Hmm…
I’ve been away for seven months, so I can’t tell you much about the job market. It was pretty good when I left, but there’s been a bit of a recession since, so I don’t really know how it is now. From what I hear it’s not too bad, although there may be a bit of a glut when I comes to professions such as law, medicine and accounting.
Salaries in Israel tend to be lower than those in big-city USA, and the price of living isn’t relatively low enough to compensate. I’d say that it’s similar to most west and central European nations. Most Israelis get free medical insurance (your friends should look into that) and cheap college tuition, so it evens out. Carina’s sister seems to be a bit of an extreme case - while the whole American concept of “suburbia” never really caught on,most Israelis her age, with her level of education, can usually manage a nice-sized (4-5 bedroom) apartment in a good part of the city, as well as two (European-sized) cars. Still, it helps to start out with a certain amount of money . In addition, while most Israelis own their own homes, your friends will probably have to rent, which means they probably won’t get as good a deal. As for prices - restaurants tend to be a bit expensive, while grocery shopping is cheap - especially produce, which is inexpensive and of excellent quality. Israelis tend to cook rather than eat out. If you can fiend a good marketplace, stick with it!n
One thing they won’t have to worry about - most Israelis speak fluent English at one level or another. Younger people speak better than older. Most televison shows are imported from the U.S., undubbed, as are movies.
As for cultural differences - from what I’ve seen, Israelis tend to be like New Yorkers, only less reserved. Israel is a very casual, informal country, although there are still some certain rules of politeness which should be followed. People rarely wear suits, and virtually everybody is on a first-name basis. The thing is, Israelis never really figured out the concept of “servility”. Once you realize that the average Israeli considers everybody his equal, at best, and that the waitress is not working for you, she’s working with you, you’ll get along fine. Just don’t be intimidated by people who tell you what they think, and don’t be afraid to do the same. And don’t be startled when people ask you how much money you make, or how much your car cost. They’ll also tell you that you were screwed.
You see it at work - people have very little deference for authority, but are excellent team players, and tend to think “outside the box”. Formalities are often overlooked, and improvisation is considered a virtue.
Just don’t expect anyone to adress you as “sir”. Ever.
As for other customs - Israelis drink much less than Americans, but eat more. It’s also a nation of barbeque freaks, although there are specific rules of etiquite for this which you should be aware of. Israelis also tend to be far more family-oriented than Americans.
Israelis are very techno-savvy, perhps too much so. Most people with college educations own computers, and about 60% of Israelis own cellphones - the highest rate in the world outside Scandinavia. Israelis are also very politically aware, especially compared to Americans, and tend to be strongly opinianated. Expect to tak politics everywhere, even with taxi-drivers. In fact, especially with taxi-drivers.
Security - crime is lower than in the U.S., although it does exist. Israeli cops tend to be a bit rough around the edges, but are mostly honest. Most neighbourhoods in the larger cities are safe, even at night; still, they should avoid southern Tel-Aviv and East Jerusalem.
As for that, most of the violence of the last few moths has limited itself to the Territories and adjacent areas; north, south and coastal Israel are just fine, although in the next few months I’d avoid the Arab towns of northern Isral, such as Nazereth. They shouldn’t enter the West Bank unless they really have to; they shouldn’t enter the Gaza Strip even if they were forced at gunpoint. It’s not a nice place.
Basically, Israel is a safe place to live. Terrorist awareness is very high, so you should expect people to check your bag when entering a mall (Israelis, BTW, love malls; the country is full of them) or a department store. If you see a bag lying unattended in the street, avoid it; someone has already called the police.
That’s all for now. A bit long, to be sure, but then, I’m a bit homesick. If you have any more questions just ask.
