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Miss Fats posted:I haven't done the interview yet, but legend has it that these are generally the questions asked verbatim: That is perfect, thank you! Now to go prepare some answers.
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Sep 23, 2010 18:24
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Shjade posted:That is perfect, thank you! Now to go prepare some answers. Yeah I was asked this word for word, but don't really think too hard about it. You don't wanna come off as scripted, it's very casual for a job interview, and sometimes youre gonna be asked to clarify something you said. Get a general idea for what youre going to say but DON'T write a script.
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Sep 24, 2010 06:21
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RagnarokAngel posted:Yeah I was asked this word for word, but don't really think too hard about it. You don't wanna come off as scripted, it's very casual for a job interview, and sometimes youre gonna be asked to clarify something you said. Get a general idea for what youre going to say but DON'T write a script. Yeah, in my experience, the first half is like that, and the second half is more friend-to-friend.
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Sep 25, 2010 07:52
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CronoGamer posted:Most likely, the fact that we were the first group in the country ever. It was a cool experience and we were treated pretty nicely, not to mention the ratio of staff to volunteers was something amazing like 1:2. I saw that very few people have served in Cambodia, so I figure it was a pretty small, tight group. Sounds like it was great. Going through the survey really shows how each assignment is unique, not just in terms of the country and environment but also in how the program is run and the group dynamics of the volunteers there.
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Sep 25, 2010 23:07
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I might have to have a corneal transplant in the next couple years, before I might go into the Peace Corps. What are the Peace Corps' rules surrounding something like that?
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Sep 26, 2010 03:56
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Must Love Dogs posted:I might have to have a corneal transplant in the next couple years, before I might go into the Peace Corps. What are the Peace Corps' rules surrounding something like that? I believe if you're getting it before then there's a 6 month period after surgery to see if any complications arise. If they dont you should be OK.
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Sep 26, 2010 11:32
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I've been waffling back and forth about applying to the Peace Corps. Most of that was uncertainty of what my end-goal was for myself professionally and educationally. I wasn't sure if teaching English (since I don't qualify for doing something like health education, which is something I would love more than anything else) would help propel me down the right path. I know it's more about cultural exchange and not necessarily professional advancement (in terms of gaining new skills/qualifications), but you know. Anyway, I filled out as much of the online application as possible several weeks ago. I figured I'd let that sit for a little while before I went through the trouble of getting references and doing the medical stuff. Plus I need to sit on the whole "do you really want to do this" stuff. Then I read through a lot of this thread and had the random gumption to check on my application, to refresh my mind on what all I had left to do. Turns out they cleared my account from their system.  I wonder if this is a sign.
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Sep 27, 2010 00:15
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It's a sign to start again! Don't let it get you down. I am 8 months into my Peace Corp's app process and getting the last bit of medical stuff checked out soon. Hopefully I will make the June mark of my nomination.
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Sep 27, 2010 07:35
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Health Education isnt all that hard to qualify for if that's what you want to do. Theres technically two kinds, according to the peace corps site: Health Extension 3-6 months volunteer or work experience in health care, such as EMT, CPR, or first aid certification; hospital or clinic work; HIV/AIDS or family planning education or counseling; or lab tech experience Hygiene Education/Sanitation At least 3 months of experience in hands-on skilled work, such as mechanical repair, construction, carpentry, or set design Neither of these seems hard to get volunteer work for, especially health extension. Talk to a recruiter for advice don't be afraid. As for the recommendations, send the application now, and get the recommendations later. Although you need recommendations to get an interview it specifically tells you not to wait. Finally if you're not sure, just do it anyway. You can back out at any time if you really want to, and the process takes a year. That's plenty of time to become more firm in your convictions, or say "you know, this really isn't what I want to do". So just apply now.
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Sep 28, 2010 05:59
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I'm filling out an application  I'm feeling burned out from college and just want to do something and a friend suggested Peace Corps. I want to take a break from classrooms and figured it wouldn't hurt to at least try.
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Sep 28, 2010 22:02
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Egad! posted:I'm filling out an application Are you still in college or have you just graduated? If you're still in college, Peace Corps might not be the best way to go. The wait time for getting in is around a year, so if you start now while in classes, you might end up spending several months with nothing to do between college and Peace Corps service, then it's 27 months of Peace Corps service, and if you get back while colleges are already in session, you'll be stuck for several more months. You'll probably end up out of school for over 3 years, which could make it hard to get back in. Peace Corps seems to be more of an after college thing as pretty much ever position requires or suggests that volunteers have a bachelors. It's not impossible to get a position with a just a high school diploma, but you need have a good bit of experience in the field to be a competitive candidate. One good way to stay in college but kind of take a break is to do study abroad. Most study abroad programs understand that students are doing it for the experience and not the academics, so course loads tend to be light. I hated my first two years of college, but then I spent a year "studying" in Sweden. It was great.
