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Missed the new thread. You can add me to the OP, I'm RPCV Bulgaria '06-08 / PCV China '08-10. I also really disagree with the "DON’T JOIN PEACE CORPS IF YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE OR SAVE THE WORLD. YOU WILL NOT." bit in the OP. Obviously you're not going to directly affect world politics, but if you don't think about or aren't trying to improve the situation of people at your site then you're a waste of resources and shouldn't be in PC in the first place. It's great that PCVs get a lot of benefits as far as applying to grad school and health insurance go, but if that's all you want and don't really care about helping people beyond doing the bare minimum of your assignment then that's pretty selfish. To anyone reading this that is thinking about joining Peace Corps to do something useful with your life, then don't let bitter and negative accounts scare you off. It is absolutely possible for a person to 'make a difference' so long as they have perspective on what is possible at their site - just be aware that it often requires a LOT of work on your part.
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Oct 18, 2009 07:23
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MadcapViking posted:'Sup there, Bulgaria-buddy? Whereabouts were you stationed? B18, B19 or B20? Yo dude, B19 in Targovishte, we actually met during our MST outside the Rila Hotel. I was the resource volunteer for Kyustendil. Evil Adam posted:I think the most important thing to get across to people considering joining isn't whether you can or can't affect change. Instead, they should understand that it's a total game of chance. Maybe you'll be put in a position where you can help, and maybe you'll have the most frustrating two years of your life for nothing, banging your head against a wall. I disagree with this idea that there are some sites where absolutely nothing productive can be done. Yes, some people get very rough assignments and they will likely deal with lots of failed projects due to one thing or another, but any volunteer who works at it will be able to do something. The most important thing for new volunteers is to go into it without any expectations for the kind of work they'll be doing, because sticking to pre-conceived expectations about what PCVs do is what leads to banging your head on a wall for 2 years. A PCV's goals should be set at their site once they actually know what resources are available and what is and isn't possible. The amount of what you're able to do depends on your site, but whether or not you make any difference at all entirely depends on you. Evil Adam posted:I don't think there's any real disagreement here, but for clarification: Maybe I was over the top in some posts, but I meant that you shouldn't expect to help people. It's best to have low expectations and work against those than to go into your site expecting to change everything and become totally disillusioned after you start to hit walls. I helped a few people here and there, and one student quite a bit, but if my goal were to make all 500 kids in my class fluent in English I would have had an aneurysm when I got there. I think our views are actually pretty similar, it's just that the way the thread starts seems to overemphasize bitterness and frustration - which are of course a big part of Peace Corps, but I think the positive things volunteers can do far outweigh those. Any teacher will tell you that personally ensuring all 500 of those students become fluent English speakers in 2 years is impossible - but did you honestly expect that that was what you were going to do? Would anyone joining the Peace Corps expect that? I think expecting to help as many kids as you could would be reasonable, and if you were able to really help a few motivated students then it was worth it.
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Oct 19, 2009 03:05
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Omits-Bagels posted:I have a question: What did you all go into after your PC service? If you're still in/applying, what do you plan on doing? I'm applying to graduate schools for International Relations now, and it seems like lots of PCVs wind up doing the same thing. Evil Adam posted:Masters program in Conflict Resolution at Georgetown. I applied while I was in Madagascar so there wouldn't be too much downtime. So, applied June-December 2008, got back in March (evacuated), hung around/working, school started in September. One of my buddies from PC China must be in your cohort, he started conflict resolution this year. How are you liking Georgetown? Is your PC experience relevant in your classes?
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Oct 19, 2009 06:47
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Evil Adam posted:Is his name also a Greek letter? Haha yeah, that's him. If you weren't sure who it was I was going to reference inappropriate freak dancing at clubs. I imagine the hardest thing to get used to is the pace of grad school. I grade a few hundred papers a week in China, but I haven't had to produce academic writing myself in years.
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Oct 19, 2009 08:56
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Moon Slayer posted:Gonna add all that to the OP, if that's ok with you, reddeh. The last thread always get a lot of CS majors wondering what they would do in Peace Corps. Maybe you could also change the bit where it says YOU WILL NOT MAKE A DIFFERENCE TO ANYONE because I think reddeh's service is a great example of making a difference in the lives of the kids in his village. Also after 4 long years in the Peace Corps in two countries I feel pretty confident in saying most people manage to do the same, more or less. I mean seriously, the whole 'Why join Peace Corps' bit just shits all over the idea of actually, you know, wanting to help people. I've known lots of volunteers that were motivated by philanthropic spirit, or a sense of pride in serving their country/the world. If you just want to go 'herp derp got to see the world and get drunk on the government's dime, now off to grad school l8r 3rd world bitches' without caring about your job or helping the people at your site then that's hilariously selfish. And yes, there are sites where volunteers have to be moved due to safety and security concerns but barring that I still say a motivated volunteer could be productive on at least a small scale anywhere.
