Would you do it for 20,000 shekels? The 5 weirdest jobs in Israel
If this week's Zoom meeting made you rethink your career choices, we have comforting news: you are doing just fine. Before you update your LinkedIn, check out the 5 most surprising professions in the country.
If this week's Zoom meeting made you rethink your career choices, we have comforting news: you are doing just fine. The Israeli job market is full of people who receive a regular salary for smelling trash, extracting venom from vipers, or sorting 1,000 chicks per hour. Before you update your LinkedIn, check out the 5 most surprising professions that have been right under our noses.
- Member of the "Certified Smellers Team"
The Ministry of Environmental Protection maintains a team of employees trained in olfactometry. Their job is to travel to environmental nuisance sites and rate the odor intensity of sewage, trash, or petrochemical plants from 0 to 5. To keep their sense of smell sharp, they are forbidden from drinking coffee, smoking, eating spicy foods, or wearing perfume before a test. These specialists earn about 100 to 250 shekels per hour of field testing.
- Professional chick sorter
In the first hours of a chick's life, the sorter must determine its sex with over 98% accuracy at a rate of about 1,000 chicks per hour. This is a rare visual skill acquired after years of training. During peak periods in the Israeli poultry industry, senior sorters have earned between 15,000 and 25,000 shekels per month.
- Snake milker (venom extractor)
This involves catching venomous reptiles, guiding them to bite a plastic-covered cup, and manually squeezing the venom glands. The venom is used for life-saving antivenoms and pharmaceutical research. It is one of the most dangerous professions, as a single mistake can lead to intensive care. Milkers earn between 10,000 and 18,000 shekels per month, depending on their background and risk level.
- Safety ornithologist at Ben Gurion Airport
Israel is the world's second most important bird migration hub. The ornithologist's role is to patrol the runways, locate flocks of birds, and use trained birds of prey or acoustic devices to prevent them from being sucked into aircraft engines. Employees in this field earn between 9,000 and 14,000 shekels per month.
- Kashrut supervisor for medical cannabis
As Israel is a powerhouse in medical cannabis, there is a need for religious supervision for observant patients. The supervisor inspects greenhouses to ensure production complies with the laws of Shmita, Orlah, and insect inspection. These supervisors receive between 8,000 and 12,000 shekels per month.
If you are tired of the routine, it turns out you don't have to learn programming to earn well. Sometimes all you need is a little courage, a developed sense of smell, or zero fear of snakes.
