Joining the Peace Corps
The Long Application Process for Volunteering Overseas
The Peace Corps, a longtime respected volunteer organization that originated from a campaign speech by John F. Kennedy in the 1960s, has attracted thousands of young and, more lately, older Americans, for more than 40 years to serve for 27 months in a developing country. And while many volunteers talk about their experiences, the impact made on the countries they served and how they changed, little is said about the extensive application process required to serve overseas.
Peace Corps' application process can take anywhere from a few months to more than a year. The beginning of the process begins with filling out the application, which can be found on the organization's Web site, www.peacecorps.gov. The site also includes information about different countries where volunteers currently serve as well as the general type of assignments being done by volunteers.
The application form requests information about previous jobs and volunteer activities as well as language experience. In addition, it also requires an essay, a resume and some reference letters. After these forms are sent, Peace Corps reviews them and sends a letter informing the applicant of an interview time.
The application is sent to the Peace Corps Regional Recruiting Office that represents the state in which the applicant lives. A recruiter conducts an interview - either in person or on the phone, depending on where the applicant lives - to determine if he or she is a good fit for Peace Corps. The recruiter asks numerous questions dealing with experience with other cultures, languages and qualities of the applicant. The other question that is asked - which is also asked on the application - is a preference of region the applicant would like to serve. During the interview, which can last about one hour, if the recruiter deems the applicant a good fit, the recruiter nominates the applicant for a Peace Corps country and program.
The nomination means two things - the applicant is ready to move onto the next step in the process and everything from now until the end of the application process is dealt with at Peace Corps headquarters in Washington, D.C. However, that said, the nomination and the application question about "regional preference" is not a guarantee an applicant will get to serve in a specific program in the country or region of choice. Much of that depends on where the applicant's skills can be best served - whether that be in agriculture, health, business, education or other areas.
Once headquarters is given notice of the nomination, Peace Corps sends the prospective volunteer a lengthy medical kit. This is a series of forms which must be filled out by the applicant's physican and dentist. If there are special medical issues, specialists must also sign off on the forms. And for women, a form must be filled out by a gynecologist. Therefore, appointments must be made with the respected physicians, which can be time-consuming. If there are serious health considerations to be overcome, Peace Corps may place the volunteer on medical hold until further notice.
The medical part of the application can hold up the process for many prospective volunteers, even if they are healthy. Peace Corps' Office of Medical Services is extremely diligent about sending people overseas who are as healthy as can be when leaving the U.S., even when it comes to a tooth that doesn't quite have a cavity. Peace Corps would still require a filling before leaving the country. Alongside that, Peace Corps requires a legal clearance as well to ensure there is no criminal history.
Once the medical clearance is reached, the remainder of the process can go faster. At this point, Peace Corps sends the applicant an invitation to serve in a specific country. The invitation is a large envelope that includes a booklet about the country as well as information about the program(s) and paperwork required for a passport and visa.
The applicant can reject or accept the invitation, and must notify Peace Corps usually within 10 days. It is important, once the invitation arrives, for the applicant to read through the materials and do research on that country.
One way to do that is to get in contact with former and current Peace Corps volunteers in that country. The best and fastest way to do that is through the Internet, where many Peace Corps volunteers have group sites with at least one major search engine, such as Google. Even in developing countries, Internet access is common in the capital cities where Peace Corps usually has offices, so reaching current volunteers via email is quite easy.
Once the applicant accepts an invitation, Peace Corps sends information about the final step, which is departure to the developing country. At this point, the applicant's status changes to that of a trainee, and will begin what is the beginnings of 27 months of service overseas.
