From Nation's Capital to Nation's Capital: The Azza Street Spy

Employment Update: 1.5 Years Later

Next Thursday will mark 1.5 years since my arrival in Israel as a citizen. Wow.

How have I passed the time? What have I been up to? some of you have asked. Or, the more common question that I field: What jobs do you hold, again? I can understand why my friends and readers are confused about my employment. In this land of multiple part-time jobs and side gigs that pay better than primary employment, it's hard to keep tabs on anyone. Rather than address the broader issue of my progress as an Israeli citizen, I will summarize my employment status.

My real jobs:

**50% school psychologist at three Kindergartens, one first grade classroom, and additional cases left by the three psychologists in the office who are on maternity leave. This is a lighter load than my colleagues typically carry because 1) new olim get preferential treatment, 2) I'm getting reparations in my elementary school assingment due to my grueling assignment last year, and 3) the additional cases in the office are partly b.c in my 4th Kindergarten, the teacher and I fired each other. (The preferential treatment is a no-brainer; they would not be able to retain any new oleh if they threw us to the sharks...)
**10% chief librarian at the Office of School Psych's Professional Library. This position was offered to me without their realizing that I have bona fide library training.
**50% research position at the Brookdale Institute, research arm of the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (Joint). Work in the Disabilities Division doing special ed research.

Yes, you read this right. I work 110%. Clearly, feeling job-happy, three jobs at two locations is not enough. Particularly when one job (the school psych one) involves eight different locations but doesn't enable me to afford a car. I also have one imaginary job and another potential job. The imaginary jobs are paid in imaginary paychecks.

My imaginary jobs:

**Was hired to teach a prep course for the GRE Psych Subject test. The students who expressed interest have not committed to enrolling in the course. Therefore, I am the teacher but I have no students.
**Interviewed earlier in the week for an adjunct faculty position at a college. The college offers undergrad psych courses and grad School Psych courses. The dean said they would keep my CV on file for when they start to plan the next semesters' courses. (The identity of the school will be revealed after I am actually hired to teach a class.)

Points of interest:
**The undergrad courses at said college pay ballpark the same money that Prince George's Community College pays their adjuncts. The grad courses pay better. If I get offered a grad course, I will make more money teaching in Israel than I made when I taught in Maryland. What an unusual reversal.
**My real jobs are in Hebrew and imaginary ones are/would be in English.

Despite the madness of 110% employment with more in the wings, it is worth noting that I may be having the reverse experience of many olim. Many olim and Israelis have problems finding employment, not juggling 6 jobs. So, in this sense, I suppose that I'm very fortunate.

Wishing everyone a Purim Sameah!

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