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Oct 27, 2009 11:50
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Thanks MS, I think that section presents it well. Halloween in China was insane, I didn't expect it to be big here but there were people in costume all over my city. I guess the PCVs teaching American culture the last 18 years did their jobs pretty well 
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Nov 1, 2009 02:12
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Aggro Craig posted:To all the other PCVs, are any of you active with the VAC or SPA in your post? I'm on both committees, and am curious as to how they work at other posts. (VAC = Volunteer Advisory Council; sort of like Peace Corps student government. SPA = Small Projects Assistance; small grants from U.S.A.I.D. coordinated through PCVs.) We had a SPA committee in Bulgaria and it seemed like their job was to obstruct others' projects as much as possible because there wasn't enough money to go around. China doesn't have SPA, because we're not really supposed to do much for development. Both places have VAC, which is known as the PCV Pity Party. The student government analogy is apt - they most notable thing I recall them doing in Bulgaria was organizing a PCV 'prom'. The useful volunteer organizations were ATIP (Anti-Trafficking in Persons) in Bulgaria, Camp GLOW (Girls Leading Our World) and WID/GAD (Women in Development, Gender and Diversity) in both. I'm on WID/GAD in China, and we maintain a website with lesson plans and other resources for volunteers to do Women's Development projects, gender issues, and HIV/AIDS awareness. There's also a newsletter sent out every month with notifications about events, potential funding opportunities, etc. NOTAVIRUS.jpg.exe posted:I doubt that anyone will be able to answer this but does anyone have any experience going from the Peace Corps to a top business school like HBS/Wharton/Stanford? I've heard mixed responses ranging from "They'll look at it as you sitting on your rear end for 2 years and being a hippie" to "They'll absolutely love it!". I feel like it would look really good as far as leadership experience goes and it would definitely make you stand out, but you do lose 2 years of financial experience. Is it probably just a better idea to do the two years, work for another few, and then apply? I have one RPCV friend who got into HBS and another who is applying to top business schools this year. What I've heard is that they love it if you were a very active volunteer and accomplish a lot at your site. Even if you're youth development or teaching English, if you write grants and head up projects and keep busy it shows you can succeed in any situation.
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Dec 6, 2009 15:45
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Thesaurus posted:Does anyone have experience with joining the Peace Corps with a spouse? I'm not married (yet), but I will be by the time I join. I understand that you need to have been married for 12 months before being stationed. Is it a lot harder to get placed? Will it hurt if both of us are equally qualified/skilled? Someone suggested that it helps if you could do different jobs, because they might only have one type of position per location. I haven't heard that 1 year rule before. You'll be less likely to go to some countries because they have less sites that have more than one volunteer position. In Bulgaria there were only a few cities that had more than one volunteer, and usually couples didn't teach at the same school. China, on the other hand, has 2 or more volunteers in almost every city, and many people have a sitemate at the same school. Regarding teaching at a university - no one taught beyond the high school level in Bulgaria. In China, volunteers only teach at universities. From what I've heard from other transfers here, a few volunteers in African countries taught at universities, or at least taught adults, but that was rare. I would think your best bet to be placed together and teach at a university would be in China. Cadmiel fucked around with this message at 14:27 on Dec 12, 2009 |
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Dec 12, 2009 14:25
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They tried to increase the qualification standards with my group in 2008 by only accepting people with an MA or at least 2 years of teaching experience, but were only able to get 40 people instead of the 80 or so they wanted. They dropped the MA/experience requirements for the 2009 group, so now they prefer people with qualifications but they'll take people without if necessary.
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Dec 13, 2009 02:55
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CronoGamer posted:I don't know if it's an internet demographic thing but I feel pretty strongly that there is a lot of cynicism and pessimism coming from this topic. The PCorps is not as worthless as people are making it out. Yes, it's got its flaws, and the "business" model so to speak could be altered to make it more efficient, but I feel like the people griping about it may have more personal beef with the program. I'm happy with what I accomplished in my village. Could I have taught English to more people? Probably. But I think teaching it to the ones I did, making that connection to them, and teaching them a little about the world outside their borders was a contribution of which I could be proud. I agree with everything in this post so hard. It seems like every group has a few 'super-volunteers' - people who completely integrate into their town, become incredible at the language, and do a bunch of secondary projects both funded and unfunded. There are also some people who do poo poo-all, bitch a lot, and tear down the HCNs, the program, and other volunteers because that's easier than admitting their own faults. Most volunteers are somewhere in the middle, but it seems like the cynical side is being represented way more here (because the super-volunteers are too busy Saving The World to post on the internet) p.s. I am obviously not a super-volunteer I just like them a whole lot!
