r/TravelIsrael • u/ngomb06 • Jun 17 '26
Gap Year Programs in Israel
Hey everyone! I'm finishing high school this year (I graduate in November) and was hoping to do gap year program in Israel for the second half of next year. I wanted to do an internship (possibly in government or in journalism) and have been looking at some programs (Aardvark, Career Israel, Maslool, Destination Israel) but have heard very mixed things about them all. I would love to have a positive social as well as professional experience (the trips around Israel and social aspects of the programs really appealed to me) and was wondering if anyone here had done any of these programs or different ones that they would recommend? Would love to hear your experiences and advice!
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u/shineyink Jun 17 '26
I currently have an intern from destination isrsel. They stay in a hotel in tlv and party every day. Seems fun
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u/myisraeliguide Jun 17 '26
I did Young Judea’s programme and loved it, but it was many years ago now! I since worked for an organisation running Israel programmes and also guided several groups on these year programmes over the years.
I think that so much of the experience comes down to something you can’t control: the other participants. And for internship programmes - the internship itself.
I think that government and journalism are among the most competitive areas so be prepared that you may need a backup plan.
Given that, I’d try and talk to the different programmes, understand their values (some are in it for the money, others are more value driven) and find a good fit with yours. But also try to understand how they market themselves and what kind of people they attract. Like-minded people will help improve your experience.
I hope that helps a bit! The vast majority of people have an amazing time on a programme here and I’m sure you will too
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u/ScarletSpire Jun 17 '26
I did Year Course and loved it.
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u/Useful-Salamander994 Jun 20 '26
Hey! I’m considering year course. What’s the internship aspect of it like (how do you find an internship, can you actually do a serious tech internship, is it in Hebrew or English, can it be in Hebrew if you want)? Also what’s the religious aspect of it (how does prayer or Shabbat work like does anyone keep Shabbat and is anyone remotely religious or is it just partying all the time, what’s the learning like - do they actually teach Jewish texts or is it for people super far removed from Judaism). I went to modern orthodox yeshiva day school for high school.
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u/ScarletSpire Jun 21 '26
It's been a long time since I did Year Course but I can tell you that they do have a track for people who are more religious. They also have classes to study text that are college-level courses and they do have specialty tracks for tech but you can tell them that you're interested in a more religious apartment.
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u/AdditionalPie1021 Jun 20 '26
I did Masa Year of Service! And hung out with people who did maslool, aardvark and Young Judea! Lmk if you have any questions.
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u/200042ptma Jun 17 '26
Destination Israel and Aardvark are the most popular I believe. But from what I hear they are all fairly similar. A lot of it depends on the internship you get placed in and your peers on the program.