If you have determination, flexibility, patience and a sense of humor, you might become a successful Peace Corps volunteer. I cannot stress enough that becoming a PCV (Peace Corps Volunteer) requires those traits and in large measure. The slogan once was, "The toughest job you'll ever love." It was quite apt to the job. Having served two tours, twenty years apart, I know whereof I speak. I wouldn't trade either one of my tours of duty for anything else in the world.
A little background of the Peace Corps could be helpful in deciding if you want to pursue it further. While John F. Kennedy was campaigning for the presidency, at 2:00 am on October 14, 1960, at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, he issued a challenge to the assembled students on the steps of the Student Union. He asked if they would be willing to serve their country and the cause of peace by living and working in a developing country. The response was enthusiastic and on March 1, 1961, President Kennedy signed an executive order establishing the Peace Corps. Three days later, R. Sargent Shriver was appointed its first director.
The three goals of the Peace Corps are (1) to help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women; (2) to help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the people served; and (3) to help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans. This captured the imagination of the nation and in July, 1961, Peace Corps assignments were planned for Ghana, Tanzania, Colombia, the Philippines, Chile, and St. Lucia. More than 5,000 applicants took the first exams to enter the Peace Corps.
Since 1961 more than 195,000 volunteers have been trained to serve in 139 countries. There are currently nearly eight thousand volunteers and trainees. While the median age is 25 years old, five percent are over the age of 50. Most are single, but six percent are married and 95 percent have at least an undergraduate degree. The volunteers work in Education, Health and HIV/AIDS, Business, Environment, Youth, Agriculture and a few in what is classified as Other.
If this has piqued your interest in becoming a Peace Corps Volunteer, you are ready for a long application/preparation process. The steps are: (1) submit an application (which can be done online at https://www.peacecorps.gov/apply/now/index.cfm; (2)be interviewed by a recruiter; (3) get medical and legal clearance; (4) learn if you are qualified based on your skills and suitability; (5) receive your placement from Peace Corps. Although this seems like a simple process, it may take from nine to twelve months to complete.
The application step could be the easiest part of the entire process. Do give it some thought and fill it in completely and honestly. Part of it will be writing an essay telling why you should be in the Peace Corps and what you expect to gain from the experience. You will need copies of your college transcripts and there will be questions about your health.
In the next step you will be contacted by your recruiter who will set up an interview. A recruiter prefers to meet you in person, but it can be done over the phone. This will be an in-depth interview, including personal questions. The purpose is to make sure you are aware of the impact the Peace Corps will have on your personal life. It also gives you an opportunity to ask questions of the recruiter who is a former PCV.
The Nomination step is made by your recruiter. He or she will match your experience and skills with a program that needs those skills. However, that is not final. The final placement is made by the Peace Corps Placement Office after all your medical and legal forms have been completed.
Step four is the Medical and Legal section. You will be required to have physical, dental and eye exams by your local doctors. The legal background check will be done by the FBI without your having to participant in that. Neighbors, friends and employers will be contacted to see if there is anything hidden in your past that would reflect negatively on the US.
The last step is the one you have been waiting for for months; the invitation to serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer. After reviewing the formal invitation packet you will have 10 days to decide if you want to accept. This packet will include a job description, when you are scheduled to depart, a passport, visa applications, and a Volunteer Handbook to prepare you for the next 27 months of your new life.
In 1980, my husband and I, in our late 40's, served in the education field in Liberia, West Africa. Our application was made in January and we did not receive a placement we were satisfied with until December. We had not specified an area, but it was necessary to find a placement for both of us in the same location. Several other placements were offered us before we found one we thought was a good fit for our qualifications.
In 2001, I went alone to Ukraine at seventy years of age. This time I was sure I only wanted a placement in Eastern Europe and made that clear on my application. A perspective volunteer can either request an area or let Peace Corps choose one for him/her.
The application process is long and, at times, frustrating, but the final placement is worth the wait. I hope that I left an impact on the people that I worked with in both Liberia and Ukraine, but I know for sure they left a positive impact on me. I highly recommend it for anyone with the health, flexibility, patience and determination to give of him or herself to a volunteer cause. You will be richly rewarded.