FAQ

When a person reaches a situation where his abilities are limited and unable to function independently, a caregiver will allow him to continue living in his home and environment as usual. When the alternative is an institution.

Above duties such as personal assistance and household, all employers expect for a personal, dedicated and qualified care:

CARE- another person cares about him
GIVER- another person is willing to give his time and attention to him

The caregiver is responsible for nursing the patient, as well as for the reasonable maintenance of the patient's environment - room, clothes, food and so on.

Population Authority government site (PIBA) publishes current form of a permit request. At the same site you pay the application fee and print a receipt. At the bottom of pages you will find all info of governmental branches and opening times.

Best would be to personally submit your application during the reception published times.

Clients of Derech Halev may submit original signed applications to one of our branches and we shall take care of the request.

The foreign caregiver doesn't always speak the same language as the employer. Though we’ve witnessed many cases in which due to the need and thanks to good will, good communication was created between both sides despite the language barrier. In a very short period of time the caregivers learned the language as well as the customs of the house, cooking style, etc.
Similarly, as parents choose the right nanny for their baby. After all, the baby has no language at all and there are still excellent nannies for babies.

Derech Halev has set strict and clear criteria to the manpower agencies abroad for interviewing and sorting professionally and optimally that caregiver who fits the needs of the employer. The caregivers declare and commit that they know the employer details and the terms of employment. The caregiver that was found compatible must present us and the Israeli embassy the formal and updated documents stating marital status, integrity certificate, medical examinations and work qualifications. The caregiver gets a training, including nursing training in hospitals, basic Hebrew and basic kashruth rules. The caregiver also undergo security and health checkups.

Prior to first conversation, you should make sure with your agency about expectations matching regarding working conditions such as salary, weekly day off time or cost, and so on. Of course, the agent will ensure fit area (read more about areas here) and the employee's seniority plus other restrictions that might affect registration. This will allow a more relaxed conversation at the direct meeting.

Remember both sides are about to live in the same house. While meeting the parties will decide whether and when to start a short trial period, after which they will decide whether to continue together or not.

The caregiver's day off is a full 25h. You may offer him an extra payment for working on that day. You can also address the nursing company and get an Israeli caregiver, enroll to a local seniors club. In case you find a reliever by yourself – please inform and pay The National Security Institute for the additional caregiver in order to cover work accidents.

The employer is required to provide the foreign caregiver with appropriate conditions including food, accommodation and travel. In exceptional cases, a special application can be submitted, and you can obtain advice from our office.

The employer will deposit the monthly wage to the worker's account in Israel, every 9th for the previous month. On the weekend, the worker gets  a day off of 25 hours. If he is asked to stay, he will be paid a minimal extra of NIS 380 per weekend.

Employers who are entitled to the Nursing Law receive financial participation in the caregiver’s salary through a nursing company or directly from the National Security Institution.

The National Insurance Institute will stop the payments in these cases: after over 2 weeks hospitalization, after work termination notice, after the caregiver's visa has expired and has not yet been renewed, in any change in the patient's temporary entitlement.

With seniority the worker accumulates social benefits and therefore at the end of each year he is paid convalescence pay, for holidays that he did not take and so on. At the end of the employment, the employee receives payment for pension and severance pay and advance notice fees, where there is a difference whether the employee left on his own initiative or not.

It is recommended to save about NIS 700 a month in favor of compensation. Those entitled to the Nursing Law receive financial contribution from their nursing company.

You can enter the Kav LaOved calculator and conduct simulations for different situations.

In case of hospitalization, the caregiver will keep on nursing at the hospital. The terms of the employment change according to the circumstances: you have to make sure the caregiver has food (or money for food), transportation fees and accommodation. The caregiver should be released after 8 hours of continuous work, The specific 8 hours of work will be determined by the employer. Note: during long hospitalization (over a month), The Israeli National Security Institute will stop payments.

In case of employing overtime in hospital employer will add extra hours payment.

First step is to give a letter of termination to our office, either resignation or dismissal, and then we can provide the appropriate counseling and guidance. If the parties decide to separate, Derech Halev will help the caregiver to find another employer, and help the employer to receive a new suitable caregiver. The advance notice period depends on the seniority and if you do not give it then you pay for it instead.

