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I have a couple questions. I normally wouldn't post them in a forum such as this but I couldn't get a reply from the local PC recruiter. 1) The PCV application seems to imply applicants must list every job held over the past 10 years. Does this include unpaid/internship/volunteer work? What about short-term jobs not relevant to the position (for example, working 2 months at Dunkin Donuts in high school)? 2) If an applicant is selected to serve in the Peace Corps but then chooses to pursue another opportunity (for example, a job in the private sector), will this disqualify the applicant in some way if they were to apply again at a later date?
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Jun 13, 2012 23:51
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Suriname is closing down in 2013 too. It looks like the list is Jamaica, Belize, E. Caribbean and Guyana. What I really wanted to talk about was the change in the application process that is taking effect. The medical exam has been moved to after the invitation has been sent out and the invitation has been bumped up by several weeks. It looks like the medical process itself is being overhauled too. It's changing to "A secure online Medical Applicant Portal will replace the paper-based medical kit." with an emphasis on current conditions or conditions that were present in the last two years. It seems like this might make the medical exam a lot less painless but now you have just 30 days to complete it and if anything is wrong you have just another 30 before you leave for staging. There's a FAQ on the PC website http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.howvol.stepstoapply.newappfaq
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Jun 13, 2012 23:57
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hitension posted:I have a couple questions. I normally wouldn't post them in a forum such as this but I couldn't get a reply from the local PC recruiter. 1 - Irrelevant jobs like 2 months at Dunkin Donuts can definitely be left off, but listing volunteer work you've done before will help your application. 2 - Bailing on Peace Corps after they've extended you an offer will not automatically disqualify you from future service, but it does make it a lot less likely that they'll select you again.
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Jun 14, 2012 01:22
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My staging to Benin starts today, and I'll be in West Africa sometime Tuesday. Thanks for this thread guys! The OP can officially put me down as an EA trainee for Benin.
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Jun 24, 2012 06:14
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Slaan posted:My staging to Benin starts today, and I'll be in West Africa sometime Tuesday. Thanks for this thread guys! The OP can officially put me down as an EA trainee for Benin. Done. Good luck!
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Jun 24, 2012 06:18
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4 days in, 4 hours of sleeps so far. We've been doing nothing but paperwork and basic training after landing, but the food and staging group are amazing, to say nothing less of the PC staff. My post is one of the few allowed to ride motorcycles(as taxis).  Oh, Moon. I'm also doing Masters International in the Public Policy/Health field.
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Jun 28, 2012 15:33
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Wondering if anyone can shed some light on what opportunities exist after Peace Corps? I'm just graduating with a mechanical engineering degree with a three month engineering internship, an eight month engineering internship, a project with Engineers Without Borders revolving around supplying water, and a senior design project revolving around alternative energy completed by the time I'm ready to start. My recruiter says I'm most qualified to teach physics or math to secondary high school students. I'm all for this but I'm just afraid teaching for two and a half years won't make me very competitive for the job market when I graduate. I'm most interested in either alternative energy, environmental conservation, or some sort of international policy. Would teaching with PC be able to push me in any of these directions?
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Jul 4, 2012 14:03
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I can't speak for mechanical engineering, but I can say that I really shot myself in the foot in civil engineering. I had similar experience (a few internships and a year working as a field engineer) before Peace Corps and when I came back I spent 6 months looking for another job in construction before moving states and changing fields. And this is even with me working as an engineer for half my service (I taught in a vocational school the other half). I did hit the perfect storm of unemployment - trying to find work in construction during a recession in Detroit in a field where experience is worth more than anything else including grad school (all of my old contacts said their companies haven't hired in years). You would probably fare better, the economy should be stronger when you leave. From your interests Peace Corps would probably look really good on your resume. If you decide to do it I highly recommend being very aggressive in trying to find work you want to do. For example, you could start a science club with some high school students, or demonstrate building solar ovens, or work with farmers to develop drip-irrigation systems to use less water, or work with local government to get experience in international development, or whatever. Not only that, you need to document your work well so you can "prove" to employers that you weren't just jerking around for two years. PM me if you have any questions. We had a lot of young tech and engineering volunteers in my group.
