TravelingEv
Armenia,
Female, 27
I live and work in Armenia as a computer teacher at a college in one of the regions (not the modern capital city). Peace Corps service is a 27 month commitment in a 3rd world or developing country. I teach computer teachers and students about basic computer maintenance; I also teach software programs like Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, Photoshop, and CorelDraw. Everything I do--from teaching, buying food, visiting friends--is done in Armenian, which I learned since I arrived in country.
You have to go through extensive medical checks before you join Peace Corps. They have strict policies against using drugs, and you will be sent home if you are found to be using them. They do not do random drug tests during Peace Corps service like other governmental organizations. They also have policies about drinking, but they are not as strict as for drugs. There are certain times and places that you are not allowed to drink, such as during training events, and it's up to the country director to decide on how strictly he/she wants to enforce a drinking policy.
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I can't speak for all foreigners, but many people assume that it's easy to get a job in America and everyone there is rich. Compared to where I live in Armenia, that's probably somewhat true--the unemployment rate in my town is over 60% and people don't have a lot of money. They also don't realize how big America is. Armenia is roughly the size of Maryland. So when they ask if Michigan (where I'm from) is close to Glendale, CA (where there is a huge Armenian community), I have a hard time putting it into perspective exactly how far away the two places are.
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No, that would not rule you out completely, just don't make it a big point in your interviews. There are many people in Peace Corps who aren't very good at learning new languages, and somehow they get by. Just keep in mind that without language skills, every single thing you do will be at least 10X harder, including socializing, buying groceries, paying utilities, getting to know your coworkers, figuring out what you are supposed to do at work, taking public transportation, finding the bathroom... EVERYTHING. Not being able to communicate can cause tremendous stress. So think about how you will communicate with people before committing to joining Peace Corps. You may get lucky and end up working with people who speak English, but chances are, you will be plopped in the middle of a foreign-speaking community. But with total immersion, you may find that learning a new language is a bit easier than book-study.
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The Peace Corps volunteers who serve in the same country together become very close, and would almost definitely get together and help each other out, post-Peace Corps. More formally, in most big cities in the U.S., there are "Returned Peace Corps Volunteer" (RPCV) groups that get together on a regular basis, to hang out, get to know one another, talk about Peace Corps, and do service projects in the community. There are also usually country-specific RPCV groups, so people from the same country of service can keep in touch, no matter where in the world they end up after Peace Corps.
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Border Patrol Agent
Do you ever feel sorry for the illegals you catch trying to cross the border?
Meter Maid
What's the meanest thing anyone's ever said to you?
School Teacher
Do you think teachers are underpaid? Why?
I have rarely had a "normal" 9-5 desk job, and I didn't really like the ones I did have. So I can't really see myself having that kind of job in the future. This has nothing to do with having joined Peace Corps--it's just who I am. But it probably has a lot to do with why I joined Peace Corps.
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The normal time commitment for a volunteer is 27 months (3 months of training and 2 years of service). You can extend for up to 2 additional years in the same country. If you want to volunteer again in another country, you can re-apply. Staff positions (like the country director) can last for up to 5 years. Then they have to move on to something outside of Peace Corps for at least as long as they worked for Peace Corps before working for Peace Corps again.
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There is actually a small percentage of applicants who get accepted into the Peace Corps. (Annually, Peace Corps receives about 10,000 applications and sends about 3,500-4,000 trainees overseas.) That surprised me at first. I always thought that they would take any volunteer they could get their hands on! They are looking for skilled people in areas that other countries need. They are looking for something that demonstrates that you plan to stay the two years. They are looking for healthy individuals (the medical screening is very intense). It helps if you have had prior volunteer experience, prior language learning (in any language), and prior travel experience (you can't truthfully say, "I love to travel," if you have never traveled). It also helps if you are flexible, and open to trying new things. The worst aspect of applying to the Peace Corps is how long it takes. They say it usually takes from 6-12 months. It took me a year and a half. Most applicants drop out on their own during this time, so the chances that you'll be accepted if you stick out the application process are probably pretty high.
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