British olim among graduates helping tackle Israel’s English teacher shortage

The graduates, all native English speakers with university degrees earned overseas, have retrained to teach English as a foreign language in Israeli schools.

The programme places a strong emphasis on practical classroom experience and preparing participants for the realities of teaching in Israeli schools.

Graduate Rachelle Lavi said: “Other teacher training programmes place very little emphasis on how to manage an Israeli classroom.

"We were placed in schools with teachers who really know what they are doing. We were taught how to see what lies behind the students’ behaviour, and how to respond appropriately.”

The initiative comes as Israel faces a shortage of suitably qualified English teachers, with many schools relying on non-native speakers to teach the language.

The programme enables immigrants to change careers while helping to strengthen English education nationwide.

The graduation ceremony also marked the completion of an innovative teaching assistant programme for students with Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and autism.

Run jointly by Herzog College, the Shekel Association and Israel’s Ministry of Welfare, the scheme prepares graduates to work as teaching assistants in local schools alongside their mainstream peers.

Dr Avichai Kellerman, Herzog College’s Academic Director, said the initiative redefines inclusion.

“When we talk about ‘inclusion’ and ‘embracing difference,’ we’re usually accustomed to seeing people with disabilities as those who need help. This programme turns that picture upside down,” he said.

“Their presence in pre-school classrooms will teach the next generation a lesson that can’t be found in any textbook: a lesson in self-acceptance and the triumph of the human spirit.”

This story originally appeared in the JC Israel Briefing. You can sign up to receive the briefing daily here.