TravelingEv
Armenia,
Female, 27
I live and work in Armenia as a computer teacher at a college in one of the regions (not the modern capital city). Peace Corps service is a 27 month commitment in a 3rd world or developing country. I teach computer teachers and students about basic computer maintenance; I also teach software programs like Word, Excel, Access, Powerpoint, Photoshop, and CorelDraw. Everything I do--from teaching, buying food, visiting friends--is done in Armenian, which I learned since I arrived in country.
Because you want to commit 27 months of your life to challenging yourself in a unique cultural environment and building relationships that will help you see the world in a different way.
Everyone joins for different reasons, some personal, some professional, some selfish, some altruistic.
Peace Corps is not for everyone, and I don't want to try to convince someone to join if they're not really interested. If you think you might be interested, but are just looking for a little nudge, I would suggest reading Peace Corps blogs and attending Peace Corps events to talk to people in person about the realities (both good and bad) of Peace Corps service.
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I don't think there is a standard number of hours that you "have" to volunteer before you can apply. It's just good to show that you have volunteered before. It sounds like you are already way ahead of me, in terms of volunteer hours before joining Peace Corps. I think I volunteered for one semester for a small-town organization before I did my application. If you don't have volunteer hours before you apply, they recommend that you start volunteering somewhere as you go through the application process.
If there is a specific field you want to work in, in Peace Corps, it would be good to volunteer at an organization doing that work (for example, volunteering to teach English at a TEFL center). I can't actually recommend specific volunteer organizations. It sounds like you are already doing amazing!
Keep up the good work!
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I'm sorry, I don't know anything about working for Peace Corps in an administrative role. All I know about is the application process and life of a volunteer.
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You can apply now in anticipation. The process takes from 6-12 months, so it doesn't matter that you haven't graduated yet.
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There are many different ways to be successful in Peace Corps. Most of them involve general qualities like being flexible, patient, and understanding. To become accepted into Peace Corps, you should have a college degree, and interest in travel (it helps if you have actually been abroad), and a demonstrated willingness to serve others. (So go volunteer somewhere for awhile before you apply.) Once you are in Peace Corps, make an effort to go out and make friends, to learn the language, and to learn how the locals do things. Then create strategies to integrate your ways of helping into their culture.
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Yes. You accrue money for every month you are in Peace Corps. The amount is between $200-$300. I'm not sure of the exact amount, and part of it is taken away for taxes before you even get it. So for however many months you are in Peace Corps, you will get the equivalent amount of money when you go home. The money is either direct-deposited into your account, or mailed to you, depending on which option you choose.
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Yes, there are many volunteers who join after graduate school. I'm not sure how that has impacted their future careers, but generally speaking, Peace Corps looks really good on your resume, especially if you do something related to your field, and it's great life experience. Many volunteers have a lot of spare time, so you could use that to "stay current" with readings or research, which would help you when you get back.
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