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Jul 4, 2012 16:05
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I graduated from college in 2011. I did really well academically, but because of that my resume isn't very well rounded (I held a part time job, but that's about it). After I graduated, I worked full-time for a year, and cruised out to SE Asia last month with the intent of traveling for a year. After a couple weeks out there, I realized that I wasn't having a lot of fun. It wasn't necessarily the "culture shock," but rather the fact that I wasn't really achieving anything. Anyways, I'm back home, and I'm trying to figure out the next step in my life. One of the options I've considered is the Peace Corps, as it seems to allow me to experience another culture while at the same time being able to "do" something. Due to a lack of relevant experience on my resume, I'm guessing English teaching is going to be my best bet. It looks like October is going to be the next deadline, and I should be able to meet the volunteer requirement by then. I've got really good references, a great academic background, and I'm a solid interviewer, but will my lack of extensive experience in a relevant field prove to be too much of a burden?
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Aug 8, 2012 22:55
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Slaan posted:4 days in, 4 hours of sleeps so far. We've been doing nothing but paperwork and basic training after landing, but the food and staging group are amazing, to say nothing less of the PC staff. For some small world fun, there is a Korean girl, Cara M. on your deployment to Benin. She is the sister of my girlfriend.
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Aug 9, 2012 00:14
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xcdude24 posted:One of the options I've considered is the Peace Corps, as it seems to allow me to experience another culture while at the same time being able to "do" something. Due to a lack of relevant experience on my resume, I'm guessing English teaching is going to be my best bet. It looks like October is going to be the next deadline, and I should be able to meet the volunteer requirement by then. I've got really good references, a great academic background, and I'm a solid interviewer, but will my lack of extensive experience in a relevant field prove to be too much of a burden? Nope. A lot of us go out straight from college. Don't wait until October though, start your application now! I'm not aware of any yearly application periods; I'm pretty sure when I applied (6 years ago now, fwiw) it was just rolling admissions and they'd stick you in where they could. I'd be a little concerned, though, if I were you (or your recruiter) about your insistence on being able to "do" something. A lot of people in PC end up being frustrated by a lack of results or a seeming inability to affect any change in their communities. A lot of the sense of accomplishment and impact comes from more intangible results that take longer to recognize.
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Aug 9, 2012 05:49
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Has anyone had any progress on their applications since the roll-over to the new system? My medical stuff was received in mid May and now I'm plagued by fears that it will somehow fall through the administrative cracks because they are switching everything over. Irrational, I know, but this is what The Wait does to you. How many months did y'all wait to receive medical clearance or hear back anything? I'm assuming that no news is good news so far.
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Aug 9, 2012 19:17
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Thesaurus posted:Has anyone had any progress on their applications since the roll-over to the new system? I just got an e-mail yesterday asking if I could leave sooner than we had agreed upon. It's the first contact I've had since sending in my medical stuff. So I'm assuming you'll hear something soon.
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Aug 9, 2012 22:29
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Ronald Spiers posted:People also need to take note that a lot of places in Central and S. America have indigenous people who speak an indigenous language that is not an European language. Also Brazil is not a destination for PC. Yeah it was my understanding that most sites in Latin America involve working with native peoples; no matter where you go you're going to be learning a language. I assume the high Spanish requirements are to make sure you can get around in the rest of the country.
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Aug 10, 2012 20:08
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Fuschia tude posted:I assume the high Spanish requirements are to make sure you can get around in the rest of the country. Part of it is also the fact that these countries get a say in what kind of volunteers they want. Some countries don't care if they don't have any base levels of the language, whereas other regions/countries want a certain level of language.
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Aug 24, 2012 08:22
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OmNom posted:For some small world fun, there is a Korean girl, Cara M. on your deployment to Benin. She is the sister of my girlfriend. Yes there is, and she is awesome. For a TEFLer.  Not posted anywhere near me though. I guess there is always the Halloween/Xmas/etc. workstation parties to look forward to!
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Aug 25, 2012 12:54
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So if I'm interpreting the screener correctly, I'm not elegible if I take an anti-convulsant (Lamotrigine)? Lame-sauce.
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Sep 7, 2012 18:34
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So second week in as a PCV in China. I've never been poorer in my life, yet I'm really happy.