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Sep 28, 2010 23:37
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Mu Cow posted:Are you still in college or have you just graduated? If you're still in college, Peace Corps might not be the best way to go. The wait time for getting in is around a year, so if you start now while in classes, you might end up spending several months with nothing to do between college and Peace Corps service, then it's 27 months of Peace Corps service, and if you get back while colleges are already in session, you'll be stuck for several more months. You'll probably end up out of school for over 3 years, which could make it hard to get back in. I'm still in school and I did a study abroad trip this summer. I'm basically at my breaking point when it comes to school, I've been taking classes constantly for the past 5 years. My trip this summer is actually what has sort of prodded me to do something else that isn't school.
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Sep 28, 2010 23:41
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Egad! posted:I'm still in school and I did a study abroad trip this summer. I'm basically at my breaking point when it comes to school, I've been taking classes constantly for the past 5 years. My trip this summer is actually what has sort of prodded me to do something else that isn't school. I spent a semester in Japan. If I did not do that, I would have been burned out. A summer course was a good start, but you should try to earn as much credits as possible while living abroad. This will make for less work to be done back at home in college!
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Sep 29, 2010 01:16
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The only volunteer I ever met who didn't have a college degree had 20+ years of experience in special needs education. I don't think you'll get in without a Bachelor's degree or a lot of relevant work experience.peacecorps.gov posted:Competitive non-degree candidates must have 3–5 years full-time work experience in business, agriculture, construction, information and communication technology, youth development, or nonprofit organizations
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Sep 29, 2010 01:41
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Mu Cow posted:Are you still in college or have you just graduated? If you're still in college, Peace Corps might not be the best way to go. The wait time for getting in is around a year, so if you start now while in classes, you might end up spending several months with nothing to do between college and Peace Corps service, then it's 27 months of Peace Corps service, and if you get back while colleges are already in session, you'll be stuck for several more months. You'll probably end up out of school for over 3 years, which could make it hard to get back in. You can time it right, though. I started applying in June/July '06, between Junior and Senior year of college, and left June '07 right after I graduated. When I got home I just had to kill the summer before starting grad school. All depends on the program, though (education was June-June)
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Sep 29, 2010 02:06
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Egad! posted:I'm still in school and I did a study abroad trip this summer. I'm basically at my breaking point when it comes to school, I've been taking classes constantly for the past 5 years. My trip this summer is actually what has sort of prodded me to do something else that isn't school. Yeah I hate to be the bearer of bad news but peace corps has gotten more intense with qualifications lately because with the bad economy they got a LOT of recent grads flooding in, I got rejected my first time, despite nothing really being wrong. Without a Bachelor's you're really just not going to get past the application process, I'd do what people are saying and try and time it so you can leave shortly after you graduate, this isnt a "take a break from school" thing.
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Sep 30, 2010 10:52
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RagnarokAngel posted:peace corps has gotten more intense with qualifications lately because with the bad economy they got a LOT of recent grads flooding in I've been hearing so many conflicting reports, from "they're so short-handed that they're forgoing some language requirements" to "they're being super picky since the economy is so bad" I'm not sure what to think, but I know I'm totally stressing out. lol
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Sep 30, 2010 14:46
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Pocket DeSade posted:I've been hearing so many conflicting reports, from "they're so short-handed that they're forgoing some language requirements" to "they're being super picky since the economy is so bad" If this really stresses you out then maybe the PC isn't right for you.
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Sep 30, 2010 17:37
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Well not so much stress, as "not sure what to think" I guess. lol I'm like excited about the prospect of maybe going BUT I'm not getting my hopes up BUT I'm preparing to be away for 2 years BUT I'm not quitting my day job, etc. Such a gray area! lol
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Oct 1, 2010 00:33
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Argh, we're all set to get nominated except someone, either at PC or the post office, lost our fingerprint cards that were coming. Our recruiter mailed them out personally today, so hopefully we can have it resolved by next week and get nominated!
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Oct 1, 2010 03:56
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Another Eastern Europe/English nom here. Doin' my med stuff. I have my dentist/eye forms filled out, and I'm getting my doctor forms filled out this coming week, then shipping them all back. I'm doing literacy volunteering on the side, which is really fun/working for my 30 hours. Aaaand my friend is doing the Masters program with International Ag/aiming to go into Africa, if anyone wants me to pass on questions for her.
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Oct 1, 2010 05:14
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Pocket DeSade posted:I've been hearing so many conflicting reports, from "they're so short-handed that they're forgoing some language requirements" to "they're being super picky since the economy is so bad" From what I've gathered, what's happening is there is a huge pool of applicants at the moment, so they've been cutting out the less qualified. Even with the cuts though, it takes time to deal with all the applications, so the wait time for getting an assignment is pretty long. Because of the long wait times, a lot of people are finding other opportunities and dropping out. Basically, because of the surplus of applications, they've ended up with a shortage of volunteers.
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Oct 1, 2010 06:48
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Pocket DeSade posted:I've been hearing so many conflicting reports, from "they're so short-handed that they're forgoing some language requirements" to "they're being super picky since the economy is so bad" I know it sounds contradictory because they actually did wave my language requirement too (I honestly have practically none at all that they were looking for. I took american sign language in high school instead of spanish/french because it was more interesting, and Japanese in college, which I bombed, badly.) But I guess I impressed them by admitting I think I know where I went wrong? Either way not having a Bachelor's is a HUGE difference from some of the other requirements.
