Good bye I'm moving to China. How do I get connected with the Peace Corps?

Question

I just got mail from someone saying to go to Peacecorps.gov

Answer 1

I came back from my 27 months in Peace Corps this past December. I was very much welcomed for my teaching, and I made friends that I will never forget -- both among my fellow volunteers, and among the people of Tanzania.

What Peace Corps requires is that you have a skill you can use in volunteering. What have you done with your life so far? Do you know anything about health? Anything about agriculture, carpentry, or another skill with your hands? Do you have experience in teaching, or a degree in science or math?

It is most definitely an experience worth having! It gave me two years' experience in teaching, with ESL experience that helped me to get a job teaching at a good private school. Beyond the gain back at home, I was able to show some of my family the country (a visit from home) and I was able to make a difference in the lives of many students and a large number of friends from every country in the world. If you have the freedom to spend two years away from the States, you should definitely volunteer!

The Peace Corps is for US citizens only and is therefore more careful with its volunteers than many organizations. As a fellow volunteer stated, the organization is perfect for someone who has never left the country before. There are many weeks of training, and the volunteers are assigned "homestay families" who are also coached in the safety and teaching of their volunteer. Some of our volunteers who had experience outside the country found their extra care tiresome, but it does mean that the volunteers are safe.

Peace Corps does not have an active program in any country that is volitile, and if an area becomes volitile they will evacuate the volunteers. There are drills and plans to follow for each volunteer so that they know their role in such a situation.

That said, you may also want to check in the VSO or Volunteer Services Organization. If you join Peace Corps, you may choose a region of the world -- such as South America or Sub-Saharan Africa. If you join the VSO, you may actually make a search online and see what jobs will be available to apply for in a given country.

VSO also gives you a bit more freedom in your travelling. This may be a good thing if you have travelled the world a lot, but it also means that safety is not so assured. With the Peace Corps, there are contacts in every town and the people in your village have all necessary contact information with headquarters should they be needed. They also provide free medical care at the headquarters. If there is any danger by terrorists or civil unrest, they will bring you to headquarters and, if necessary, help you all to evacuate.

The "food allowance" is about the same for both organizations, housing is provided for both organizations, and both give you language training and a "counterpart" or helpful local resident to help orient you. They both also participate in the same types of jobs, for the same lengths of time, and are often nearby neighbors at their respective villages (nearby being 20km or so). The two organizations work together closely.

You really should look into both of them and see if you would like to join; it is most definitely an experience worth having. You can contact me also, if you have questions. You have plenty of time to research it.

And yes, the volunteers made a tangible difference in their communities and the ones nearby. There are environmental volunteers (digging wells, teaching agriculture, teaching sanitation), health volunteers (teaching both in schools and in communities, including HIV/AIDS education), and education volunteers (teaching primarily in schools, science and math subjects).

There are also NGO's (Non-Governmental Organizations) in many countries, which can give you a long-term or even a permanent position. They work with more specific issues, such as AIDS education, literacy in general, or religious education.

Try looking into things! You have Americorps, Peace Corps, VSO, Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, Caretakers of the Environment, and NGO's. Most of these will give a (small) food allowance for your help.

If you have other questions, let me know! If you has experience with the Spanish language, there is a very good chance that they would accept you for the Western Hemisphere assignments, and there are many more environmental needs there. Depending on what your abilities are with other areas, fluency in Spanish alone can be a useful qualification. Fluency in French can be a benefit in gaining an assignment in Western Africa. Just FYI!

Answer 2

Your looking for the wrong group, you don't really believe China would allow a PEACE anything. Hell they don't even allow the free Internet. When you get there ask for the Communist youth party, you'll do just fine. I just hope they don't require a IQ test.

Answer 3

Communism, now that the best idea I have heard all day, Your a bright one. Care to take any illegals with you?? Good Luck

Answer 4

we are on the same boat, trying to hook up with peace corps