Worker has an annual vacation that lasts for 14 days or more, depending on seniority. An employee may accumulate up to 3 years but not beyond that, moreover, the employer is responsible to release the employee to vacation. It is not possible to fulfill the law in financial manner only and there is great importance to the annual leave. Therefore, the vacation must not be conditioned on the worker finding a replacement or paying the replacement. In good working relations, the worker tries to find help, and the employer tries to confirm the requested dates.

You must bring us a photocopy of your card and your employer's approval for your vacation dates, and on this basis we will prepare documents for the “Enter-visa” at the local Ministry of Interior. Filipinos need additional permission from their embassy without which they will not be allowed to return to Israel.

At present, it is possible to register a reliever only when your caregiver takes Enter visa for a homeland vacation. In order to register the reliever for the specific patient, the parties need to sign some new placement documents. Derechalev office will assist and perform all actions in accordance with immigration requirements including Terms and Conditions Agreement, Insurance, Visa for Replacement, and all required for nursing law eligible. When the exchange actually ends, Derechalev must be notified to return to normal.

If the employer wants to take his caregiver on vacation abroad, we will act as we do for entry visa. but before that, the employer must inquire at the consulate of the vacation state about their demands from the foreign caregiver, some countries have no problem, but there are countries that raise difficulties and demands.

It is important to note that an employer's vacation is not an employee's vacation, but a regular work period. And if the employer decides to leave without the caregiver, he must pay the monthly salary as usual and allow him to stay at home or pay residents expenses.

The process of renewal of the caregiver’s visa will be carried out through Derech Halev. A few weeks before the end of the visa you will be asked to sign a renewal form, to ensure that the permit and medical insurance are valid, that the caregiver’s passport is valid for over 18 months, and to pay renewal fees for an additional year. Derech Halev will take care of the request and be in contact with the caregiver to inform him his cisa is ready in our office. coordinate when he should come with his passport to pass the visa.

An employer who’s caregiver is in Israel over 4 years is required to present a letter from the patient's physician, who recommends  to continue to employ the existing caregiver despite his seniority, since his separation from the patient may cause his condition to deteriorate.

A passport application should be submitted at least 18 months before the date of expiry. The employee shall submit the application at the offices of its embassy in Israel, according to their requirements. This process takes at least 3 months.

The caregiver must supervise his patient for 24 hours and keep alert. Working indoors enables plenty of time to rest, eat, stroll outside and so on. It is necessary to allow the caregiver reasonable time to eat, shower and so on, and he also has 8 consecutive hours of sleep at night. It is not mandatory to give the caregiver an outdoors break, but if there is a possibility, it is recommended to do so.

More than once we have heard and even witnessed caregivers tormenting the helpless. It is important to know that these situations unfortunately occur in reality and therefore we must be alert to the possibility and do everything to prevent it. It is advisable to consult with a home camera installer. It is recommended that a family member conduct surprise inspections at the patient's home, ask a good neighbor to pay attention to the behavior and warn if something unusual appears.

A legal replacement can be registered when the regular caregiver leaves for a home visit. Please check with the office for more details and find out the availability of a replacement. There are other situations in which the caregiver can not provide service to the patient, for example, if the caregiver is on maternity leave /difficult  pregnancy / prolonged illness, etc. It is advisable to refer her to an occupational doctor who will register that she can not work and then refer her to the Ministry of Interior and request that her visa be temporarily changed from a work permit to a tourist visa. Only in this way will the employer's permit be vacated, and it will be possible to register another caregiver for at least the problematic period.

laws treat death as dismissal and therefore theemployee is entitled to severance pay as well as notice fees according to theseniority he has accumulated. In terms of staying at the deceased's home, theemployee is not obligated to stay, but the employer must allow him to live in forat least 7 days while the employee looks for another place to live, without theobligation to work on these seven days.

If the employer asks for the employee's help duringthe “Shiva”  (serving meals, cleaning,cooking, etc.) he must take in consideration that he will be charged separatelyfor this work.

Employer who considers firing his employee mustgive him a detailed written summons for a "pre-dismissal hearing" atleast two days before the hearing, to allow the employee a real opportunity tounderstand the situation, explain himself and try to save his job.

At the end of the hearing, the employee mustget a copy of the hearing protocol. But not the final dismissal announcement. Aftera day or two of thinking, if the decision is to dismiss, a written notice ofdismissal must be given with the date and signature of the employer, and italso should indicate the days of advance notice as required by law.