Nefesh BNefesh

Guest Contributor: Jennifer Garr

The field of environmental studies has developed significantly over the past ten years and, as a result, there are more employment opportunities now in Israel for those with a background in the field. There are NGOs which deal with environmental issues and focus on education, policy, recycling, Judaism and the environment, and coexistence efforts relating to the environment.

As the field tends to be interdisciplinary, there are a number of different directions that a person with a background in environmental science or studies can pursue. The opportunities range from work with NGOs, research for a public or private institution, education, and policy to employment in private consulting firms and the rapidly growing field of Clean Tech.  While many options do exist in this field finding employment in certain areas will require a background in science. In order to break into the field, an internship with a relevant organization or company can be key.

Most of the information about environmental related organizations and companies can be found online.  The Israel Ministry of Environmental Protection has a list of Environmental NGOs divided by topic. www.Cleantuesday.org.il  is a networking group for Clean Tech in Israel and on linkedin.com the group "Clean Tech Israel" relates specifically to the field in Israel.

If you are looking to work in the field of Clean Tech, you should start by networking via online resources such as Linkedin.com. As this industry grows, there are an increasing number of Clean Tech conferences that take place throughout the country. The conferences are an excellent opportunity to learn more about the field as well as to network with other professionals.

Hebrew
A strong working knowledge of Hebrew will help to expand your options in this field. This is particularly true and essential for people who want to work at NGOs or in environmental education or policy.

Salary information:
As the field is diverse, there can be broad salary ranges depending on whether you are working in the public or non- profit sector or for private industries.

Educational opportunities in Israel:
There are a number of undergraduate and graduate degree options in the field in Israel. For more information regarding the programs that are taught in Hebrew it is best to contact each university. Links to the universities’ websites can be found in the article University Programs in Israel.

There are a number of degree program taught in English:

• The Technion offers both BSc & ME/MSc programs in the field of Environmental Engineering.
• Tel Aviv University has an MA program in environmental studies.
• The Arava Institute in conjunction with Ben-Gurion University offers an MA program in Desert studies.

Special thanks to Jennifer Garr for the information for this article. Jennifer is the program manager of the International MA Program in Environmental Studies at the Porter School of Environmental Studies.