I’m thinking of maybe going to work on one for a while. has anyone here done that? experiences or advice to share? general thoughts?
much appreciated
My parents lived on Mizrah for a while in the 70s. During the Yom Kippur War, actually (or was it the 7 Days War? Whichever one was in 1973). My dad dug drainage/irrigation ditches. My mom worked with calves, most of whch died when the main cow guy was called up to the air force and she was left in charge.
Nevertheless, they recall the experience fondly. Perhaps because my brother was toilet trained in the kibbutz day care place. 
PS, I’m pretty sure the plural of kibbutz is kibbutzim. That’s another thing, they generally put you through an intensive Hebrew language school on kibbutz. If you’re interested in learning the language, its probably a good way to go.
I was born on a kibbutz. Never worked on one, though, 'cause my parents and I moved when I was two to America. Now that I’m back in Israel, though, I visit my kibbutz quite often. It’s Kibbutz Ma’abarot near Netanya (near the beach up north) and it’s absolutely beautiful. One of the richest kibbutzim still around, and also one of the only ones still almost absolutely socialist - a pharmaceutical researcher friend of mine makes a salary, but the exact same one as any janitor there.
Anyway, I highly recommend this kibbutz because of its beauty and because if you want an “original” socialist kibbutz experience, it’s should give you just that.
Not all kibbutzim and moshavim are alike. (A moshav is similar to a kibbutz, but historically, I believe, less communally-oriented. For instance, families lived together and had their own plots of land. Kibbutzim are moving in this direction - it’s now quite rare for kids to be raised in a dorm together apart from their parents.) I’ve never lived on a kibbutz or moshav, but I’ve visited several of them and known a lot of people who have stayed on them. Experiences differ a lot. I’ve known people who loved their time on the kibbutz, and people who hated it. (I knew some people that did 6 months painting wheelbarrows and peeling potatoes on a moshav in the Negev. They did not love the experience.)
There are Zionist kibbutzim and kibbutzim composed of people from specific countries, and kibbutzim with various levels of religiosity. I once did a weekend on a kibbutz for Conservative Jews - since the Conservative Movement was founded in the US and Americans make up the large majority of its membership, the kibbutzim was almost entirely populated by American olim. In short, make sure you think you’ll be comfortable with the kibbutz or moshav you end up at.
So you know, only a very small (I want to say 2%, but I could be making that number up) percentage of Israelis live on kibbutzim and moshavim. It’s definitely not the default lifestyle.