February 2, 2009 / 8 Shevat 5769

'Teachers for Israel' to help fill gap of English teachers in Israeli school system

The Jewish Agency for Israel is launching a program with Israel's Ministry of Education to recruit North American young adults to immigrate to Israel and become English teachers in the Israeli school system. Dubbed 'Teachers for Israel,' the initiative seeks to make up for a serious shortfall in the number of English teachers in Israel, with the Ministry of Education seeking to recruit as many as 1,000 instructors for Israeli schools.

To meet this need and to give an incentive to make aliyah to young Jews from North America, the Jewish Agency has launched a program for young adults to immigrate to Israel, begin teacher's training and Hebrew ulpan, followed by a teaching internship and then placement as a teacher in a school. The 14-month program is fully subsidized and includes housing and a stipend; upon completion of the course, candidates will receive a teaching certificate and a full teacher's salary when they begin to teach, with further bonus salary to those choosing placement in a school in the Galilee or the Negev.

The Jewish Agency has already begun recruiting for a first group of 50 teachers, and in-person interviews will be held at the end of February in several US cities. The first group of accepted candidates will begin the program in Israel in July, and will begin teaching in schools in the fall of 2010. The only prerequisite to apply is a BA degree, with the program is intended for olim up to the age of 35.

"This is a wonderful opportunity for young people who want to contribute to Israeli society and want to know they will have a job when they make aliyah," said Liran Avisar, head of the Jewish Agency Aliyah Department in North America. "We have received an encouraging number of applicants who are interested in beginning their careers in Israel."

The application process is ongoing through the Jewish Agency, and the program is in partnership with Israel's Ministries of Education and Immigrant Absorption and Nefesh B'Nefesh.

For further information about the program, see www.jewishagency.org/aliyah/teachersforisrael