Labour law5 min read10/1/2026

Unpaid Trial Shifts in Israel: When “Training” Is Already Considered Work

An employer cannot turn a mandatory trial shift, orientation, or work preparation into an unpaid test. If a person arrived at the employer’s request and spent time training or performing work-related activities, that time must generally be paid at no less than the applicable minimum rate.

Numbers and facts

•Payment—from the first hour of mandatory trial work
•Up to ₪22.60 per day—travel expense reimbursement for a teenager
•7 days—the deadline for providing a teenager with a document setting out the employment conditions
•8 hours per day and 40 hours per week—the standard limit for a teenager
•3 trial days must be paid even if the employee was not hired

What the Shift Is Called Does Not Change Anything

Phrases such as “we’ll see whether you are suitable,” “first you need to learn,” or “this is only a trial” do not in themselves exempt the employer from payment. The Israel Employment Service explicitly states that a teenager’s entire period of employment, including training and the probationary period, must be paid from the first hour. A general explainer from the Kol Zchut project also clarifies that an employee accepted for a three-day probationary period is entitled to wages for all three days, even if the employee was not hired afterward. This is based on the principle of the Minimum Wage Law: actual work without pay violates it.

Training, Orientation, and Waiting May Also Be Working Time

Payment is required not only for serving customers or working at the cash register. The Ministry of Labor separately classifies preparatory days, professional development, and work meetings as paid time, including training before working at a summer camp. If the employer required a person to arrive at a specified time, the period of mandatory presence may count even when there were no customers or the employee had not yet been given an independent task. A typical mistake is agreeing to observe an experienced employee, prepare the workplace, or undergo mandatory orientation without pay, based on the assumption that wages begin only with the first independent shift.

What Will Matter in a Dispute

The key question is what actually happened, not how the meeting was described in correspondence. Relevant factors include the employer’s requirement to appear, the duration of the person’s presence, the supervisor’s instructions, the tasks performed, and preparation for future shifts. For teenagers, the employer’s obligation to keep an accurate record of working time is expressly established in the Ministry of Labor’s official guide; workers themselves are also advised to record dates and hours separately. The absence of a time sheet does not make the hours unpaid, but it may turn the dispute into a question of evidence.

How to Document the Hours of a Trial Shift

Keep the job advertisement, correspondence about the arrival time, address, and content of the training, as well as messages sent after the shift. Immediately record the arrival and departure times, the supervisor’s name, the tasks performed, breaks, and the names of people who saw you. It is useful to ask the employer in writing about the rate and, after the shift, send a neutral message stating the number of hours worked. The employer must provide a teenager with a document setting out the employment conditions within 7 days after work begins, but the absence of such a document does not cancel the right to payment.

Where to Turn if the Money Does Not Arrive

You can first send the employer a written demand stating the date, hours, and nature of the training or work, and ask for them to be included in the wage calculation. If a violation of labor law is suspected, a complaint may be filed through the Ministry of Labor’s online form, including anonymously. It is important to distinguish enforcement from recovery: a complaint initiates an investigation into the violation, while an individual claim for wage payment is handled, if necessary, by a labor court. Teenagers may also be entitled to reimbursement of travel expenses in addition to wages—up to 22.60 shekels per working day, where the relevant entitlement exists.

FAQ

Must I be paid if I only observed an employee during the trial shift?

If your presence was mandatory and you came at the employer’s request to learn the job, that time cannot automatically be declared unpaid. In a dispute, the correspondence, the duration of your presence, and the instructions or tasks you received will be important.

Is orientation before the first shift paid?

Yes. Mandatory orientation, a preparatory day, training, or a work meeting must be paid. For teenagers, the Ministry of Labor explicitly states that payment is required for every such hour.

What should I do if the employer says I was not suitable and therefore will not be paid?

A decision not to continue the employment relationship does not cancel payment for a probationary period already completed. Send a written demand stating the dates and hours, attach the correspondence, and keep a copy of the request.

Can I complain anonymously?

Yes. The Ministry of Labor allows reports of suspected labor law violations to be submitted through an online form, including anonymously. However, personally recovering a specific amount may require a separate demand to the employer and, in the event of a dispute, an application to a labor court.

Must the employer count time when there was no actual work?

If you had already arrived at the workplace at the employer’s request and were required to remain there, the absence of customers or tasks does not necessarily exclude payment. Document the waiting time and the reason you could not leave.

What to do next

Before a trial shift, ask about the rate in writing and confirm that the training will be paid. Afterward, keep the correspondence, record the hours, and request a written calculation; if payment is refused, you can file a complaint with the Ministry of Labor and determine the procedure for recovering wages in light of the circumstances of the specific case.

Sources

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