Hey guys! It’s been a while since my last post, & given that I’m less than 5 weeks away from my departure, I thought I should get reacquainted w/ the blog. The Peace Corps just emailed me a packing list a few days ago, which along w/ telling me what to bring, advised me to enjoy current luxuries like hot water & flushing toilets. In other words they said it’s about to get real. Anyway, more on the packing list & other pre-departure arrangements on my next post. I said last time I was going to talk about the application process, so this post will be on that. A few people have asked me what you have to do to apply for the Peace Corps, so this should give you an idea of what to expect if you ever decide to join.
Originally a friend and I were both going to apply b/c we’ve always wanted to live & work abroad, & thought this would be a great way to get started. We attended a few webinars online to get more info on the PC & the application process. First of all they say about 12,000 people apply annually & 4,000 of those actually get assignments. After going through the process first hand, I can’t see near that many following all the way through from start to finish, mainly b/c of the medical requirements. Hell, my friend didn’t even make it to the part of the application where you have to apply. Eric, you punk! Also, they inform you it’s a long process that can take anywhere from 6-12 months from when you start until you actually get your assignment. It took me 10 months exactly. I applied on 8/30/10 & received my assignment on 6/30/11. It’s by far the most detailed application process I’ve ever been through. I had a friend that joined the FBI, & this was right up there w/ his…except w/out the crazy background check. He said they even asked him about me. I was like WTF, how do they know me?! If you have an Arabic name & breath US air, they know you. Anyway, you start by applying online. Not much different than any normal job application, aside from the health questions. Also, there are questions about your financial situation to make sure you’re not in crazy debt. A lot of recent college grads will try to join the PC just to get out of students loans. You can defer, but you still have to pay sooner or later. Escaping student loans is like trying to get out of child support, it aint happening. Before you can submit the online application, you have to upload your resume, write 2 essays, and upload 3 letters of recommendation. The 1st essay is on why you want to join the PC, the 2nd is about how you plan to adapt to living in a different country. I want to thank Eric, Miles, & my brother Abdul for proofreading them for me. One got a little too excited, correcting everything but “and” & “the.” The letters of recommendations have to be from a friend, a job supervisor, and a manager from a place where you volunteer. Thanks again to my friend Miles, my old boss Christen, & my sister-in-law Bobbie for letting me volunteer at Native Angels Hospice.
Ok, so that’s the initial part, which can take anywhere from a week to a few months depending on how long it takes to get your letters of recommendation & if you need to do volunteer work. Then, if all is well you get an interview. It’s actually a very quick turnaround after you send in your app & paperwork. My interview was over the phone and lasted over 2.5 hours. The questions deal w/ previous work experience, why you want to join the PC, & a lot (I mean a ton) of scenario questions pertaining to adaptation. They want to make sure you don’t go nuts when they put you alone w/ a tribe in the jungle & you’re sleeping in a hut on a dirt floor in a sleeping bag next to a cheetah. If you do well, they pretty much tell you immediately after the interview on the phone if you’re nominated to go forward or not. From there, you’re nominated for a specific region & job based on your skill set. It's very general. I was nominated for South American farming, then North African business development, then Sub-Sahara African fisheries.(Evidently adapting starts immediately. After the last one, I told them just send me wherever as long as it‘s not cold.) They don’t tell you the specific country until you get your official assignment after the medical/dental process. All they told me was to study French b/c it would be a French speaking country in Sub-Sahara Africa starting in June. I had to send my placement officer a skills addendum to send to the host country, to find a job match; and I had to send a signed agreement detailing my plan for studying French. Then, finally , the medical process begins.
I promised to not to do long winded post, so I’m going to do a separate part 2 on the medical process. I didn’t realize how long applying would take to explain until I started writing. I didn't realize how boring it would be either. I almost fell asleep writing this. I PROMISE after the application process posts the material will be more interesting.
