Dr Jonathan Lilien rounds off his day’s work with a swim at Gordon Pool, a saltwater lido and social hub in Tel Aviv. Despite having moved to Israel from California only two years ago, to manage Chevron’s health, safety, environment and regulation in the eastern Mediterranean, he already speaks conversational Hebrew.
Like many other expats in Israel, Lilien chose this seaside city over Jerusalem. He lives in an apartment just off Rothschild Boulevard, which serves as both the financial and cultural centre.
“I love the climate here, which is similar to that of California,” Lilien says. “I also love being near the beach. This is is a cosmopolitan, hip place offering lots of amazing things to do. There’s plenty of culture here and there are many interesting people.”
Tel Aviv is home to one startup for every 160 residents – a higher density than any other city. As of 2021, there were 3,000 tech companies here, dozens of tech accelerators and 115 international R&D centres, according to data from the municipality. It’s not unusual to see tech workers zig-zagging through the traffic jams on electric scooters, laptops in their backpacks, on their commute to the office.
Amazon, Meta, Google, Citigroup and Barclays all have a presence in Tel Aviv, drawn by the high concentration of talent in the city and its entrepreneurial culture. According to the OECD Better Life Index, 88% of adults aged 25 to 64 in Israel have completed upper-secondary education.
Mazi Efendovich is destination service manager at ORI Relocation, a provider of HR services. She notes that most of the expats who come to Tel Aviv work in the hi-tech industry.
“Almost all of the people we handle aren‘t Jewish. They come here from all over the world, but mostly the US and Europe,” she says. “They tend to be on assignments of between two to six years, many working for international corporations in high-level roles.”
How easy is it to get a visa?
The B/1 visa is the general type of work permit for foreign nationals. There are two kinds. For both, the prospective employer needs to show the immigration authorities that the skills of the person relocating are unique and cannot be found locally.
The first type of B/1 visa, valid for only 90 days, is suitable for technicians visiting work on a specific project. The second is valid for a year and tends to be used by expats in more senior positions who can demonstrate unique knowledge or global business skills. The maximum stay on this visa, which can be renewed annually, is five years and three months. A stay can be extended further in very specific cases, but the employer must show that the holder is making a unique contribution to the Israeli economy, generating jobs and investment.
“It’s relatively easy to get a visa, once you can prove that the imported talent is unique. There is an understanding that foreign workers can help to fuel the local economy with their knowledge,” says Eli Levi, a project manager at ORI. He adds that the average time to obtain a visa, if the terms are met, is about eight weeks.
Expats must be paid at least NIS23,460 (£5,140) a month, along with all the social and health benefits required by law, Levi explains, which can make it costly for employers in Israel to hire foreign workers. This minimum pay rate is updated yearly, in relation to the average salary in Israel, which in March was NIS13,683 a month. Average tech salaries tend to be higher, at about NIS31,685 a month, according to the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS).
What is Tel Aviv’s working culture like?
Because the city has about 300 sunny days a year on average and a mean annual temperature of 21C, work dress codes are relatively relaxed. If you’re a lawyer or a banker, a light suit or business casual attire would be appropriate, but anything goes in the tech industry.
“It is fantastic. There is no need for too much formality here,” says Jacob Freedman, director of business development in fintech at Natural Intelligence, a digital marketing startup. Freedman, who immigrated from London five years ago, goes to work in shorts in the summer.
When I landed in the startup scene in Israel, I was like: ‘Oh, my God’
In the UK, he says, the mindset was “dress smart, be smart, behave smart, be proper. But I don’t think there’s really a need for that. When it’s 35C here in the summer, it’s nice to know that you don’t have to come to work wearing trousers.”
A typical workplace in Tel Aviv is multicultural and multinational, with many meetings held in English. Freedman, who is married to an Israeli woman he met at work, notes that the locals tend to be very direct in their manner, which may take some adjusting to.
“They say it how it is; there is no beating around the bush,” he says. “It’s sometimes done in a way that could be perceived as a little aggressive. It can make you think: ‘Hold on a sec. There’s a nicer way of saying that.’”
Lauren Gumport, VP of communications and brand strategy at Faye, a travel insurer, immigrated to Israel in 2015 from New York, where she used to work in corporate PR. She too has had to adjust to the abrasive nature of the Tel Aviv workplace.
“I thought I had thick skin after living in New York, but then you come to Israel and you learn that you actually don’t. It definitely has a louder, more aggressive culture,” she says. “When I landed in the startup scene in Israel, I was like: ‘Oh, my God.’”
Unlike in the US, it is perfectly acceptable for Israelis to discuss religion and politics in the office, Gumport notes, and discussions can get heated. Despite this, the atmosphere is social and there is little formality.
“Workers often eat lunch together. There is wine or beer on tap at the office, with lots of happy hours,” she says. “If you’re someone who isn’t comfortable with getting to know your co-workers on a personal level, it might be a difficult adjustment.”
It is not unusual for parents to bring their children to the office a couple of times a week during the holidays. Many will often leave the office earlier to pick up their children from school before doing more work from home in the evening. The working week of Sunday to Thursday can also take some getting used to, Gumport adds.
How expensive is Tel Aviv?
The biggest challenges of living in Tel Aviv are probably the cost of living and traffic congestion.
In the Economist Intelligence Unit’s Worldwide Cost of Living 2022 report, it was ranked as the third most expensive city after Singapore and New York. It previously topped the table in 2021. Earlier this month an ECA International 2023 report claimed Tel Aviv was the eighth most costly destination for expats.
A furnished two-bed apartment with parking can cost from NIS16,000 a month, says Efendovich, while one with three bedrooms can cost NIS22,000 or more.
Monthly expenses per household in Israel totalled NIS16,000, according to 2022 CBS figures. Of this, 25% went on housing, 19% went on transport and communications, and 18% went on food.
Tel Aviv was also ranked the world’s fifth worst city for traffic congestion in 2019 – and the situation seems to have only worsened since. The construction of a light railway system has also caused disruption on many key roads. Many people choose to walk, cycle or ride electric scooters for short journeys.
A cultural hub
While Jerusalem embodies the religious and traditional spirit of the nation, Tel Aviv proudly flaunts its secularity. It’s a hotbed of cultural events, including plays, concerts and art exhibitions, and it has a vibrant night scene, with bars and restaurants open into the small hours seven days a week. People can be seen hanging out on the beach with their laptops at all times of the day.
Because it is a multicultural city, Tel Aviv’s restaurants carry a fusion of Middle Eastern and European tastes – from falafel and hummus to pizza and burgers.
Tel Aviv has also been called the world’s vegan capital. On 21-22 June it hosts what being touted as the biggest vegan festival on the planet. The city has just hosted its largest Pride parade to date, marking the 25th anniversary of the first such event.
Is Tel Aviv safe?
One cannot talk about Israel without mentioning the tense geopolitical situation and the violent incidents that continue to make headlines worldwide, including the rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip that sent citizens to shelters in May.
Despite the obvious threat of terrorism, Efendovich claims that Israel is perceived as a safe place to live in.
“Most expats complete their stay in Israel and are generally very happy. The first thing they say is that it feels safe,” she says.
According to a 2022 report by the CBS, 83% of Israelis aged 20 and over feel safe walking in built-up areas at night.
“I feel very safe in Tel Aviv,” Lilien says. “Acts of terrorism are few and far between here. The rocket attacks weren‘t so scary once I learnt the process: take shelter in the safe room. Israelis are used to it, so you don’t feel like it’s such a scary and unusual thing. And lots of people check in on you, which helps to build bonds and a sense of community.”
You can read more from our Working Around the World series here.
