Why Flip Burgers When You Can Write Code? Israeli Teens Get Tech Summer Jobs
In light of the ongoing talent crunch in the Israeli tech sector, companies are attempting to utilize an untapped resource: their employees’ offspring, with some offering paid internship programs during the 10-week summer vacation
In light of the ongoing talent crunch in the Israeli tech sector, startups and established companies alike are trying to utilize an untapped resource: their employees’ bored teenagers. During the 10-week summer vacation, these companies offer paid internship programs.
A teen participating in Natural Intelligence's summer program. Photo: Yoel Rivelis The program gives teens practical experience in the workforce while providing the company with highly motivated temporary workers, Inbar Barnea, who heads Natural Intelligence’s summer program, said in a recent interview with Calcalist. The teens receive relevant training from a mentor before integrating into various departments including human resources, development, marketing, social media management, and analytics.
Gaya Zucker, 16, entered the program without any tech background and is now working in the quality assurance (QA) department. When she comes in every morning she goes through a bug list, fixing each through the website management platform. Zucker chose this position because many of her friends study computer sciences and show off their coding capabilities whenever they can, she said, adding she could not code at all at the beginning of the summer.
Teens in Tarya's program. Photo: PR Fifteen-year-old Guy Altman, who is also participating in the program, said his parents wanted him to get a summer job, and that he did not want to waste his time scooping ice cream like the rest of his friends. “That would have been boring and unchallenging,” he said.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) investment startup Tarya P2P Ltd. operates a similar program, employing 10 teens as summer workers. The company sees the program as a way to involve its future customers in shaping its product, Liav David, head of operations at Tarya, said in an interview with Calcalist. “Our summer jobs let teens get their first taste of the tech industry while taking into account their unique schedules and letting them enjoy their summer vacation with family and friends,” she said.
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Mor Bar Noy, one of the participants in Kryon’s program, told Calcalist that the experience helped her better understand what her father does at work. “They treated me like any new worker and it gave me a chance to try my hand at a real tech job, she added.