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Dec 15, 2009 03:06
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4 years of this would've netted me an extra $2700 just in time for grad school. Instead I get $150. Hurrah.
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Mar 15, 2010 09:10
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CronoGamer posted:$1400? Oh, you motherfuckers, is that just for EC or worldwide? Worldwide.
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Mar 17, 2010 00:19
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Good article by Peter Hessler in the New Yorker about Peace Corps I failed the doorknob test in Bulgarian and Mandarin 
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Mar 18, 2010 04:21
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T-Rex Money posted:Well, I just had my first real Peace Corps hospital experience. I was at the beach tonight getting ready to work on a Sea Turtle monitoring project, and I got bitten by a mystery insect. To make the story short, my reaction to it was so bad that I pretty much collapsed on the beach and had to spend a few hours in the hospital hooked up to an IV and oxygen. Haha, loving mystery insects are an integral part of the PC experience. Hope you're doing ok now. Smeef, I think all of the WSE programs are in the Caribbean, Central and South America.
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Apr 5, 2010 07:36
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ok worse medical stories go (african volunteers will win): in Bulgaria I got giardia from a streetside kebab vendor and spent a day with simultaneous explosive diarrhea and vomiting; went through my entire medkit's supply of rehydration salts in the recovery process strangely enough here in China I have probably been eating food made with oil skimmed from the sewers for two years and have never had nearly as bad an experience
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Apr 5, 2010 07:49
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T-Rex Money posted:I got a call later in the day from my PCMO saying that things have changed a little, and they are sending me to D.C. to get tests done for the allergy. Depending on the results, from there they will be able to either a) send me back to my post. b) find a new post for me. or c) send me back home. I hope it works out for you! Being separated for something that isn't your fault would really suck. Cadmiel fucked around with this message at 04:34 on Apr 16, 2010 |
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Apr 16, 2010 04:28
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Recruiters should talk up the sadly overlooked weight-loss benefits of Peace Corps service.
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Apr 16, 2010 15:15
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Fart Car '97 posted:I haven't posted in this thread yet but I just got job assigned to Mali/Environmental Agriculture this morning. I'm shipping out July 1st. I know two transfers who did the same program in Mali. They both enjoyed their time, although they had a hard time the first year getting anything done. Best advice would probably be to just work hard on language and integrating the first year until you get a feel on what is really feasible in your site, which differs a lot even within the same country. Also hope you like heat and bugs!!!!
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May 19, 2010 05:30
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Aggro posted:My girlfriend got assigned to Mali yesterday and is currently freaking the gently caress out. She'll be doing Health Education. She's lived abroad in Rabat, Morocco, for five months and adapted reasonably well to that. However, she still had electricity and running water and showers and a real toilet. The idea of living somewhere with none of those things terrifies her, and she's really questioning her ability to deal with that. I'm not sure what to tell her If she can't handle lack of western amenities for two years maybe she should do Americorps or something instead. Really though, after a few months in-country no showers and squat toilets don't even phase most volunteers. Most of the world lives like this, after all.
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May 21, 2010 10:01
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Strunk posted:Would the cause of my injuries even come up, or could I just say that I fractured my fifth metacarpal 3 times and be down with it.? I doubt they'd ask about it so long as your doctor says you're physically able to serve. Even if it did come up, so long as you don't have a rap sheet you can always say it happened while sparring or whatever.
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Jul 8, 2010 05:26
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Strunk posted:Well, most of what I'm referring to are macro-level policy issues, not so much day-to-day stuff. As I understand it, the Peace Corps is still pretty deep-seated in the structural adjustment mentality. I understand that the Peace Corps is not directly linked to the IMF or World Bank, but the general trend has been to support these policies through the Peace Corps' actions. I wasn't a business volunteer, but my impression was that there is a lot more flexibility given to volunteers than is implied in that Reagan-era policy. Here's a article about enterprise development in Africa that I think shows this: http://www.epluribusmedia.org/columns/2007/20070827_parallax.html Also, the second and third goals of Peace Corps (improving cross-cultural understanding) are an important part of service that is hard to quantify, and for that reason is often overlooked in criticism of PC policy - I'm not disagreeing with you regarding your criticism of competitive enterprise development, I'm just saying that what volunteers actually do and are focused on is often different than what it is sometimes portrayed as.
