Masa Israel Teaching Fellows- Rishon Lezion

I volunteered with ITF the year following graduating from undergrad. It was only the 2nd year of the program and they were still working out the kinks, but I had an incredible year! It was a great time to go because I wasn't ready for real responsibility/ figuring out my next big life move, so it gave me a much needed break from education to figure out my future. You don't really get paid that much but you live rent free in a nice sized apartment close to other participants...just accept that you are volunteering, and you can quickly learn to stretch the stipend. The most expensive part about Israel is cost of living, so by not worrying about rent you can live cheaply but comfortably.
Rishon Lezion is great- so close and accessible to Tel Aviv and it has its own, small, quiet beach that you can easily get to any day of the week. Working in the school was fun, because small children will find you to be a novelty and in my experience, that meant they gave us no trouble and we were able to just have fun with them.
The program staff is likely different every year, but honestly, I never met someone who worked in the hospitality/tour guiding/ israel program realm who wasn't amazing. They are knowledgeable, helpful, and have a real passion for their job (which shines through, because they don't get paid enough to deal with some of the whiny americans finding themselves abroad for the first time in their lives). Love to Mati and Ilan!
The great thing about this program is that each individual provider (for Rishon, it was "The Israel Experience") and Masa offer you a ton of opportunities to explore all of Israel, meet other people, go to cultural events, learn, and get free stuff! I wouldn't trade my experience in for anything and still miss being there!