TALMA is an ROI Community Project & joint initiative of Schusterman Family Philanthropies,
The Steinhardt Family Foundation in Israel, and the Government of Israel joint initiative of Schusterman Family Philanthropies,
❖ Teaching Fellowships ❖ Trainings ❖ Virtual & School-Based Programs ❖ Curriculum Development ❖ Bridge Building ❖
THE FULL YEAR FELLOWSHIP
The TALMA Full Year Fellowship is a paid, full-time, 10.5-month professional program for early to mid-career educators. If you're looking for an international teaching experience; interested in testing the waters before making aliyah; or looking for social and professional support to integrate into the Israeli school system and society, this program is for you!
TALMA Fellowship benefits include:
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Generous monthly salary
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Housing
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Health Insurance
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Transportation
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Ulpan
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Guaranteed job placement
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Mentoring & coaching
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Professional development stipend
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Supportive and warm community
THE FULL YEAR EXPERIENCE IN A NUTSHELL
As a TALMA Full Year Fellow, your full-time commitments will include teaching, professional development, and community service. Four days of your work week will be spent teaching English, both formally and informally to K-12 students and adults. You'll have all of the responsibilities of an Israeli English teacher, including planning your lessons, attending English team meetings, etc. On the day you're not teaching, you'll attend Hebrew class, and deepen your connection to the community. You'll also engage in professional and social events that will help you become a stronger, more culturally competent teacher, build relationships with other young professionals, and have an amazing experience in your new home!
ELIGIBILITY
To be eligible for the TALMA Full Year Fellowship, you must:
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have at least a Bachelor's degree;
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have at least one year of classroom teaching experience; and
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be eligible for Israel's B-1 visa, as defined by the country's Law of Return
We also require candidates to complete a TALMA Summer Fellowship; candidates can fulfill this requirement in the summer immediately preceding the year (e.g. candidates can do summer 2024 and then full year 2024-25). However, experience in other education-related programs in Israel can be used to fulfill this requirement.
While we prioritize educators with state teaching certifications, we will also consider teachers with education-related degrees and three or more years of teaching experience.
APPLICATION PROCESS
(1) Your first step is to complete a written application, which includes a couple of short-answer questions. Within the application, you'll also need to submit a 1-2 page resume, and name and contact information for two references. These references will not be contacted until after your interview, and we'll let you know before we reach out. Note that resumes over two pages or incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
(2) Once your application is reviewed, you may invited to interview over Zoom with TALMA's Deputy Director.
(3) After the initial interview, you may be invited to a final interview over Zoom with TALMA's Full Year Director and Pedagogy Coordinator.
(4) After the final interview, you may be invited to the final evaluation, which includes (1) lesson plan & video submission, (2) reference checks, and (3) a readiness assessment. You'll get more specific information on each of these items once you reach this stage.
We will keep in touch with you at every stage via email to keep you informed, and are unable to respond to additional requests for status updates. Thank you for your patience and understanding.
MORE ON THE FULL YEAR FELLOWSHIP
In August, when you arrive in Israel, you'll undergo two weeks of an initial orientation, and also have time to settle into your location, and get to know your fellow Fellows and the community you will call home for the next year. The orientation is designed to help you learn about the Israeli school system and curricula, and get you ready for when school starts on September 1st (unless that's a Saturday, in which case it'll be September 2nd).
Once school starts in September, you'll teach English four days a week (for example, Sun, Mon, Wed, Thu) at an elementary, middle, and/or high school. You may co-teach, teach independently, do small group pullouts, or any combination of these, which will be determined together with the school and our Full Year Director. The school day runs from about 8 am until 2 or 3 pm, depending on your school and grade level.
On two of those same days after school, you'll teach English to adults in one of our workforce programs that we operate in partnership with Israel's Ministry of Economy. These programs primarily serve ultra-Orthodox (Haredi), Arab-Israeli, and Ethiopian-Israeli communities, as well as single mothers and Ukranian refugees.
Your non-teaching day (Tuesdays, for example) is often called your TALMA day, and it's dedicated to your learning and professional development. You'll have intensive Hebrew class (ulpan), and later in the day you'll have a workshop, training, or activity of some kind that may be on Zoom or in-person, and can take place just with the Fellows in your location, or together with the entire Full Year community. These activities will also incorporate young Israeli professionals, to help you expand your network and create a rich social life. In addition, you'll have opportunities to immerse yourself in Jewish life, celebrate Shabbatand holidays with TALMA staff and/or with host families, and travel together with the entire Full Year community a weekends out of the year.
LOCATIONS
Current (2023-24) TALMA Full Year Fellow communities exist in the Ben Shemen Youth Village, Jerusalem, and Eilat.
