How to start a business in Israel

By Nicole Hazan

You might not think the school canteen to be the most obvious place to start a business, but that's where my partner, Naomi and I first came about our idea for Speak UP! summer camp. Watching our students file past us with trays of food, we reminisced about our childhood summers where we attended summer camps, bemoaning that many Israeli youth sat at home, bored all summer long. Speak UP! is a way for Naomi and I to give Israeli youth the experience we had; an American style summer camp focused on drama and art, including jewelry-making, playwriting and hip-hop choreography. Being classroom English teachers that both love creativity, the idea itself was developed easily, however, we were teachers not business women, and setting up a personal business was a huge challenge for us. Here are some things we have learned so far along the way, which you should bear in mind when setting up your own Israeli business as a new immigrant :

1. That's not me, it's Yaniv...If I never hear that phrase, or something similar again, it will be too soon. It doesn't matter how many times you have been told by Dan that Yaniv's job is to price the cost of lunch per student, 9 times out of 10 he will tell you he has nothing to do with it, and you in fact need to talk to Yonatan. But when you get to Yonatan...well, you get the picture. This system of deferring is something, that as olim, we are unfamiliar with and need to deal with if we don't want to end up losing our sanity. My advice: leave plenty of time to get things done. Israeli bureaucracy is, to put it mildly, frustrating, so expect that and leave yourself a few extra weeks to get things done so you don't end up in a last minute panic.

2. Know your strengths: As Olim, we are at a disadvantage in many ways. In Israel, I don't have a car, I don't write Hebrew well and I don't have the Jewish community I could have relied on in England in order to advertise Speak UP! The good news is that we do have the Olim network at our disposal. Olim naturally want to help other Olim so use this to your advantage. Secret Tel Aviv and other Anglo Facebook groups are a blessing; take the time to search them out and advertise there. In the same way, don't be afraid to ask for help. My cousin helped us with our costs, my friend drove us to different schools to advertise, and Naomi's boyfriend designed our flyers. Relying on people close to us, both Israeli and Olim, helped us get professional results without the cost. 

3. Don't waste your time: Time is money, after all. One afternoon walking around Ra'anana putting posters on bilboards in the hot sun taught us that. Who knew that away from Tel Aviv the suburbs would be so sprawling? Many of the posters were covered the next day anyway and our four hours pinning, taping and stapling were pretty much a waste of time. Think things through before you do them, decide on where your target audience will look, and what you think will profit the best results. Naomi and I have instead taken to flyering outside elementary and middle schools as the students leave, where we know our target audience, the kids, will be.

These are things I wish I had known before Naomi and I started planning. Enjoy the process too and if you make mistakes, don't regret them.  After all, everything is a learning curve. Good luck!

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Nicole Hazan made aliyah from London, England in 2010. Nicole and Naomi Strom, two English teachers at Hakfar HaYarok middle and high school in Ramat HaSharon,  have collaborated to create Speak UP! - an exciting drama and arts summer camp in English this summer at the kfar. The summer camp, which is taking place in July 2013, is for youth ages 11-14 with a good level of English.

For info about the camp, email managers@speakupcamp.com

English Tutoring in Israel Today - Competing in a Tough Job Market

by Allan Hirshey

Over the past several decades, the supply of English teaching professionals in Israel has not only caught up with, but has exceeded the demand.  This has resulted in a flood of mostly unemployed English teachers, trying to find jobs in an already over-crowded English tutoring market.  The latter is now strictly a buyer’s market, with no end in sight!

         

The underlying causation factors can be summarized as follows: the large number of local teacher training colleges/universities with English departments, pumping  out hundreds of English major & teacher graduates annually; the same institutions offering  one-year English tutor certification programs, designed for older professionals seeking career changes; the steady influx of “Anglos” toting B.A. and M.A. degrees in English education, exacerbated by the sharp downturn in the global economy;  and even the number of presently employed English school teachers seeking additional income, via the tutoring route.        

Consequently, if you want to stay “a cut above the competition”, here are some   points to remember:

1.     Hebrew Language Proficiency – the lower the age of your student target group, the higher the Ivrit level you’ll need.     

2.    Educational Qualifications - relying on only a B.A. in English education isn’t realistically competitive.  You’re either going to have to beef up your education level to an M.A. and/or obtain instructor certification in perhaps one or more of these specialties - ELS, TOFEL, or SEN . 

3.    Marketing Strategies - maintain updated CVs, personal references, & business cards. For starters, volunteer your services at local community centers and schools.   Post tutoring flyers on neighborhood bulletin boards, and keep checking the JANGLO, ETNI, & similar websites for job opportunities. 

4.   Knowledge of Local Pay Rates - don’t be caught off guard.  Know in advance what the remuneration standards are in your catchment areas for groups & individuals.  In this regard, be flexible & sharpen your negotiating skills.  You’re going to need them!

5.   Technical Expertise/Skills - bonding effectively with younger clients is critical.  This is especially true if their parents are “arm twisting them” into being tutored.  Strengthen your bonding expertise by studying & practicing psychological techniques.  NLP is a good example.         

6.   Psychometric Readiness  - develop & maintain your own system of written tests.  It’s not uncommon to get insufficient client feedback from apathetic classroom teachers.     

7.   Reference Materials -   invest in and build up your own personal library.  There’s tons of free material on the “net” you can download & file away.  

8.   Office Technology - in addition to a PC, owning your own copying & fax machines save time, money, & also increases work efficiency.   

9.   Work Environment – minimize noise & window space.  Loud colored walls & pictures can also cause distractions.  Position wall clocks behind the student.      

10. Creative Entrepreneurship – think of starting your own English tutoring business, wider in scope, with one or more partners’ (each having own specialty & separate network of contacts).  Of course, check out the potential revenues & expenses – this might be a way to go!     

With that said, focus your attention on yourself rather than on the competition.  Don’t be discouraged, and don’t give up.  Always maintain a positive attitude.  If tutoring English is really your passion- GO FOR IT!

Information about Allan Hirshey, the author

I ‘m a native Baltimorean & retired “Fed”, with a 30+ year career span, now living with my wife & four children in Jerusalem.  Having B.A., L.L.B., & M.S. degrees enabled me to “wear many hats”, during my working career.  Some of these positions included lecturing in accounting at a local community college, developing legal cases for Medicare/Medicaid fraud prosecution, and directing the U.S. Public Health Service’s Hill Burton hospital loan portfolio (San Francisco RO).  I also managed the reimbursement operation for the Community Mental Health Centers Program, a national outpatient mental health program, administered by the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (Baltimore, Central Office).  

After making aliyah, I decided to begin a new career.   Accordingly, I obtained professional counseling and English tutoring certificates from Refuah Institute and the Natanya English Center (under AACI auspices), respectively.  Presently, I provide voluntary counseling, including Reality Therapy, to yeshiva students. Additionally, I do English & basic math tutoring.  I also learn in a yeshiva half a day.  Express Tutoring is the name of my formal tutoring service, & business English is my specialty.  A few years ago, I developed a “Business English 101” course for an Israeli teacher’s college.

During my spare time & in order to maintain my sanity (whatever’s left) , I play tennis, write articles, listen to a variety of musical selections, do genealogical research, occasionally attend NLP workshops, and enjoy babysitting with my grandchildren.