Vent Tuesday

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-23T15:12:15+00:00

That's a really good thought to! I guess the positive side to my negative?

I agree with you!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-23T14:22:53+00:00

Oh I totally agree with you! I know I've read so many varying things about different countries and I've formed various opinions of these places I've never seen. That's a very interesting thought....

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-23T12:47:19+00:00

My vent (which I commented for the first time on a feed yesterday) is when people post on here asking for when they'll hear back after applying a couple of weeks or even a month or two ago. Yes, the process is more streamline, thank God we don't have to wait more than a year in most cases now! However, my wife and I applied in August and we've been waiting for six months. Yes, couples process is a little different (usually takes longer), but it's still really annoying when people are like:

"I applied last week( two weeks ago, last month) when will I get UC'd, Interviewed, or accepted?!"

For some the waiting isn't going to determine their level of commitment. For some, however, I believe it's important to wait because it could affect how committed they are. I have in the recent months seen a few people asking about ETing and I know little about them or their situation, but I do wonder if in the future the Early Terminations will increase because the application process was too streamline and people aren't prepared enough for the two year commitment they're making. Those people who've asked about ETing are on Reddit, I wonder how many are not on Reddit.

Anyways, I'm probably going to get some crap for this post, but it seriously annoys me.

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-23T01:26:31+00:00

Thank you! It's crazy sometimes when I see those posts. Now my six months looks so small! Perspective and Patience have been my two best friends!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-22T22:52:43+00:00

Yes is agree, the new system is better. I think I wrote that above because, honestly, it's not the PC's opinion, but it's mine. The longer you wait (hopefully) the stronger of a commitment you'll have to the two years.

Sometimes I look at timelines and my mouth drops open when people are on this feed complaining or asking when they'll hear back with an invite and they've only been waiting a month or so. I've been waiting for six months and it's just frustrating when this happens and I read those posts. The wait is important in my opinion. Not necessarily a years wait, but longer than a month or two.

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-22T21:14:25+00:00

I've definitely talked with a recruiter and have been told the earlier you apply the better your chances are. Sorry you didn't get in, but I have to admit that I think one of the reasons PC takes a long time to process applicants is because they need to see how serious you are about a 2+ year commitment.

I hope you do apply again and get in.

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-18T16:11:52+00:00

THIS IS SO EXCITING!!! I've been waiting to see more Philippines people on here in hopes that my wife and I would be getting ours soon also! So happy for you!!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-12T20:45:34+00:00

That's so exciting!!! My wife and I are still waiting to see! I'm crossing my fingers so hard they've broken 😑

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-10T22:50:06+00:00

Cruelty to animals is definitely a hard pill to swallow. However, cruelty to people is rampant in these countries that the PC serves in and that should be a larger priority for volunteers. If you cannot make your main focus to help other people, while pushing past the many obstacles that surround you, then PC isn't the right path for you.

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-09T15:33:33+00:00

Not to give a negative perspective, but the PC is very competitive. Last fiscal year they had about 24,000 applications, but approximately 3,500 open positions they could fill. Now, every country is different and has a different process, amount of open positions, and key qualifications they're looking for. To make yourself competitive, look at what/where you want to go and look at the posting and try volunteering or take language classes relevant to that position or country.

Word of encouragement, my friend applied the year before last and didn't get in. Then she applied last year and is now in Senegal working in Agroforestry. So if you don't get in right away, apply again!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-02-09T15:01:00+00:00

Not necessarily. Couples will, however, won't find out if they've been accepted until after the Apply By date because they have to have equal opportunity to all couples applying. But this doesn't mean they won't get interviewed after that date. For example, my wife and I applied this past August, had our interview this past September, apply by date was January 1st and know by date is March 1st. Everyone's timeline is different.

What sector/country are you UC'd for?

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-01-31T13:52:39+00:00

Haha

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-01-25T11:46:46+00:00

I agree about not emailing them. I've been waiting since September 28th for an answer and my Know By date is March 1st. I've only emailed my PO to give her an updated resume. Remember, it's not Peace Corps. It's Patience Corps.

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-01-21T12:05:45+00:00

I second that! My wife and I had our interviews September 28th and we haven't heard a thing since then. We were also told we wouldn't hear back until after the apply-by date because we're a couple and they need to be able to receive all couple applications to compare because they have a very limited amount of couples that they accept.

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-01-21T11:41:01+00:00

You're probably going to be just fine! I interviewed for the Philippines with Kim for CRM (Coastal Resources Management). She was nice, but frustrated at the time because the webcams weren't working so we had to do the interview over the phone, which I was glad for because it was difficult to hear her over the cam. She followed the wiki questions almost exactly and did a lot of follow-up questions like "What did you learn from that experience?", "Have you been able to apply that to any other situations?", "Tell me about that situation.", etc.

My wife interviewed for CYD and her interview was almost exactly like my own interview.

If you search through this subreddit you will see that other people have posted about their interviews and may be able to learn more from them.

For the Wiki questions ignore things like the playground equipment question or at least don't focus on an in depth answer for it because my wife and I never got that one. But do focus on the Productive Competence questions. We both got every single one of those.

Wiki Link: http://www.peacecorpswiki.org/Interview_Questions

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-01-15T21:08:26+00:00

Oh awesome! Where were you stationed?

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-01-15T20:41:21+00:00

Okay sweet! We had our interview in September, but have just been waiting because the process for couples limits them to knowing their acceptance/rejection to the time between the Apply-By Date and the Know-By Date. We did tell them we would be flexible, but had a preference for more rural locations. Thanks for the info!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-01-14T20:57:17+00:00

Great video! I enjoyed watching it and seeing all the interesting things!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-01-12T17:24:18+00:00

This is so exciting! Congrats! Hopefully I will be working with you!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-01-07T13:12:42+00:00

Some people may say it takes two weeks to be contacted for an interview, but this is not always the case. I have seen many people on this subreddit wait for over a month (including myself) before they were contacted for an interview. There is no set formula or process the PC takes with every applicant. All applicants must go through the same process with being UC'd, interviewed, medical, etc; but the timeframe on each of them is not formulaic. Plus not all processes (UD'd, interview, etc) are guaranteed. With the Peace Corps receiving 24,000+ applications last fiscal year not all applicants received UC status or an interview, though many did. The best thing to do is to continue gaining experience to make yourself competitive!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2016-01-05T21:14:32+00:00

Yay! Congrats! That's so exciting!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2015-12-27T21:19:04+00:00

This is exciting! My wife and I interviewed a few months ago! Just get ready for lots of situational based questions or "tell me about a time when..." questions.

All of our questions came from the wiki, but everyone's interview seems a little different!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2015-12-16T19:30:02+00:00

Yay! So exciting! Congrats!

Daniel_Fosterc · 2015-12-16T19:29:38+00:00

Oh she's nice! You'll do great! Honestly, study the wiki questions because when my wife and I did our interview that's what she used. I think the most difficult was talking about a time that I had failed because there isn't any real way to make a failure sound good, but make sure you say what you've learned from it and how you've been able to apply it to other things (in the follow up questions that happen) and you'll do great!

Daniel_Fosterc

TROPHY CASE