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Sep 10, 2012 16:20
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Hi, new guy here! I'm currently in college and I plan on majoring in International Studies (with a second major in Education if time allows). I've always wanted to join the Peace Corps - it seems like just the organization for me. But, I've got a couple questions. First, would you recommend applying to the peace corps immediately upon completion of a Bachelor's degree? I know that serving in the Peace Corps can waive some federal student loans, so I'm wondering if it would be better to apply after graduate school to be able to waive more loans. My current school actually offers Graduate credit while serving in the Peace Corps, so if I stay here for grad school it might work best to do it while in school. Other than that, is there anyway to get a better chance of being put into a certain host country? I would love to serve in Jordan or Morocco - I'm currently taking Arabic and will hopefully be studying in Jordan for a semester before I complete my Bachelor's. Would fluency/near-fluency be an advantage? Common sense tells me yes, but I've heard the Peace Corps is pretty competitive so I'm not sure!
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Sep 13, 2012 05:37
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Peace Corps service can defer Stafford loans but afaik only Perkins loans(and only a portion) can be cancelled due to service. Which, while I'm sure is not the decision of the Peace Corps folks, is a real shame. If a portion of Stafford loans could be cancelled too, I'd jump into Peace Corps in a heartbeat. As it is now, I'm thinking "What is the highest paying job I can work for a year or two to kill off my student loans before I do peace corps". I imagine lots of people feel the same :/
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Sep 13, 2012 13:07
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After about four months of waiting I got a call from the Peace Corps nurse regarding my medical clearance. She was concerned that my wife and I have tuburculosis because of a positive reading on our Quanitferon TB blood test, even though the skin test was negative. Now we need to get a chest x-ray and have the doctor decide whether or not we need treatment... Apparently they are ready to medically clear us if no action is prescribed by the doctor, and if we are put in a course of treatment, we'll need to start it and show some lab tests that our livers are healthy or something, but then they'd let us ship out while finishing the course of treatment. Welp. Our nomination said we were scheduled to leave in January. Any guesses what the chances are that we'll get through this thing without being delayed? The waiting game of joining the Peace Corps can really mess with your mind. It feels like we're never going to get to join, and that we'll forever be stuck in some sort of Kafkaesque limbo. Thesaurus fucked around with this message at 21:01 on Sep 13, 2012 |
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Sep 13, 2012 20:59
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I will be graduating with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and a BA in Economics, I am sending out requests for letters of reference this week. My question is, what kind of jobs do they usually have engineers doing?
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Sep 19, 2012 22:44
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How hard is it to get in with no volunteering experience? I have three good letters of reference but none of them talk about volunteering. I have done a lot of extracurricular activities though, will that be enough?
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Sep 20, 2012 21:23
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I leave for training in kenya in like a week. I applied the summer before my senior year, took me over a year to get in. If you have language training they are more likely to put you in a place that they speak that. However this advantage is slight. You may request a country but that means you are less likely to get a position. Also you maybe just as likely to get in a country that you have nothing to do with. Key words for me so far that may help you: Patience, Flexibility, and Dedication. GLHF raito posted:Hi, new guy here!
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Sep 21, 2012 05:53
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Thesaurus posted:After about four months of waiting I got a call from the Peace Corps nurse regarding my medical clearance. She was concerned that my wife and I have tuburculosis because of a positive reading on our Quanitferon TB blood test, even though the skin test was negative. Now we need to get a chest x-ray and have the doctor decide whether or not we need treatment... You've still got some time if you can jump through those medical hoops for them with any speed. After medical clearance there's really nothing left except getting your invitation. Edit: which my wife and I got just before Christmas and then deployed at the end of January.
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Sep 24, 2012 16:24
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It might be worth noting in the OP that you cannot join if you've ever been part of the intelligence community, and if you've ever served in the peace corps it can disqualify you from obtaining a security clearance.
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Sep 28, 2012 03:04
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Full Battle Rattle posted:It might be worth noting in the OP that you cannot join if you've ever been part of the intelligence community, and if you've ever served in the peace corps it can disqualify you from obtaining a security clearance. I think you may be a bit mistaken on the latter. As i understand it, being an RPCV wont preclude you from a clearance any more than another stint abroad might. However, the intelligence community has an understanding with PC where they will not hire RPCVs for something like 10 years post-service in order to keep PC free of suspicion.
