I've thought about joining the Peace Corps for a 27 month assignment, I know it's not chosen assignment, but

Question

Do they base the selection on preference in any form?

I understand they base it on necessity and qualifications, but if you requested Central America, would they even pay attention?

Answer 1

They did when I applied, and I served there twice.

Answer 2

They will consider your preferences, but the necessity of a particular region and the qualifications and experience of those accepted into the corps are the primary factors.

The PeaceCorps is highly competitive -- you will need to have  a degree, work experience and, preferably, some language skills in something other than English in order to be chosen. Most applicants are NOT chosen.

Answer 3

What you can do is choose a region.  You can't request Central America, but you can request Latin America.   This is what I did, and actually I am going to Central America.  But I could have just as easily have ended up in South America.  Also, make sure that you have 4 semesters of Spanish.  This is generally the requirement to go to the Latin American region, although there are exceptions.

I would also think about that kind of job you want to do.  There are some jobs that are more common in Central America than In South America, or vice versa.

If you go here: http://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shel...

It shows where Peace Corps people serve and what they do.   You can click on each of the Latin American countries to figure out which area has more/or less of what you're interested in.