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Oct 2, 2010 11:09
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I'll be leaving for Kenya next Tuesday to teach Secondary Science. Any current PCV's or RPCV's have any general advice? Also, I'd be happy to answer any questions about the current application process.
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Oct 5, 2010 23:16
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Did you specifically request Kenya? Africa? Or did you just ask for anywhere?
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Oct 6, 2010 19:49
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Miss Fats posted:Did you specifically request Kenya? Africa? Or did you just ask for anywhere? Going into my interview I knew that I wanted to teach secondary science, but I was indifferent to where. The program was available in either Africa or China and I told my recruiter that I wanted any available assignment that fit a certain departure date. After the interview, I was nominated for Sub-Saharan Africa and rest was determined by the Placement Office. I guess if I wanted, I could have specifically requested China, West Africa, or Sub-Saharan Africa, but I am happy with my placement. Aside from the region and the program, I don't think you can specifically request which country you would to be assigned to.
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Oct 7, 2010 01:12
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I completely forgot about this thread. I am currently serving in Thailand. This place wouldn't be my first pick if I was to apply again.
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Oct 9, 2010 11:08
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Well, my application is now complete. My wife's is missing one reference, her friend's, who is a spacy actress. She might have to ask someone else. Hopefully we'll be sorted here pretty soon!
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Oct 9, 2010 18:31
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stevo9er posted:I completely forgot about this thread. I am currently serving in Thailand. This place wouldn't be my first pick if I was to apply again. Please tell us more! Why wouldn't it be? Did you preference it when you were applying?
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Oct 9, 2010 18:42
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Ok, applications are now totally complete. If the recruiter was telling the truth about the timeline, we should have a nomination in a couple of weeks. Ahhhh so excited!
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Oct 12, 2010 02:47
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Stuntcat posted:Please tell us more! Why wouldn't it be? Did you preference it when you were applying? I'd also like to hear this.
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Oct 12, 2010 04:09
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Stuntcat posted:Please tell us more! Why wouldn't it be? Did you preference it when you were applying? I am curious as well. Also my medical forms were not complete enough. Really hope this doesn't mess me up but im not leaving till march and seems pretty minor.
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Oct 12, 2010 05:26
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RagnarokAngel posted:Also my medical forms were not complete enough. Really hope this doesn't mess me up but im not leaving till march and seems pretty minor. As long as you get it taken care of in short order, it shouldn't effect your application at all.
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Oct 12, 2010 14:23
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RagnarokAngel posted:Also my medical forms were not complete enough. Really hope this doesn't mess me up but im not leaving till march and seems pretty minor. What was wrong with them? I am curious because I am about to send mine in, as soon as I get back one piece of paper from my doc after he signed it. Unfortunately, I have to receive a measles, a polio vaccine booster and a mumps booster... and they have to be a month apart from each other. I did the measles already, will do the polio next month and will do the mumps in December. Luckily, they said I can send everything that I have in now, and fax them poo poo when I get it. Medical stuff has been really really annoying. But, I am almost done!
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Oct 13, 2010 04:03
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Was 3 things, all pretty minor. 1. Tetnus booster, done because school does it. 2. Some kind of urinalysis got missed 3. I had surgery on my arm a year and a half ago, need surgeon's follow up on it.
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Oct 17, 2010 14:56
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stevo9er posted:I completely forgot about this thread. I am currently serving in Thailand. This place wouldn't be my first pick if I was to apply again. Heh, I enjoyed it enough the year I was there (studying in Bangkok), but I didn't have the massive boner for the coutnry that so many other people seem to get. What province are you in? (don't have PM's anymore, but I'd be interested to hear about your experiences. My email is cullen.chad at gmail dot com.
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Oct 17, 2010 15:12
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Gah, I'm debilitatingly afraid of needles, and I haven't had a single vaccine updated since I got the first ones when I was a kid. I have a feeling the next couple of months will hold some sad moments for me.
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Oct 17, 2010 20:30
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Riven posted:Gah, I'm debilitatingly afraid of needles, and I haven't had a single vaccine updated since I got the first ones when I was a kid. I have a feeling the next couple of months will hold some sad moments for me. Yeah. I been poked and prodded so many times. Luckily, I don't bruise easy, so I don't have any track marks.
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Oct 18, 2010 03:06
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Pompous Rhombus posted:Heh, I enjoyed it enough the year I was there (studying in Bangkok), but I didn't have the massive boner for the coutnry that so many other people seem to get. What province are you in? Just an FYI spoiler tags wont stop spam bots, putting the at and dot is sufficient. quote:Gah, I'm debilitatingly afraid of needles, and I haven't had a single vaccine updated since I got the first ones when I was a kid. I have a feeling the next couple of months will hold some sad moments for me. 
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Oct 18, 2010 09:00
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Recruiter finally got back to us and let us know we'll have a nomination by the end of the week!
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Oct 26, 2010 20:28
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