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Sep 28, 2012 08:23
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I think its an actual law where PC will not ever take anyone who has had intelligence training and the various alphabet soup bureaus are legally required to wait 5 years before recruiting RPCVs. Though I believe its often a longer wait due to said understanding. vvv Yeah, I think its the "unless they really want you" deal. Though I wouldn't doubt if the CIA had a special 10 year limit as it does all of the out-of-country shenanigans. e: Also, two weeks into actual volunteer life in village. Accomplishments: Day 1: Local gendarme (police) got me and my close mate wasted for free Day 4: Food poisoning Day 5: Gendarme got us wasted again Day 13: Got some local clothes made. Yay West African tissu! Day 16: Volunteer party I sure hope I can start actual work soon because all the welcome-to-village parties are going to rupture my liver. Slaan fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Sep 28, 2012 |
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Sep 28, 2012 15:38
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Intelligence first, then PC is most definitely a no-no. I wasn't disputing him on that. But yeah, I think it *may* vary from agency to agency insofar as how long they will wait before you're allowed to work, I've heard 5 but I'm somewhat certain I've heard 10 for others. Maybe it's "5 required, 10 unless they really want you."
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Sep 28, 2012 15:54
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If a departure date has been posted on peacecorpswiki.com for 2013, does that mean that cohort is complete and I won't be in it if I haven't been medically cleared yet? Or are they "rolling admissions" style? I should be cleared this week, but I hope I haven't missed the boat for any country we were nominated for. Our Peace Corps nurse also told us the other week that Placement contacted her wondering when we would be cleared... In related news, I get to start a nine month course of antibiotics for latent TB! Awesome.
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Oct 7, 2012 18:22
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Full Battle Rattle posted:if you've ever served in the peace corps it can disqualify you from obtaining a security clearance. Also, there's PC staff with security clearances.
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Oct 7, 2012 19:04
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Medically cleared! I took five months, redone tests, various confusions, and as noted above, nine months of antibiotics to start taking for TB... but god drat does it feel good.
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Oct 10, 2012 18:00
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CronoGamer posted:Intelligence first, then PC is most definitely a no-no. I wasn't disputing him on that. But yeah, I think it *may* vary from agency to agency insofar as how long they will wait before you're allowed to work, I've heard 5 but I'm somewhat certain I've heard 10 for others. Maybe it's "5 required, 10 unless they really want you." But you all must understand that the intelligence agencies are not the organizations that created that policy. It is the peace.corps whom do not want to be accused to having volunteers as a CIA cover as the organization has been accused of heavily in the cold war era.
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Oct 11, 2012 02:37
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Thesaurus posted:Medically cleared! I took five months, redone tests, various confusions, and as noted above, nine months of antibiotics to start taking for TB... but god drat does it feel good. Congrats! Hopefully you'll be able to leave relatively soon.
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Oct 11, 2012 08:03
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Winna posted:But you all must understand that the intelligence agencies are not the organizations that created that policy. It is the peace.corps whom do not want to be accused to having volunteers as a CIA cover as the organization has been accused of heavily in the cold war era. ...yeah? I don't think that anybody was saying anything different. It's not like the CIA would NOT want to recruit volunteers, who have a more intimate understanding of life in their host country than most Americans would. But the CIA has those restrictions in place to keep them well separated and to keep from making life difficult for the Peace Corps.
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Oct 14, 2012 09:14
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Thesaurus posted:If a departure date has been posted on peacecorpswiki.com for 2013, does that mean that cohort is complete and I won't be in it if I haven't been medically cleared yet? Or are they "rolling admissions" style? Congrats on medical clearance. If you're headed to a malarial zone you'd be taking antibiotics (doxycycline) daily anyway. Departure dates on the peacecorpswiki are for whoever is going and are scheduled at least a year before the country finds out how many volunteers they'll be getting. Be sure to check out the discounts page on the peacecorpswiki and apply for the pro deals once you get your invite. There are some big savings to be had.
