what skills would be useful in the peace corps?

Question

i want to be in the peace corps some day but i heard you have to have some sort of skill / degree
well im planning on minoring in some area that will be useful in the peace corps
im not good at mechanics, im not a farmer, and i dont think i would be a good teacher (bad at expressing my thoughts verbally out of the top of my head)

Answer 1

http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=learn.whatvol
has a list. Their site is graphics-heavy (slow) and the Search always returns 50 pages you don't need, and they VERY rarely use a number to answer a question, but it may help. I looked for "skills in demand" and got 50 pages I don't need. They archive on-line "Chat with a recruiter" pages instead of having a longer FAQ page.

92% of all PCVs have a degree. The rest have a ton of experience in something that a host country wants to learn about.

Talk to a recruiter. If you are in college, ask at the placement office when one will be there and make an appointment. If one isn't coming, call a regional recruiting office or try the on-line chat.

If you'd like to read about how I was almost tattooed by headhunters when I was a PCV,
http://www.tedpack.org

Answer 2

Anything in the medical field would be an obvious plus. Also, areas such as information technology (which is simply a fancy way to say good with computers) would be in demand. The biggest skills you can bring to the table will be a heart to help others and a willingness to work to make it happen. Desire and effort are more in demand than talents and abilities.

Answer 3

The PeaceCorps, and other volunteer-sending organizations, are looking for highly-skilled people who are ready to hit the ground running. Being compassionate is *nice*... but what they really need are people with expertise, that know how to transfer that expertise to others.

Learning to work (read, write, speak and listen) in a language other than (actually, in addition to) English is hugely important if you want to work outside the USA, in the PeaceCorps or another volunteer-sending organization. It will set you ahead of other candidates in the vetting process.

Which language to concentrate on? Here are some options: French opens up large portions of Africa, parts of Asia and even parts of the Middle East to you; it's also the second language for many people. Spanish is for central and South American. Arabic is for the middle east and, again, is a second language for many people. Persian/Tajik/Dari opens of Iran, Afghanistan and Tajikistan, as well as some other "stans." Chinese is an excellent choice, as it's spoken in many countries, in addition to China. Russian gives you many Eastern European countries. Hindi is one of the most widely-spoken languages in the world. Even Portuguese is good, as it's the language of Brazil, a few countries in Africa and East Timor.

Yes, you will need an area of expertise. Pick something you feel very interested in and are ready to commit yourself to for many years. I've had friends who have been PeaceCorps volunteers who had undergraduate and graduate degrees in biology, psychology, a foreign language, development management, international relations, Latin American studies, urban development, English, journalism... and all had experience volunteering LOCALLY, in their own communities.

I've got a web page that is targeted specifically on people who want to volunteer overseas, with lots more advice, particularly for people in the USA who want to volunteer abroad (but it's not limited to such).

Answer 4

Learn Spanish. Major in Agriculture.

Answer 5

Traits: Compassion, magnanimity, nurturing, open mindedness, a desire to help by empowering others

Skills: People friendly, good communication, hard working/ethic and stamina, organized, cleaning, building, lifting, listening, languages...

Answer 6

tried to taking more others like unknown person its gives some coffined to you read English news papers daily