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Guide To Being A Kibbutz Volunteer In Israel by: John Carson Ever thought of being a kibbutz volunteer in Israel? My name is John Carson, I'm an English backpacker and I was a kibbutz volunteer for over two years -- and had a fantastic time! This free guide will offer tips, hints and information on being a kibbutz volunteer, what Israel is like and what you can get up to over there. Let me just state that I am not an agency of any kind so can't organize a place on a kibbutz for you. I get no money for this guide or my Web site from an official kibbutz volunteer office; it's just a passion of mine that I produce for the fun of it. Kibbutz Life A kibbutz is a commune in Israel where the members all work and contribute to the running of the kibbutz. In return, their basic living necessities such as food and accommodation are provided free. If people do have jobs away from the kibbutz in the cities then they submit their wages. Lately this ideal has been changing as more members fight to keep more of the money they earn, but the majority of kibbutzim follow this pattern of sharing resources. The good part of all this is that most kibbutzim need volunteers from around the world to work with them. Volunteers work for a very small wage -- it's probably closer to pocket money -- but get free accommodation, food and use of the amenities. Sometimes these can include a swimming pool, tennis courts, gym and the pub. I have been a kibbutz volunteer four times on three different kibbutzim in the Negev Desert region and by the Dead Sea. Having lived in Israel for just over two years, I can attest to this being the best experience of my life. It gave me a lot of confidence in myself, and I had the opportunity to meet some fantastic travellers from around the world... some of whom I still keep in touch with 15 years later. Even though I personally enjoyed the kibbutz volunteer experience, it is definitely not for everyone's taste. You work hard (sometimes in very dirty jobs!), live in very basic rooms, earn a pittance and have no privacy at all. The kibbutz life is a melting pot of different cultures, gossip and communal living. Having said all that, the majority of volunteers I have spoken to always say that memories of those days are some of the best of their lives, and they fondly recall being a kibbutz volunteer. Of course it's not all work! Volunteers have lots of parties, go on trips around Israel, spend a lot of time in the kibbutz pub and generally let their hair down during the times when they are not working. There are romances too between volunteers, and also with the kibbutz members on some occasions. I had some of both! I can guarantee one thing: kibbutz life is unlike anything you would experience at home, and you will remember those days for ever. It is up to you whether it's a good or bad experience. Go with an open mind and see what happens. Going To A Kibbutz There are basically three ways to get on a kibbutz: 1) Just turn up at the gates. Not recommended! 2) Apply at an agency in Israel. Bit risky, if you have paid to travel all that way and don't get accepted. 3) Apply at an agency in your home country. This is the safest way in my opinion, as you can check out the facts before flying over. All the agencies I know of will take a fee for arranging a place on a kibbutz for you. For example, the Kibbutz Program Center in New York charges $150 for registration and $80 for insurance. This sounds high, but if you factor that into the overall cost of your trip then you also have peace of mind knowing that a kibbutz place has been arranged for you. You also have to take into account that a kibbutz won't accept you without some kind of insurance, so bear that in mind when saving up for your trip. I have included the actual application form on my Web site at http://www.kibbutzvolunteer.com so you can see some of the questions you will be asked. Again, I must stress that I have no affiliation with the agencies mentioned here -- the information is provided purely for your research and knowledge. Let's not lie about it'”the main reason kibbutzim want volunteers is to work! And work hard! Depending on the job, the day starts between 6-7 a.m. (earlier if in the cowsheds or fields) and finishes between noon and 4 p.m. (again, varies depending on the job you do). And it is a six-day working week = Sunday to Friday. Jobs include: dishwasher, fields, gardening, cowsheds, chickens, factory, picking dates and bananas, dining room, garage, supplying the nurseries with supplies, laundry, looking after children (normally only the female volunteers do this work), swimming pool maintenance (lucky to be assigned this one!) and general duties as required. It's not unusual to be given one particular job on one day, and another the next... but generally the volunteers are kept in the same jobs for at least a month. Newcomers usually start on the dishwasher or in the dining room, and move on 'up the chain'¯ when other volunteers join the kibbutz. So don't feel disheartened at starting on a crappy job; you will have a chance to change eventually. In my two years on kibbutzim I worked in most of the jobs mentioned above, my favourite being a gardener. I could basically set my own hours within reason, and the boss just let me get on with it. Had my own tractor and moped too... it was great! All the jobs have coffee and lunch breaks, and sometimes you can earn extra time off for working overtime or putting in extra effort. That is negotiable between you and your boss, so don't be afraid to ask. Members have an uncanny knack of spotting the volunteers willing to make an extra effort and those who are along for an easy ride. (You won't last long if you are in the latter category.) Don't worry about spoiling your designer jeans either; kibbutz work clothes and boots are provided for you, and also coats in the winter. Yes, kibbutzim need volunteers 365 days a year, but obviously the summer months are most popular and competition for places is higher. Don't be turned off going in winter'”Israeli winters are not that cold, mainly rainy, although Jerusalem gets a bit chilly during the winter months. Eilat is nice all year round. Useful Reading Allow me a small plug for my book. It is called Beer And Bagels For Breakfast and is a diary of my time as a kibbutz volunteer. I had such a great time I decided to commit my memories to paper. Not for financial gain (I get peanuts a copy!) but just because I wanted my future kids to see what their dad got up to as a young lad ;-) A lot of friends and family also asked me about my experiences, so I decided to get it published for other potential volunteers to read and learn from. Be warned: it is a 'warts and all'¯ account of my adventures and observations, so there's accounts of the good times, the not-so-good times, the parties, the volunteer trips, mishaps, kibbutz characters that you meet... and a lot more than I can describe here. Feel free to read testimonials on my Web site or at Amazon. Just to show there's room for more kibbutz volunteer research, I am also going to plug a 'rival'¯ book... although I see it as a complimentary one to mine, not competition. It has been around a long time and is simply called Kibbutz Volunteer. I actually read one of the first editions of this book and can recommend it as a useful 'how-to'¯ type of book on being a kibbutz volunteer. This one is more about the aspects of arranging a place, what to expect etc... whereas mine is more about the stuff you don't normally hear about in the straightforward guides! Anyway, feel free to check them out and make your own mind up. Israel Facts To help you more with research, here are some basic facts about Israel. Israel Israel is a small country founded in 1948 in the Middle East between the eastern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Israel was established on May '14
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