A.  I work as a freelance technical writer for a company called Tech-Tav and another company called Cisco.

Q.  How did you find your job?

A.  A friend and olah told me about this company. After I interviewed for a staff position at a couple of companies, I faxed my resume into Tech-Tav. He called me and I came in for a meeting and interview. He hired me right away. My husband works at Cisco and helped me get a freelance position there.

Q.  What experience do you need to get into your field? What experience do you need to get the position you have?

A.  I have a BA in Computer Science from Stern College and a MS from Stevens Institute of Technology. I worked at Bellcore for about 10 years prior to my Aliyah. I have experience in programming, system administration, and technical writing. All of this experience helped build a technical knowledge base for my employment here. In my opinion, it helps when a technical writer has some technical experience. However, there are many fine technical writers who have backgrounds in law, journalism, and other non-technical fields.

Q.  What degree should someone making Aliya come with in order to break into your field / get a decent position in your field?

A.  I think that a BA helps, but it is probably not necessary.

Q.  Does it make any difference whether you studied here or abroad?

A.  Since almost all computer companies here market their products abroad (especially in the US), I feel that having a strong American English background is essential. I don't know if you can get that here. As far as the training courses to become a technical writer, there are a few schools here who do training, but I don’t know if they teach English language skills.

Q.  What documents do I need?

A.  If you have any, you should bring samples of writing that you've done. And a resume with education and work experience.

Q.  What is the salary range? ?

A.  Freelance writers can demand anywhere from $20 to $50 per hour. Salaried writers can make from around 6000 NIS to 18,000 NIS per month.

Q.  What are the benefits?

A.  As a freelance, independent writer, I don't get any benefits. Salaried writers get benefits from their companies, and those benefits vary from company to company.

Q.  Describe the personal growth opportunities that exist.

A.  I don't know about personal growth in this area. However, one major plus of working as a freelance writer is that I am able to be home most of the time with my kids. I feel that, especially after something so major as Aliyah, that this is a big plus and very important. I can help with THEIR personal growth!

Q.  Who are the major employers in your field?

A.  Almost all technical companies in Israel hire either in-house writers or freelance writers. (Just look in the papers on Fridays for ads!) The major technical writing consulting firms include In Other Words, Livelinx, and Tech-Tav.

Q.  What are the upcoming areas of specialty you would recommend

A.  I would recommend improving HTML skills and web design - very big for the future!

Q.  What recommendations can you offer the future oleh looking to work in this field?

A. There's as much or as little work in this field as you want. You can work very full time or part time (mostly from the house). It is a great field for anyone who wants to stay home with their families and also work. (Except when there's a school strike!)

Q.  How do you feel about working and living here in Israel?

A. We're very happy to be here. We live in a great community and recently moved into our new home. We're happy in our neighborhood. Our kids are doing very well in school and we're happy with our jobs. Baruch Hashem, Aliyah has worked out great for us!

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Last Updated December 6, 2005