Is the Peace Corps Right for You?

Maybe you’re fresh out of school and are looking for an adventure before settling into a career. Maybe you already have a career, and are looking for a break. When you’re looking for something exciting that also has the potential to benefit others, the Peace Corps often comes to mind. People talk about the Peace Corps often, but sometimes the details of the actual program can get lost in opinions, dated information, or general stereotypes. What is the Peace Corps really, and is it right for you?

Applying

The first thing to note is that while the Peace Corps occasionally has a reputation as just another study abroad program, the application process is competitive. Generally, the Peace Corps asks that all applicants have some form of a four-year degree. Experience with volunteering or working in different countries also goes a long way on a Peace Corps application. When applying, you will be competing with highly qualified individuals from all across the country. Last year, 17,000 people applied for only 4,000 openings. In short, don’t expect the Peace Corps to be an easy way to see a new country—qualifications matter!

Selection

In the past, the Peace Corps randomly assigned volunteers to countries around the world. Today, you have a little more say in where you go. The application process allows you to select your top three choices, based on the country and the work you’ll be doing there. Peace Corps encourages its applicants to apply based on the job description, not just the country they’d most like to visit.

There are several different types of work available in the Peace Corps, from teaching to nonprofit work, engineering, and beyond. The more experience you have with these types of work, the better your odds of acceptance become. If you want to join the Peace Corps but don’t have much work or volunteer experience, you might want to consider getting some useful experience under your belt before applying.

Working

Being a Peace Corps volunteer is unlike any other job. In some cases, it will feel as though you’re always on the clock. As a representative of the United States, you’ll have certain expectations placed upon you—these could range from simply being respectful of other cultures to not drinking in your village, depending on what country you go to—all day, every day. As a foreigner, you should expect to attract a lot of attention and curiosity, often for the duration of your 27-month commitment.

In other cases, it might feel as though you have very little work to do! Each country and each posting is drastically different, and while some posts might offer more traditional nine-to-five work, others might have long dry spells, particularly in the beginning while you’re learning the language, culture, and people. In some cases, you might not feel productive, or you might not feel as though you’re getting as much good accomplished as you wanted to. To be a good Peace Corps volunteer, it’s important to be flexible. If you’re patient with yourself as you learn a new language and culture, you’ll be much happier than if you hold yourself to certain expectations before you understand your work environment. You can’t compare your Peace Corps experience to anyone else’s, because each experience is so individually customized.

Results

The Peace Corps is challenging, often in ways you won’t expect. You might deal with parasites, boredom, too much work, or cultural barriers. A good Peace Corps volunteer won’t be daunted by challenges and will have patience and respect for themselves and the people around them. At the end of your experience, you’ll find that you’ve grown in entirely new ways. You’ll have gained varied, practical work experience, a deeper understanding of other cultures, and a new circle of close friends. If this sounds like the experience you’ve been looking for, the Peace Corps just might be what you’ve been looking for.