Planning Your Pilot Trip

One of the main goals of a pilot trip is to research job opportunities in your field and connect with professional colleagues in Israel. You cannot expect to actually land a job while you are on your pilot trip, since most employers will not be interested in hiring you until after you've actually made Aliyah. However, you can jumpstart your job search by building up a strong professional network and conducting extensive market research. See Networking for more information. Before you come on your pilot trip, set up informational interviews with each of the professionals on your personal contact list, and if you feel you don't have enough professional contacts, the Nefesh B'Nefesh employment department is happy to help you.

Another main goal of a pilot trip is exploring communities in Israel and deciding which community has the housing options, employment opportunities, population age, religious affiliation, medical services, lifestyle and financial range that best meet your needs. If you have school-age children, researching schooling options is a large part of this decision-making process. When a pilot trip is scheduled close to your target Aliyah date, you can also use this visit as an opportunity to check out housing rentals and (if you're lucky) sign a contract for the first year of your Aliyah. When designing your pilot trip, plan to spend a Friday/Shabbat in the community that is your first choice. For information about communities in Israel, see the Nefesh B'Nefesh Communities Guide.

If you're coming on Aliyah in retirement, a main goal of your pilot trip is meeting with financial planners and retirement consultants. You'll want to learn the details of Israeli and American/Canadian/UK tax laws as they apply to expatriates in Israel, check out health care options and verify how your pension and other financial resources translate into different lifestyle choices in Israel. You will want to explore the informal communities of English-speaking retirees that exist in Israel, and you may also be interested in investigating the many activities for seniors that are available (including volunteer opportunities).

While there are no hard and fast rules regarding pilot trips and you can design your trip however is appropriate for you, most Olim find it effective to come on a 1 to 2 week trip, scheduled approximately 4 to 8 months before your target Aliyah date. If you have teenagers in your family and if it's financially possible, it might be a good idea to bring them with you on your pilot trip, in order for them to feel more comfortable with the move. On the other hand, if you have small children it's best to leave them at home, so that the trip can be more productive.

The Nefesh B'Nefesh staff provides one-on-one counseling for individuals who are planning pilot trips.

• If you have specific questions regarding employment, be in touch with the Employment department at employment@nbn.org.il.
• If you have questions about communities and schooling options, please write to Avi Silverman at asilverman@nbn.org.il.
• If you need other types of assistance related to planning your Aliyah, please be in touch with our PreAliyah department at prealiyah@nbn.org.il.

In addition to the counseling that Nefesh B'Nefesh provides, other organizations are available that help you focus on developing a pilot trip in the most effective way possible:

• AACI's comprehensive pilot trip program offers perspective olim a choice of pilot trips to help them make intelligent, educated decisions about their aliyah. Group, individual, community and customized pilot trips cover every aspect of life in Israel. For Group Pilot Trips: http://www.aaci.org.il/ak/grouppilottrips.htm
  For Private Pilot Trips: http://www.aaci.org.il/ptrips.htm
• Tehilla creates group pilot trips for Orthodox families, with scheduled visits to a range of communities and meetings with experts in a variety of Israel-related topics. See http://www.tehilla.com/pilottrips/.
• Lamdeni functions as educational consultants, who will provide you with guidance and set up meetings for you with the Israeli school system. See http://www.lamdeni.co.il/pilotTrip.htm.
• Makbilit, located in Jerusalem and Efrat, provides educational consulting and has particular experience working with children with learning disabilities. See http://www.makbilit.com/.

While you are in Israel on your pilot trip, be sure to visit the Nefesh B'Nefesh office and meet with staff members to discuss your developing Aliyah plans. While you're in our offices, you can also pick up your copy of the Nefesh B'Nefesh Aliyah Planner -- a workbook and guide designed to walk you through your pilot trip and help you organize the details of the Aliyah process.