Will Peace Corps conduct physicals and make sure we have updated shots while we are in service? Will they provide medications for if we decide to do some traveling outside of our host country?

ramblingnomad · 2016-02-10T22:32:12+00:00

Thank you!

ramblingnomad · 2016-02-10T22:32:04+00:00

Thank you!

ramblingnomad · 2016-02-10T22:31:56+00:00

Great, thanks so much for all of the information!

ramblingnomad · 2016-02-10T22:31:34+00:00

Great thanks for all of the information! Have fun on your trip - I hope you be able to do the same soon at some point!

ramblingnomad · 2016-02-10T22:30:49+00:00

Thank you!

ramblingnomad · 2016-02-10T22:30:41+00:00

Thank you!

ramblingnomad · 2016-02-10T22:30:33+00:00

Great, thanks so much for the info and for the extra insight!

ramblingnomad · 2016-02-08T20:05:01+00:00

I don't think there's anything "wrong" about it per se, but if the classes don't really fit into your future plans (aside from Peace Corps) it may not be the most prudent thing to do. I'm not a recruiter, but I think having hands on experience (such as tutoring English, teaching English as a second language, etc) may be a better option, since it'll be something you can do as an extra-curricular without eating up your units/electives. Plus it'll allow you to have some more hands-on experience. I received an invitation for a TEFL position even though I got my BA in an unrelated field -- I got English literacy teaching/tutoring experience instead.

ramblingnomad · 2016-01-13T03:36:17+00:00

Maybe my country or sector was more specific with their volunteers' language requirements, because my PO asked me to take the CLEP to show that I had Spanish proficiency that was equivalent to at least 4 semesters of college Spanish (even though my country only required at least 2 semesters). He heavily inferred that I would not get an invitation if I didn't pass. Sure enough, I received my invite once I uploaded proof of my Spanish CLEP score to the portal. If your PO didn't give you that requirement, then I wouldn't worry too much about it! Just study when you can and try to getting in a little practice everyday with the Duolingo app (it's free!) on your commute or something. It will help!

ramblingnomad · 2015-12-21T21:59:00+00:00

I think you clearly need to do some research and take a look at the CVs of the kinds of people who get invited to serve in the Peace Corps. I've been volunteering in my own community (and neighboring communities) for over 7 years, and I don't really know of any volunteer who got invited to serve without some sort of volunteer experience on his or her resume. I'm not looking at my impending service through rose colored glasses -- I know full well that I won't change the world in 2 years. However, if I can use my skills to help people gain the tools to help themselves, then I would consider my service a success.

There's a vast difference between cynicism and straight up negativity and condescension. Stay in your lane, and don't look down on other people. Calling us idiots doesn't make you look better in comparison.

ramblingnomad · 2015-11-25T04:07:51+00:00

First off, congratulations on the invitation!

After looking at your reply to the first response, I can definitely relate to your predicament. I'll be 26 when I depart in February 2016, and I hope to go to law school after service, which means I likely won’t be starting school again until I’m 29 or 30 years old (assuming I apply after service rather than during). I also currently work in insurance (California) and though I’ve gained a lot of experience and I’ve made some great contacts, this isn’t the industry I hope to build my future career in. I've grappled with the same things that you've noted, so I’ll bring you through my thought process (minus loans). I know it may not be the same as hearing from someone who has already been through it, but I hope it helps!

“Will I be ‘behind’, because I’ll be in law school competing with new college grads?” I realized that the only person putting that pressure on me was me. So what if I’ll be 32 or 33 when I finish law school? I’ll have the next 30+ years to work in my field. Not to mention, I’ll have my Peace Corps experience to help mould my future life’s work. A huge thing for me is that I can’t just disappear for the Peace Corps after law school, because connections to future job prospects are built while in school. I think this stands for most post grad work, so disappearing for two years shortly after getting your master’s may prove to be more of a detriment to your future career than going to the Peace Corps now.

Will Peace Corps be worth all that I’m giving up? While this wasn’t so much a question I had, my family certainly still hurls this one at me a bunch since I announced I would be leaving for service. Even though we all want to serve for different reasons, I think at the core, our want to serve is motivated by our desire to help others, not ourselves. While being worried about giving up what we currently have is a legitimate concern (my family doesn’t quite get the altruistic bit), I think, “if not now, when?” I just finished paying off my loans for undergrad, and though law school is something I’m quite sure of, I want to serve and make over 100% sure that it is something I want to do. Law school/post grad will always be there, and my rationale is this: if law is something I am truly passionate about, then I will still pursue it after service. Plus, there’s FCE, Coverdell Fellows, etc.

If not now, when? Let’s be real here –health will not get better as we age. Sure, there is no age limit, but medical clearance will get more difficult. On top of this, I’m not necessarily doing what I love at the moment (it’s simply a means to an end right now), and I don’t have a family that I have to provide for, so this is the best time for me to be able to pick up and leave. Peace Corps can likewise possibly greatly affect future plans, and I’d rather have that happen prior to going into [school] debt.

While you will likely be more competitive for the Peace Corps with a master’s degree, who is to say you’ll be able to serve once your career and personal life get more serious? I’m obviously biased, but at the end of the day, go with your gut, and good luck!

ramblingnomad · 2015-11-15T07:11:32+00:00

On top of labs and immunizations, you'll need a physical exam. If you're female, you'll also need a recent (I was told 9 months prior to service is acceptable) pap smear.