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Oct 14, 2012 19:30
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How much leverage do volunteers have in pushing for a certain location? I speak good intermediate Spanish and I'd really love a site that would let me turn that into perfect Spanish; I'm an English major and I want to teach English to Spanish speakers, but I've done enough research to know that 1) that's a pretty small percentage of sites, 2) okay Spanish isn't that special of a skill, and 3) they kinda send you wherever anyway. Plus it goes against their whole "flexibility" mantra and makes me seem like a huge diva if I out and out say I have "conditions." How much progress do volunteers tend to make with their languages after their initial training and in the two years? I'd be really scared of feeling linguistically stranded if I get sent to, like, China or Kazakhstan. Bugs, strangers, kids, physical labor - no problem. Fat Lowtax fucked around with this message at 05:01 on Oct 15, 2012 |
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Oct 15, 2012 04:54
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the shill posted:Departure dates on the peacecorpswiki are for whoever is going and are scheduled at least a year before the country finds out how many volunteers they'll be getting. I'm afraid I don't understand what you mean by "a year". The departure dates I see are those that pop up after people receive their invite letters and then report that on the site. So dates and locations for Jan/Feb/March 2013 have started populating in recent weeks. They seem to appear on the site 2-6 months before the scheduled leave date. What I meant to ask is this: If Johnny down the street receives his invitation letter for Ecuador in January, and I have not received one yet, does that mean I can kiss Ecuador in January goodbye, or that I might still get that same invite in the near future? Since I'm nominated for Latin America in January, I'm wondering whether I'm still on track for that, or whether it took me too long to get medically cleared or something. quote:How much leverage do volunteers have in pushing for a certain location? I speak good intermediate Spanish and I'd really love a site that would let me turn that into perfect Spanish; I'm an English major and I want to teach English to Spanish speakers, but I've done enough research to know that 1) that's a pretty small percentage of sites, 2) okay Spanish isn't that special of a skill, and 3) they kinda send you wherever anyway. Plus it goes against their whole "flexibility" mantra and makes me seem like a huge diva if I out and out say I have "conditions." I can only speak on my own experience as someone who got nominated for the region he wanted (not that you're guaranteed to go where you're nominated), but my recruiter was fairly flexible. My wife and I expressed strongly that we were willing to go anywhere and do anything. The recruiter asked if we have any particular regions of interest. We again reiterated our flexibility, but said that if it's all the same to her, we'd love to go to a Spanish speaking country. Lo and behold, she got back to us and said there was an opening for people of our skill set for Latin America. (She also offered us a nomination for North Africa/Middle-east, which was tempting.) If you really want to join the Peace Corps, I would go in there swearing that you are completely flexible, but at the same time expressing interest in a Spanish speaking assignment. If it sounds like you have "conditions," you might raise some alarms. Our recruiter was gleeful when we said we're "flexible," because she said that is one of the most important traits for PCVs. If you secretly do have conditions, you could always push through until you're invited and try to hold out for the region you want. Note: you're not guaranteed more than one offer. Thesaurus fucked around with this message at 16:32 on Oct 15, 2012 |
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Oct 15, 2012 16:30
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Thesaurus posted:
I got my invitation for a January 29th departure at the end of October. I think it may actually have been on Halloween. But when I talked to people in-country, I discovered that I was one of the earlier invitees; some of my friends didn't get their letters until nearly Thanksgiving. So I think it's safe to say 3-4 weeks? Now, we were group 1 for our country so things may have operated a little more differently, but I would give it at least a month before you write it off entirely.
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Oct 15, 2012 17:56
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bow chicka wow wow posted:How much leverage do volunteers have in pushing for a certain location? I speak good intermediate Spanish and I'd really love a site that would let me turn that into perfect Spanish; I'm an English major and I want to teach English to Spanish speakers, but I've done enough research to know that 1) that's a pretty small percentage of sites, 2) okay Spanish isn't that special of a skill, and 3) they kinda send you wherever anyway. Plus it goes against their whole "flexibility" mantra and makes me seem like a huge diva if I out and out say I have "conditions." Spanish is probably a bit harder to get into than other languages just because so many of us Americans speak it as well. But as long as you make it clear you are already quite knowledgeable in Spanish but are willing to go to other places, you have a good chance of going to a Spanish speaking country. A lot of it is due to the fact we get placed in rural areas where the local language predominates; the PC wants to teach you the local language as quickly as possible, because that is what you will use at post. At least from my experience in West Africa. But don't worry about the language training. They are very, very good at teaching you languages. My French teachers here were a local Princess-lawyer and a Prince-NGO director who had been doing this for 10+ years. Between the extremely well-educated teachers and the constant immersion almost nobody has troubles picking up languages. It would likely be different in a place like Kazakhstan with non-Romantic languages, but those places probably have 4 months of training rather than 2.5 months like I did. Also, one month at post down. 23 to go!  Also, 40 pounds lost over 4 months... Most of it do to parasites I think.
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Oct 16, 2012 10:13
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