Ulpan in Tel Aviv: free Hebrew for new citizens, and what everyone else pays

You can get by in Tel Aviv on English for a surprisingly long time. Then a letter arrives from Bituach Leumi, or the school WhatsApp group kicks off, and you wish you'd started ulpan in your first month.

The short version

• An ulpan is an intensive Hebrew course. New immigrants get five months of free, full-time ulpan, typically five hours a day, five days a week, or about 420 to 450 hours [1].
• New citizens can also get a voucher for a private ulpan, which is refunded in two instalments; from two to ten years after aliyah there's a ₪200 (about £46) copay [1].
• Ulpan Gordon, Tel Aviv's big municipal ulpan, also runs paid courses for anyone. A five-month evening course costs somewhere around ₪3,400 (about £790), going by a charity's 2026 listing; Ulpan Gordon doesn't publish its fees online [2].
• Children in years 1 to 12 at Israeli schools get ulpan hours at school [3].
• Hebrew has its own alphabet and reads right to left, so budget real time for it, not a few minutes on an app at the bus stop.

Pound conversions use the Bank of England spot rate of 5 November 2026 (£1 = ILS 4.3162).

Your options at a glance

Free ulpan for new citizens

If you've made aliyah, Hebrew lessons are part of the deal [6]. Nefesh B'Nefesh says olim get five months of free, intensive public ulpan from the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, and that classes are generally five hours a day, five days a week, for a total of about 420 to 450 hours [1]. You register through the ministry, usually at the appointment you book after arrival to sort out your absorption basket [3]. Some municipalities run their own classes as well [1].

That's a proper full-time commitment, roughly the same as a school day. Many British olim time their first job hunt around it, or pick an evening class so they can work.

Vouchers for a private ulpan

If the public ulpan doesn't suit you, or you want more, the ministry pays for private courses on its approved list [1]:

1. Get the ministry's approval and voucher first.
2. Register with an approved ulpan and hand over the voucher.
3. Pay only once you've had written confirmation of your place.
4. Send the ministry your documents and get your money back in two instalments, before the deadline.

In your first two years after aliyah, you can ask for a private voucher once you've successfully finished a public ulpan [1]. Between two and ten years after aliyah you don't need to have done a public ulpan first, but there's a non-refundable ₪200 copay, paid to the ulpan [1]. Check with your ministry coordinator before you commit, because not every course is covered [1].

Online

Hebrewbyte is an online, self-paced ulpan that the ministry subsidises for eligible olim and aliyah candidates, for a nominal ₪50 [1]. You can do it at the same time as a public or private ulpan [1], which is handy if you want to start before you've even landed.

Ulpan Gordon: Tel Aviv's municipal ulpan

The name you'll hear most in Tel Aviv is Ulpan Gordon, at 7 Lassalle Street. It's Israel's largest municipal Hebrew school, run by Tel Aviv-Yafo Municipality and the Ministry of Education, and has been going for more than 30 years [2]. The Ministry of Education's adult education division supervises it [4].

How it works:

• Levels: Alef (beginners) up to Hey, with classes for pensioners too [4][5].
• Timetable: morning, noon and evening classes, between 8 and 25 hours a week [4]. Morning voucher courses typically run from about 8.30am to 1pm, and evening classes from about 5.15pm or 5.30pm to just before 9pm, two or three evenings a week [5].
• Placement test: held once a week all year [4]. Beginners don't need one [2].
• Two kinds of course: "voucher" classes for olim and "payment" classes for everyone else [5].

On price, Ulpan Gordon doesn't publish fees on its own site. A charity's listing for the 2026–27 intake put a five-month evening course at around ₪3,400 (about £790), plus a small one-off registration fee and the textbook [2], so ask the ulpan for its current price when you book [4]. The Israeli Association for International Couples has negotiated 25% off for partners of Israelis going through the partner visa process, which brings it to roughly ₪2,570 (about £595) [2].

If you're in Tel Aviv on a B/1 work visa, this is probably your best bet: evening classes fit round a working week and you'll be in a room of people at your level, from all over the world.

How much Hebrew do you actually need?

Honestly? Less than in Paris or Berlin to get through a normal day, and more than you'd think to feel at home.

Where English will do. Tel Aviv's tech companies, many cafés and bars, and plenty of doctors work happily in English. Lots of Israelis have spent time abroad and enjoy practising on you.

Where it won't. The official side of life runs in Hebrew: letters from Bituach Leumi and the tax office, arnona bills, the health fund's app, school notices and the small print on a lease. Government websites often have English pages, but they aren't always complete. Supermarket labels and street signs mix Hebrew, English and Arabic, but menus outside the centre may not.

The hard bits for Brits. Hebrew is usually written without vowels, so you learn to read words by recognising them, much like spotting a mate's handwriting. Israelis also speak fast and directly, which can feel blunt if you're used to "sorry to bother you, but".

A sensible target for most Brits is to reach the end of Bet (the second level) in your first year. That gets you through shopping, small talk, a doctor's appointment and most text messages from the council, and it makes everything else less of a faff.

Children and Hebrew

Children usually pick up Hebrew faster than their parents. Nefesh B'Nefesh notes that pupils in years 1 to 12 are entitled to ulpan hours at their school [3], and the city's education department handles registration. Our guide to schools in Tel Aviv covers the choice between Israeli schools and international ones.

Getting a head start in the UK

You can start before you go. Some UK synagogues and Jewish community organisations run Hebrew classes, mostly aimed at reading for prayer rather than everyday speech, so ask for conversational Hebrew (Ivrit) specifically. Online classes and apps can teach you the alphabet in a few weeks, which makes your first ulpan lessons far less daunting.

If you're unsure which course fits, ask in our community group for Brits in Israel: plenty of members have done the full five months and can tell you which classes suited them.

Sources

1. Nefesh B'Nefesh: Ulpan and Hebrew learning resources (last updated 28 October 2025)
2. Israeli Association for International Couples: Hebrew courses at Ulpan Gordon (courses from October and November 2026)
3. Nefesh B'Nefesh: Your first steps after making aliyah (last updated 24 August 2026)
4. Ulpan Gordon: home page (last modified 10 August 2025)
5. Ulpan Gordon: Course list (checked 7 November 2026)
6. Nefesh B'Nefesh: Learning Hebrew and ulpan

Keep reading

• Aliyah for British Jews: the Law of Return and the first year
• Teudat zehut, Bituach Leumi and your first month in Israel
• Schools in Tel Aviv: British and international schools
• The emotional move