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Jul 10, 2010 05:21
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internetstuff posted:Sometimes I get real poli sci with it and say "Hopefully the more people develop positive, constructive memories from direct contact with Americans, the less they will be prone to buy into terrorist rhetoric" Sure, I know lots of people who have had a large, positive change of perspective on Americans based on their relationship with a PCV. It's hard to measure nuances like that but I think humanizing foreigners is one of the most important things Peace Corps does in places like China.
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Jul 11, 2010 07:08
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Mu Cow posted:This is probably more true now. There are far more people applying than there are positions for due to people not being able to find employment. Of course, if a volunteer has some kind of specialized skill, I'm sure they would like to have them re-enroll. Actually, I was talking to someone who works at the main office in DC yesterday, and they said that they're having problems getting enough volunteers to fill groups. I guess it's bad enough that they're waiving language requirements for areas that traditionally have had them, like Latin America.
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Sep 7, 2010 11:46
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RagnarokAngel posted:I was told you can stay for up to 5 years but in order to re-enroll it takes as many years as you served, so if you served for 4 years you can re-apply in 4, to keep "fresh" people. I've never heard that... I know people who transferred into China with me, and then transferred elsewhere, and all that really mattered was the approval of the country director of the new country. One guy I'm thinking of has done 3 different programs in 3 different countries over the last 5 years, and he's had no trouble (he is also an amazing volunteer and a natural polyglot, so if you have desired skills I think it's much easier) Saint Celestine, a lot of RPCVs go on to work in the Foreign Service or in State. This is what I'm planning to do - and a nice perk to this is that your years in PC count towards your pay grade and your retirement.
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Sep 10, 2010 04:58
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RagnarokAngel posted:To some former PCV I have a question for you. I dont have a passport and I was wondering, do you have to go get your own? I swear I heard that they issue you a passport exclusive to the country youre going to but it's one of those things where i dont know where i heard it so I question the truthfulness. That's not true, you get a normal passport (but it's a no-fee government one, so after you finish your service you're not supposed to use it anymore)
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Sep 16, 2010 00:59
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RagnarokAngel posted:So you do receive one for free you're just supposed to only use it for peace corps business? I'm just asking because my parents are insisting I get one now and I don't wanna waste money on one if I get one anyway. You can use it for personal travel while you're in Peace Corps, but once you get back to America you're supposed to stop (I say supposed to here because people often use it afterwards on COS trips). It expires after 5 years anyways, unlike a regular passport which is good for 10.
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Sep 16, 2010 03:26
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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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Iwate posted:I was cleared dentally in like 3 days after they received my medical stuff... is that fast? Nah, if you don't have any immediate obvious problems on your x-rays I think they just check you off. My dentist even recommended I have my wisdom teeth out before going, but PC never brought it up.
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Oct 28, 2010 07:42
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Riven posted:Well, finally got a nomination. My wife and I are nominated for Asia in August. Her for primary teacher training, and me for secondary school english teaching. Don't give up hope, countries that only do English education still sometimes work with schools that have other needs. I knew a guy in Bulgaria whose degree was in Special Education and worked at a school for the disabled, but he fell under the administrative umbrella of primary English education. I think once you know your country and can talk to the program managers you might have a clearer idea of what you could wind up doing.
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Nov 9, 2010 04:57
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Barracuda Bang! posted:Has anyone here served in China? I served in China; it's a large program and the volunteer experience can be very different depending on your site. I think it's potentially much more rewarding than just being another English teacher, but it depends on what you want. If you do want to do some kind of humanitarian or volunteer work, it's much easier to do projects with your school/community as a volunteer since you have Peace Corps support and prior volunteers' work to build off of; besides whatever projects you do on your own initiative there's a summer project that's a teaching seminar for Chinese primary/secondary school teachers of English with other volunteers in your province. PCVs in China were sent to 4 provinces when I was there: Gansu, Sichuan, Chongqing, and Guizhou. I believe they've added Yunan since I left. Life in southwest China for a foreigner is a lot different than in coastal cities, so if you don't think you can handle being gawked at constantly for two years then don't do Peace Corps. Additionally, if you want to improve your Chinese it's great to live in a small place with few English speakers, but the dialects in these areas can be way different than standard Mandarin, so if that's your only focus then teaching in the northeast would be better. I think the biggest benefit to being a PCV rather than just a foreign teacher is that most universities that PC sends people to are really appreciative of the volunteers and take great care of them. For the most part, these universities can't afford to get qualified foreign teachers, so a volunteer can really help some programs. Of course, there are schools that treat volunteers like poo poo and schools that can afford 50 foreign teachers, but they're the exception rather than the rule. You're getting paid a tenth of what you could make as a contract teacher, but the perks and the cultural integration make up for it (or at least they did for me) Those are just some quick thoughts, if you have any other questions I'd be happy to answer.