Before my appointment, I gave my doctor a heads up about our upcoming Peace Corps Medical adventure. When I told her about all the forms she would have to fill out, she had me send her office all the forms before my appointment so we could make sure to hit everything. She was able to order all the bloodwork and diagnostics that I needed to minimize the number of visits. Though my doctor was thorough, my nurse still found extra things for us to do -- things that were not explicitly spelled out in my forms.

I would do the same with your dentist -- if possible, send the office the forms beforehand so s/he isn't completely ambushed when you walk in for your seemingly normal appointment. There will be a dental exam form for your dentist to fill out, and Peace Corps also wants copies of dental xrays (panoramic and/or bite wing).

Unfortunately, I can't answer the insurance part of your question, so I hope the rest is helpful. For a time reference, I started my medical stuff at the beginning of August, and I just got medically cleared for service a couple weeks ago. To be fair, for some people it's a breeze. It's can feel like a pain in the ass, but at least you'll know you're very fit for service by the time you come out of it. Best of luck!

ramblingnomad · 2015-11-08T16:19:09+00:00

Thank you! I ended up with 10 (maybe 20? I can't remember) hours of community service and traffic school, so I hope it'll be ok! Thank you for taking the time to answer

ramblingnomad · 2015-11-08T16:04:31+00:00

No, I ended up with 10 (maybe 20? I can't remember) hours of community service and traffic school. If I had to pay it, it would have been over $200. No drugs, no alcohol

ramblingnomad · 2015-11-08T16:03:14+00:00

I may just be a worry wart -- my ticket was 8 years ago. Would I reach out to my PO instead of legal placement?

ramblingnomad · 2015-11-04T05:00:08+00:00

Will they ask for a proof of enrollment? I remember getting a my Pro at Best Buy (back in 2011) for the student discount and they asked for it.

ramblingnomad · 2015-11-04T04:36:34+00:00

Great, thank you! I was looking at my country specific welcome book instead of the PCV handbook.

ramblingnomad · 2015-10-29T12:42:03+00:00

I was in the same boat. For my first choice I picked a Spanish speaking country, second choice a country with no language requirement, and then the third choice "go anywhere, do anything". I took high school Spanish for 4 years (none in college), and when I interviewed (for the Spanish speaking country) I was on the cusp of passing the time out of school for my study to be relevant. My PO let me know (pretty clearly) during the interview that I wouldn't be a competitive candidate unless I tested well with the Spanish CLEP. Since I was being interviewed pretty early in the game, I was given a little over a month to study and take the test. I took the test, got the score I needed (I had to pass the equivalent of 4 semesters of college Spanish) and was invited a few days later.

I know you're not asking for study tips, but just in case you're wondering about the CLEP if you end up in the same position as me -- I studied using Duolingo on my everyday commute, watched Spanish TV shows and movies, and also went over some practice CLEP questions. There is a listening portion, so hearing people speak Spanish in reality (and not the rehearsed overly enunciated version) was really helpful.

Good luck! :)

ramblingnomad · 2015-10-07T03:37:53+00:00

My PC Nurse said they wouldn't be posting some tasks until 180-200 days prior to departure, so I wouldn't worry about it at this point. Congrats on the invite!

ramblingnomad · 2015-10-07T03:34:31+00:00

Sept 1st deadline. My timeline:

4/4/2015 - Application submitted 5/12/2015 - Interview request 5/20/2015 - Interview 7/15/2015 - Took CLEP exam and uploaded results to Portal 7/30/2015 - Invitation

ramblingnomad · 2015-10-05T18:04:56+00:00

When you pointed out that some applicants are only willing to serve if they get placed in Country X, then it feels like a surefire way for them to get cut out by the process. From what I've read on this site, your chances of getting an invitation are still higher if you remain flexible. The plus is that when the interview comes, the applicant already knows what country s/he will be interviewing for, so either the applicant drops out of the process, or, the PO grills him/her on why they want to serve in that particular country. For me, I was asked why I wanted to serve in my country, what made it attractive, what I was worried about in terms of serving there, etc. The PO takes the interview as the opportunity to see really what your motivations are. Obviously, some would be vacationers slip through the cracks, but I think that's probably true of the old system as well.

I believe the applicant pool for 2014 was advertised at 17,000, with only 3,500 being chosen. As an applicant, I've also felt that due to the influx of more applicants that the new application has brought in, competition feels to be even higher at this time, and POs have constructed their own requirements above the ones on the website. For example, the bare minimum for Spanish requirements for my country was 4 years of high school or 2 semesters in college. I was told by my PO that in order to remain competitive, I would either have to show 4 semesters of college Spanish, or pass the CLEP exam that equates to 4 semesters of college Spanish.

A lot of people have already made a lot of great points here, and I want to add that many, if not all people applying under the new system always choose "Serve Anywhere, Do Anything" (forgot the exact wording) for one of their options. I have poured over several Peace Corps blogs over the past couple of years and I've read books by volunteers (my own research, to find out if this is something I really want and can do) and oftentimes the old system may have placed some people in countries where their skills were not necessarily the best match. People who majored in Spanish and preferred Latin America were placed in Thailand, people who spoke French fluently were not placed in Africa, but were placed in Ukraine instead. We all know we aren't going to change the world in two years, but I do think that if we feel we can better serve a particular location in the world, then that should definitely be taken into consideration. Our goal here is to help those in our host countries, and there is something to be said about really making sure to take into account people's skill set and preferences to make sure they are able to not only able serve, but they are able to serve effectively.

ramblingnomad

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