Welcome to the first TAU International Volunteering and Support blog! This blog has been created to give complementary information to the graduated students of TAU and to create a community where we can share thoughts and information. This blog is NOT affiliated or supported by Lowy TAU international school or any of the TAU administrative bodies. This blog is meant to be an informal tool where people can be updated, alongside the Researchers and Scholars in TAU: the peers community , and the PhDs and group and the informal word-of-mouth. Each PhD student or post-doc is more than welcome to approach and participate in the creation of this blog, acting as a volunteer (with a little basic commitment) but also as an user, where they can collect any sort of information. All of the content posted on this blog is under the responsibility of the person who wrote it and posted it. UPDATE 06.11.23 Guidelines for the WhatsApp group 1.Respect & Kindness: Treat all memb...
Being a newcomer in Tel Aviv is not so straightforward, especially when you start dealing with the issues from abroad.
First of all, once you manage to apply to a lab and to subscribe to the University, you should also be proactive in starting your research on accommodation and survival means for the very next days of your staying.
Basically, except for a few specific services, you need to be in the state to settle things down.
The first necessary issues are the:
-Visa-->check on our dedicated webpage and TAU international official webpage
-bank account --> check on our dedicated webpage
-telephone company --> check on our dedicated webpage (if the link does not work, copy paste in the browser: https://intcommunityvolunteerstau.blogspot.com/2022/09/where-can-i-buy-pre-paid-sim-card-close.html )
-insurance--> check on TAU international official webpage
It is extremely advisable to get the student/working visa before you come to the state, alongside the health insurance, necessary to get the visa. TAU international office will be completely available for assistance (check on https://international.tau.ac.il/contact_us_form and on our CONTACT webpage https://intcommunityvolunteerstau.blogspot.com/p/contact-and-information-list.html)
Unless you are on a specific convention, the Status of a international PhD or post-doc is upon the A2 (Alef shteim), the student visa. There are indeed some foreign students and employees considered workers and their visa is different (B1)
Also, as Tel Aviv is a crowded city with people wanting to live here, the studios, apartments or dormitories are always on full capacity and the hunt for a place to live is a bit frustrating, but of course not impossible. The slim strategy is to get an air BnB for a few weeks or a month and then start subletting till you find a permanent residency.
If you have a contract with Broshim dorms, you might be able to get a room immediately upon your arrival (see our dedicated page on housing), but typically it takes a few months to enter the dorms.
Anyway, pay attention to the frauds (there are many) and possibly visit the place before renting it because at times the pictures don't match the reality. It is extremely unlikely that you will find a place at 2000 shekels or less. Typical rental prices are around 3000 shekels.
Speaking of the three issues above, many purchases work with an Israeli card and ID number. Otherwise, you can use a passport number and some foreign CREDIT card, for example to open a bank account or the insurance. Anyhow, you should always be provided with the acceptance letter of TAU and all of the paperwork that supports your regular staying.
To get the cash, you need to wait for the bank account to be activated, which could take several days. For this reason, it's advisable to:
-get some shekels from your home country in a bank;
-withdraw an amount of money from the ATM of the airport(at the baggage pickup area) or the first one you find, though that the airport is a bit out of town and you need to pay the ticket;
-arrange with some friends or acquaintances to give you an amount of shekels in exchange of your country's currency;
The credit cards and the payment via cellphone are widely accepted, but you are going to have hard times and pricy expenses if you use your foreign card for everything. On the other hand, we need to point out that a new policy in many banks says that it is no longer possible for the foreigners to hold an Israeli credit card. This means that the best option would be obtaining an international credit card with no or minimal fees.
Advice on your arrival:
-In the Airport there is free WiFi! Connect and check on your chats and emails. Also, take your time to see where to go once you get out of the airport. It is advisable to use Google maps or another popular app here, Moovit (https://moovitapp.com/israel-1/poi/en). The app is available in English, but the streets' names are written in Hebrew, unfortunately. Once you get used to it, it will be very useful.
-in order to get from the airport to the city you don't need the taxi, which are available at the main entrance of the airport. The train station is exactly a few steps (on the left) from the entrance of the airport (terminal 3) and to purchase a ticket is quite simple. There are vending machines outside accepting cash or credit card.
-avoid coming on Friday or Saturday, as this is the Shabbat and everything (except for some places) is closed in these days (from Friday afternoon till Saturday evening).
-you need to stop at Haagana or Arlozorov central train station if you live in town (as from there, there are tons of buses going around the city and surrounding areas and people who can help with directions). There is also another train station, HaShalom, but it is not a major station and it has a few bus lines.
In alternative, if you are coming to the University (or Broshim dorms), you can drop off at the Tel Aviv University train station. From there, there are a few buses coming up to the uni, which could be helpful if you have tons of luggage.
-in order to use the bus, you can either buy a ticket at the bus station, when the kiosks are open or obtain a Rav Kav, a magnetic card that serves a pre-paid card for any means of transportation in Israel, except for taxi and sherut (shared taxi).
Rav Kav: https://ravkavonline.co.il/en/
In the picture below, taken from the official site of the Israeli train line, you will see Ben Gurion Airport position compared to the various stations in Tel Aviv. Trains to Herzylia, Nahariya and Tel Aviv center bring you in town.
Picture below adapted from https://www.rail.co.il/en/pages/stationsnlines.aspx. I don't own any rights on it.
Picture adapted from Google maps. Blue rectangle: area of the university; Red pointer: Tel Aviv Train Station; red circles: dormitories. 1) Einstein 2) Broshim (for graduated students), 3) Brodetzky (outside campus convention). Purple circle: Milman dorm (outside campus convention), not available anymore.
ALSO: check this v-log made by an Israeli, he gives very practical information and examples:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSIApL8gom8
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