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Feb 2, 2011 04:04
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Omar al-Bishie posted:I tried committing suicide my freshman year of undergrad, and I've since gotten therapy and don't consider myself a risk. Will I ever have a chance of joining? I think it's unlikely, but there's no harm in talking to a recruiter and giving it a shot. I imagine if you've got critical skills that'd help your chances.
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Feb 9, 2011 22:26
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Fuschia tude posted:Your recruiter should have your up to date information. Push to get any particular placement you'd like, but stipulate it by saying that you'd be willing to go anywhere if that's what they need. Showing you're flexible is important.
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Feb 9, 2011 22:29
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Private Label posted:Hey now, Mongolia is the best If China can't fill its needed slots then they accept transfers from other countries that have the relevant qualifications/experience. There wasn't any special relationship with PC Mongolia that I was aware of when I was there, and I never met any transfers from Mongolia. No one in PC China goes anyplace where the locals are ethnic Mongolian or speak Mongolian, so I don't think that experience (while awesome) would make PC Mongolia people more likely to get invited to transfer. Re: Butt stuff. If you don't want to do it and you're not too worried about delays, send it in without and see if they come back and tell you to do it again. They might give it a pass.
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Jul 8, 2011 13:12
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I heard Mongolia PCVs can extend for a 3rd year in China... yes/no?
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Intensive Porpoises posted:The day after I mailed the medical packet I get this: No, that just means they're doing the legal clearance now. Everyone sees that.
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Jul 19, 2011 15:32
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oxidation posted:How much of the initial process did you have to pay out of pocket? IE, do you have to pay for those medical exams / dental exams (what if you don't have health insurance)? Does sending form after form cost more than regular postage? Do they pay for your trip to the staging area? About $2 in bus fare to the interview.
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Jul 27, 2011 07:20
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Xanderg posted:Afternoon everyone, you don't need to hear my backstory or anything of that sort, I just have a quick question. You can't get a job in intelligence for 5 years minimum, and in all likelihood never. Non-intelligence gathering government and military positions are fine, and actually PC experience will give you non-competitive eligibility, which means that if the people hiring for a position like you more than other potentially more qualified applicants, you skip to the front of the line.
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Sep 18, 2011 22:33
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Stuntcat posted:5 years, but where are you getting in all likelihood never. If you have relevant skills, I don't think the CIA is going to turn you down after 5 years. The purpose of the policy is to shield PCVs from the suspicion that they are really working for the CIA to spy on the country they're sent to - which is not an uncommon accusation, as most volunteers can tell you. If a former volunteer later goes to work in any intelligence-gathering position, it could damage the credibility of all volunteers and make Peace Corps less likely to be able to work in some countries. I've heard second-hand stories of RPCVs joining the CIA, and I'm sure it happens, but I was directly told by a former CIA officer that RPCVs were always at a disadvantage in getting those types of jobs unless they were much better qualified than any other applicant, because all else being equal, they'll prefer to hire the person without the PC background. I'd be interested in hearing from any RPCV who's tried to do this themselves.
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Sep 20, 2011 14:23
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Fuschia tude posted:It sounds like the same thing people were referring to earlier in this thread. Supposedly PCVs in china are teaching English exactly like their private sector equivalents (like these folks), while getting paid a fraction of the salary. No, we teach English much better than our private sector equivalents   
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Sep 20, 2011 14:27
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Private Label posted:PST was like they had the whip at our backs, IST was morning-to-night trainings but at least our evenings were free, and MST was the most chill 3-day seminar ever. From what I've seen of COS conference pictures from last year, I expect it to be a nice, calm, reflection time. Yes/No? Part of this is that they know they can't bullshit you anymore on how important it is to listen to them so no one cares. Both my COS conferences devolved into Animal House shitshows by the end of it, since everyone knew it was the last time we'd all be together and we wanted to make it memorable.
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Nov 2, 2011 03:31
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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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