Do you know anything about the Peace Corp?

Question

I'm a 28yoa working professional and my grad student girl friend wants me to join with her, would they let us serve together? how would I make my house payments? can you go for less then two years? How long is the application process?

Answer 1

It has a silent "s" on the end - "Peace Corps", just like the Marine Corps, the Salvation Army Corps or the Corps of Engineers.

They would let you serve together if you were married and you both qualified. They would not if you were just a shack-up job, as they tend to disintegrate under pressure and most of the developing world has a more conservative moral standard than the USA.

You would not be able to make house payments. You would have to

1) Rent it out to someone you trusted a lot, at a rate which would make the payments,

2) Sell it, bank the money and buy another when you came home

3) Work something else out.

I earned $110 a month as a PCV, 35 years ago. My daughter is earning $300 a month as a PCV at the moment.

The term of service is two years plus three months of training. You can quit early, but it is frowned upon as a breach of trust.

The appliction process is quite lengthy - six months at a minimum.

Answer 2

I knew someone who did the Pcorps. She lasted about 1 yr there.

I can't remember the country she was at, but everytime someone would send her a care package (from home/friends) it would be stolen in less than 24 hours.

i guess she had a rough go of it.

Answer 3

Here's their site with info.  If not specifically there, I would call:

http://www.peacecorps.gov/

Answer 4

No you can't serve together -- what happens if you break up? You will need to show that you are DEBT FREE and have a way to make your house payments (the stipend you receive from the PeaceCorps won't be enough). You can't go for less than the required time. The application process can take months.

Go to the web site and get more information!