-month program is a Masa Israel Journey accredited program.
Masa Israel Journey
Masa Israel Journey offers young adults between the ages of 18 and 30 immersive, life-changing gap year, study abroad, post-college and volunteer experiences in Israel, connecting them to programs that meet their interests, offering grants and needs-based scholarships, providing expertise, and supporting them throughout the entire process.
Masa Israel is a joint project of the Government of Israel and the Jewish Agency for Israel that is made possible by the generous contributions of the Jewish Federations of North America and Keren Hayesod-UIA.
Who participates in Career Israel?
The majority of participants from the 5-month programs have completed their first degree and are between the ages of 21-30. While most come from North America, we also have participants from South America, the UK, Russia, Australia and more! Our 2-month program cohort is almost exclusively, but not limited to, university students between the ages of 19-22, from North America.
How often does Career Israel run?
We provide two 5-month programs; our Fall session runs from August to January and our Spring session runs from January to June. In addition, we have a number of 2-month summer programs which run from June to August.
How does it work?
Each Israel Experience intern is vetted by both our Registration Team and an experienced Internship Placement Coordinator to ensure they are the right fit for the program. Once the participant is accepted, they work one-on-one with an Internship Placement Coordinator to determine which internships are best for the intern.
Once the participant has determined which field they’d like to pursue, the coordinator provides them with a list from our database of internships, complete with the job and organization description. The intern chooses their top three choices, to which the Placement Coordinator sends their CV to their top choice. If, after reviewing the CV, the company decides that they’d like to move forward with the intern, the company and intern are connected for a phone or Skype interview. If both sides decide it’s a good fit, we have our match.
If you are matched with an intern, throughout the internship you will be in contact with the Internship Placement Coordinator. The Coordinator will come to your office for a Site Visit during the internship and sit with both sides to make sure all expectations are being met. Additionally, you and the intern will be asked to complete a midterm evaluation and to discuss how the internship has gone so far and how to make the most of the rest of the program.
What does it cost me?
All Israel Experience internships for tourists are unpaid. The only costs for your company are that of a monthly bus pass, per each month the intern is at your company. You are welcome to provide the intern with lunch or a 10bis card, but it is not required.
What does Israel Experience provide the intern?
We provide the intern with housing, medical insurance (including workplace accidents), 24/7 staff support by madrichim, trips, educational seminars, ulpan, and an Internship Coordinator.
What do I need to provide the intern?
Expectations of Host Companies include:
- Projects and Tasks – the intern should have significant and meaningful tasks and assignments that are appropriate for his time frame in the company and language skills and that match what was discussed in his interview.
- Mentorship – the intern should be assigned a staff person who will be his point person at the internship and who has availability to mentor the intern. This is perhaps the most crucial piece to the internship’s success.
- Weekly Check-In – the intern should have a meeting (ideally in person if not then by phone) with his mentor or project supervisor to go over the assignments, ask questions, etc. This meeting should be at the least a half-hour each week.
- Workspace – intern should have a designated workspace that is agreed upon.
- Transportation – Company provides the intern with a chofshi chodshi to get to and from work.
How many hours/days does the intern work?
Our program requires the intern to work 28-35 hours per week. The company should decide with the intern how many days a week the intern should come into the office. (3 days – 9 hours, 4 days – 8 hours 5 days – 7 hours)
Do the interns speak Hebrew?
The interns have varying levels of Hebrew. Most have limited Hebrew, but there are some with higher levels and a few that are even fluent.
What is the likelihood an intern will be placed with me?
While our database has over 3,000 companies, we are always looking for new opportunities to work with great companies. Please keep in mind the majority of submissions are for marketing and social media, due to supply and demand, it’s less likely you will receive an intern for this field. If you want your company to stand out it’s important to make sure that you offer the intern the best internship experience. In addition to describing the work that they will do, make sure that in your form you also include the benefits of specifically working in your company. What meetings or conferences can they be involved in? What experiences will they get with you that they won’t get with anyone else?
What are the benefits to my company in hosting an intern?
- Enthusiastic interns bring fresh ideas to the office. It’s always helpful to have a new pair of eyes look at your projects and bring a new perspective.
- You might find your next full-time employee.
- Interns are an ‘open book’ and are eager to learn the basics so that they can provide more value to you and your organization.
- You are providing young, Jewish adults from around the world the opportunity to gain hands-on experience in their field, while they live in Israel.
Tips for hosting an intern:
- Make the internship a fulfilling and enriching experience.
- Assign a mentor to the intern, as it has shown to increase candidate inclusion and later on retention.
- Provide the intern with an overview of the company and department
- Introduce your intern to other staff members
- Meet with the intern individually to begin discussing their interests, skills and potential projects
- Provide the intern with the relevant reading material, brochures, websites or other materials that can help them prepare for their internship
- Set work days and hours with the intern
- Take care of logistical issues
- Wherever possible or applicable provide a desk, workspace, computer, phone, email, entry pass for the building
