For new grads: Peace Corps?

[Anonymous]

Does the Peace Corps actually help people get jobs afterwards? Is it a viable option to try to wait out a bad economy, at least a little?

[Anonymous]

It's a very difficult job with very difficult living conditions. My friends who were in the peace corps all loved it, but it has to be something you affirmatively want to do, not just a plan B because you can't get the finance job you want.

[Anonymous]

Served in the late 90s. I don’t know what you mean by “help people get jobs”. I do think it looks excellent on a resume, gives lots to refer to in job interviews, and influences many younger volunteers in what they do job-wise post service. Feel like it’s a viable option if someone fears not being able to secure a job, but it’s tough (both the application process & service) and the applicant should know what they’re getting themselves into. My opinion is if you’re not as interested in the cultural exchange aspect (or even moreso) than the “work” aspect of Peace Corps, it doesn’t seem to work out as well.

[Anonymous]

PP is correct about the difficulty of the job. I will also add that it is a pretty competitive selection process. I’m actually surprised Trump hasn’t cut funding for the Peace Corps.

[Anonymous]

The big benefit used to be you had non-competitive eligibility for hiring for a federal job for a year. Are the feds even hiring now and if so, who even wants to take a federal job now? Also, do it bc you want to serve anything else and all it will do is be a tough way to spend up to 2 years.

[Anonymous]

It is a very tough role - you really have to embrace the challenge for its own sake, not because you hope it will help you climb the professional ladder later. Back when I was first starting out (which is decades ago) it was common for returned Peace Corps volunteers to have some re-adjustment issues. I don't know if that's still the case.

[Anonymous]

“The toughest job you’ll ever love” - it is very true. It is HARD. Not the work itself, but the cultural, language, and homesickness parts. It is an incredible experience and serving was a keystone experience in my life. It did help me get a job, but in a field that no longer exists - USAID funded public health. If my kid wants to go into the Peace Corps I will cheer them on. Not for the job prospects but for the way it shapes you into a more informed and curious and flexible person.

And I mean flexible in multiple ways! 30 years later I still value the ability to comfortably squat for as long as needed. You never know when the only toilet availability will be a hole. And if that makes you go “ewwww!” rather than laugh…you are not Peace Corps material.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a very difficult job with very difficult living conditions. My friends who were in the peace corps all loved it, but it has to be something you affirmatively want to do, not just a plan B because you can't get the finance job you want.

I’d say the same thing about Teach for America. Please don’t apply just because you can find another job.

[Anonymous]

It's a very competitive hiring process and won't work for every person. Getting medically qualified can be difficult for some, you need foreign language skills, and often some kind of technical skill.
It's also hard - over 50% of volunteers in my group left early before their tour was over.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's a very difficult job with very difficult living conditions. My friends who were in the peace corps all loved it, but it has to be something you affirmatively want to do, not just a plan B because you can't get the finance job you want.

This, but yes they have an amazing alumni network. Do NOT ignore the words difficult in the post above. It is difficult even for the best most prepared candidates.

A few countries they are in, not all, have a degree of safety risk. Colleague was sent to Haiti in mid-1980s with Peace Corps. She said there were times while there that she feared for her life.

[Anonymous]

Do Peace Corps because you want to do Peace Corps. Do you really think your kid (I assume) is going to be able to make it through being dropped, totally alone, into an entirely new environment where they don’t speak the language for two years and three months of very physically challenging living conditions and constant intense scrutiny of the community, if the only motivation that keeps them going is “oh well at least I’m riding out this bad economy?”

It’s a great experience but not something to be treated like a gap year.

[Anonymous]

Wouldn't recommend for any girl - the stories of rape and other similar tragedies are all to real

[Anonymous]

Just throwing out that for anyone looking for a first job out of college that is international, paid and a once in a life time experience similar to the Peace Corps, consider the Japan Exchange and Teaching program. (JET). It is run by the Japanese Ministry of Education and looks for college grads to team teach English with Japanese teachers of English, exposing K-12 students to other cultures.

It’s a 1 year program but you can extend to up to 3 years. You don’t have to have studied Japanese beforehand, but ESL volunteer work is a plus.

I did in the 1990s and it was an amazing experience.

[Anonymous]

Here more info: https://jetprogramusa.org/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Wouldn't recommend for any girl - the stories of rape and other similar tragedies are all to real

Oh c'mon. The majority of Peace Corps volunteers are women. They're not getting raped and there are few "tragedies." Get a grip.