Israeli Kindergarten Assistants Earn Between NIS 7,200 and NIS 10,800
An entry-level kindergarten assistant in Israel earns a gross base salary of NIS 7,200 per month for a full-time position, which amounts to 42 hours per week. With a full attendance incentive, this figure rises to approximately NIS 7,800. These salary details are stipulated in the collective agreement for educational assistants, effective from August 2023 until the end of 2027. The employing body is the local authority, not the Ministry of Education, which accounts for differences in employment terms compared to kindergarten teachers.
The agreement outlines three starting salary tiers. Assistants in regular kindergartens begin at NIS 7,200. Those in special education start higher at NIS 8,000. Surprisingly, personal assistants who work with individual children with special needs in regular kindergartens start at NIS 7,000, the lowest tier, despite the intensive nature of their work which can include basic medical care. This disparity is likely linked to funding sources rather than job content.
Salary progression is based on three components: professional level, seniority, and an attendance incentive. Advancing through professional levels, each adding NIS 400, requires a combination of tenure and training hours. Reaching the highest professional level, Level 4, necessitates approximately 12 years of work and 760 hours of training. Seniority adds NIS 50 per year, capping at NIS 500 after a decade. The attendance incentive provides an additional NIS 600 monthly but is not considered part of the base salary for severance pay calculations.
With 12 years of experience and at the highest professional level, a special education assistant can earn a gross salary of NIS 10,200, or NIS 10,800 with the attendance incentive. A regular kindergarten assistant at the top tier with 12 years of seniority earns NIS 9,400, or NIS 10,000 with the incentive. Compared to 2021, when a similarly experienced assistant earned around NIS 6,545, there has been a significant increase. However, the average salary for a salaried employee in Israel as of June was NIS 15,218, indicating that even experienced assistants remain below the national average.
Looking ahead, the collective agreement includes a reduction in the full-time work week from 42 to 39 hours starting in September 2027. The current agreement expires at the end of 2027, requiring a new negotiation. Notably, the new collective agreement for local authority employees signed in July 2026 does not apply to these assistants, who remain under their current agreement until its expiration.
