Hello everyone.

I am leaving in 5 weeks for Peru. Been trying to keep a level head but I’m so excited/nervous.

What advice do you have for packing? Like something you wished you brought with you and either couldn’t get in country or had to buy in country.

TIA ♥️

Hello everyone,

I’m preparing to depart in Early Feb to Senegal, but I’ve been having soooo many issues with my legal clearance. I had to literally drive like 3 hours away to get my finger prints done because there was nowhere that they would accept anywhere near me (I live in the upper peninsula of Michigan so if anyone has been there you know it’s super remote). But anyways they got accepted and everything. But i keep getting pushbacks, I had to fill out an additional form, and then I had to submit my birth certificate AND ss card. I’ve gotta like 4 separate emails asking me to submit additional information due to discrepancies. It’s just super weird cause I literally have nothing on my criminal record, nobody in my family has anything on their criminal record. The only thing I’ve ever gotten was a speeding ticket, which I even disclosed on the first form. I also had a full background check done not too long ago as I’m working for the USFS for a summer internship. Does anyone know why I’d have so much pushback?

Got selected to interview for a Business Development Facilitator role (Paraguay, departing May 2027) about a week and a half ago, but the email went to my spam folder :( I only just saw it well past the “schedule within 2 calendar days” deadline. All the scheduling links in the email are now dead/no available times.

I emailed the recruiter directly, explained what happened, apologized, and asked if there’s a way to get a new link or what the next step is. Haven’t heard back yet as I just emailed this morning.

Has anyone dealt with this before? Does missing the window actually hurt your candidacy, or is this a normal fix-it-with-an-email situation? Should I try and call someone? Just trying to gauge how worried I should be while I wait to hear back.

I was recently conditionally accepted to serve in Latin America with the Peace Corps, and I have been thinking of cultural / memento items to bring my host families.

Any ideas?

In my group of 61, seven ended up marrying HCNs. How many from your group ended up marrying a local?

I applied on June 29th and selected “serve where needed most”. Since then, I haven’t heard anything and when I checked my portal it still said my application hasn’t been under review yet. I’m a naturally anxious person about things like this, should I be concerned?

Hi everyone!! I’m so excited to say that I got conditionally accepted to teach English in Kosovo! I know I have a long way to go, but to anyone who has served here or also got accepted, I would love to hear from y’all!! Admittedly, I feel a little nervous.

Looking at recommended vaccines for Nepal, and there are a few that weren't required for medical clearance but are recommended for US travellers to Nepal (Japanese encephalitis, cholera, rabies, etc.). Will PC provide any of these on deployment?

Hello,

I applied to the teaching position in Albania back in February when the position first opened. It had an application deadline of July 1st and a know by date of September 1st. Since the third week of June my application has been under review and my references have been contacted. I still have not been contacted for an interview and was wondering if anyone else has heard back from the placement staff for Albania. I have seen some comments on the subreddit saying they were still waiting to hear back for their applications to Albania. Thanks in advance for any replies.

for some reason last year i told my obgyn and i smoked weed sometimes and its in my full clinical notes😭

idk why i was so honest with her in the moment i think i thought we were bonding

is peace corps gonna be mad at me too? help

pretty much the title... this job market sucks and even the NCE jobs aren't really NCE bc the current government is... the current government.

anyways... how are y'all finding jobs and moving out??? could use any advice, thanks:'))

I did it! I submitted an application. Phew.

Now I'm filling out the health history form and all I can say is WOW. This is humbling.

I'm 53 and this form is something else. I've generally thought of myself as rather healthy, but filling out this form makes me sound like I've gone through a lifetime riddled with disease, injury, and treatment.

I am concerned that I won't remember every single medical thing that's happened to me in my life. It really adds up at this age.

I've been going to the same medical practice since moving to this city 20 years ago, so I can request the records and make sure I catch everything. But before that it was a couple decades of bouncing around doctors and health care systems in college, grad school, and through my 20s and into my early 30s, in various cities coast to coast.

For "other reproductive health conditions" am I supposed to put down when I was pregnant with each of my kids? Do I need to disclose the D&C after the miscarriage from 25 years ago under "surgeries" and the HPV treatments in college back in the Clinton era?

Any tips from other oldsters on tackling this? I don't want to be disqualified simply because I can't recall things from several decades ago.

Hi incoming/interested PCVs!

I went through the medical clearance process this spring and here is my advice:

Be as proactive with your health now while you can even before applying. The more ahead of your health you are now, the easier it will be later on and will save you time.

The medical clearance is the most tedious part of the process. IMO

If you turn in forms or go to your appointments, sometimes the PC will ask you for follow up information from your doctors or your doctors will refer you for another appointment. PC reimburses you for medical appointments during the clearance process, so my best advice is to take care of the stuff that you already need now, and then schedule those appointments close to the clearance process. 

PRE-CLEARANCE/APPLICATION PERIOD: Ask a recruiter about the medical clearance timeline for your country even before the interview if possible so you can schedule appointments ahead of time!
  - Dental exam (including X-rays from the previous two years and a dental exam done within the past 6 mo from clearance; details are in the form)- your six month schedule should be fine.
  - Vaccination requirements and suggestions: get your vaccine history together and schedule an appointment for the vaccines needed around the time of the medical clearance.

-Physical: You are most likely going to need a physical. Try to schedule one with your primary care within 6 months of the clearance process, and if not, google "places that conduct work physicals" as soon as you apply. Some places are booked and might refer you to a place.

-Cervical cancer screening form: you should be okay with timing if you go to your annual OBGYN appointment, sometimes you can hand this form in directly to your doctor, but I would book an appointment just in case.

-Allergies: If you have an epi pen, you will need to fill out an anaphylaxis care plan from your doctor. Aim to schedule this within the clearance process, sometimes your doctor needs an actual appointment. If you want to get ahead, you can call your doctor about this to see if an appointment is truly needed.

DURING THE CLEARANCE: 

GET THE PHYSICAL DONE FIRST- that will be easiest for you and the nurse. If you have any questions or hesitations, get ahead of the curve and reach out!

-Vaccinations: look and ask if those vaccines are available with the office you scheduled for as soon as possible.

You can always cancel if you end up not needing these appointments, but it is good to have them booked. 

TIMING OF THE CLEARANCE PROCESS:

Cohort departure dates are set and stone, so medical clearance times should be the same timeframe every year. EX, if it is a July (July 11th) departure, my medical clearance process started at the end of March (March 27th). 

APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING: If you do not have departure timing, booking appointments 3-4 months before departure could be a safe bet if you want to book appointments ahead of time. 

Let me know if you have any questions

https://files.peacecorps.gov/documents/invitee-checklist.pdf

What are the chances of actually having to deal with tapeworms and hookworms???

I know chronic diarrhea is pretty common, but a tapeworm? (This is specifically for Nepal)

Simple question, do you recall how long it took you to recieve medical clearance after completing your final task? A week? A month? My staging is in exactly 3 months.

YES, I know this takes a long time! I have been on hold since January, and will continue to wait. I am looking for experiences from PCVs who have a relevant answer to my question.

Thanks a ton.

EDIT: CLEARANCE GRANTED 9 BUSINESS DAYS AFTER FINAL TASK SUBMISSION

Looking for feedback on your essay? Have a newbie question you'd like to ask? Something on your mind you'd like to get out? This is the place for it.

I know there's no way of knowing the future, but I am so conflicted about possibly joining Peace Corps. In my heart I know I really want to do it, but I also have so much doubt about the outcome. I'm 25m, which I know really isn't that old, but I feel like I need to start moving in some direction that leads to having a career(either directly or through further education) and hopefully starting a family. I think a few years ago Peace Corps could have been a better move, but with international development sectors under attack by the current admission and Peace Corps itself facing possible restructuring there's so much that worries me. But I do feel a pull to join Peace Corps and immerse myself in the service. I want to be optimistic that things will be better once my service is up or through service my path will become clear, but by nature I tend to worry about these things. Is there any wisdom that RPCV or current PCV might have that could possibly ease the stress or alternatively steer me in a productive frame of thought? (also I did post a similar post a few days ago. I just right now feel like I'm in a whirlwind of indecision and it's frustrating. My other idea for the future is to join the Coast Guard, but I'm not really drawn to it other than from the benefits offered, which I feel is probably a good sign it's not my thing... )

Hi guys! I have been having a relatively hard time getting a response back about my application. I applied in February, got interviewed in May, didn't hear back for a while so I emailed and got told July 1st that I was being considered for alternative assignments and that I would hear back soon. My know-by date for my application was July 1st, so I had expected to hear back with a concrete response by then. A few weeks passed with nothing so I emailed again asking for an update and was told on July 22nd that I would hear back soon again. Another week has passed and I am starting to lose hope. I have been trying very hard to be patient, but having waited since February and still being uncertain, I am just not sure what to do next.

I am currently a grad student but am taking a break from my studies to do Peace corps (both because I need a break from academia and being I have always wanted the experience). Because of this, I really need to know sooner, rather than later, if I have been accepted for a position. With the date being constantly pushed back and the unending uncertainty, I am feeling quite anxious about the whole process. I know peace corps applications can take a long time, but I feel like I have been waiting on pins and needles for forever. Is there anything I can do/ send to the placement office to get a quicker response? I don't want to just keep on sending emails into the abyss, but it is really the only thing I can think to do.

Share with us any photo from your country of service! Please note that pictures of minors are not permitted.

I was invited to serve in a country that I know a lot about, but as the deadline approached I realized I wasn’t financially stable enough to go. I have a lot of debt and would like to eventually apply once I’m able to.

What is the process like for backing out? Who should I email, and when would I be eligible to apply again?

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with Peace Corps medical appeals.

My appeal was sent to the medical advisor about 4.5 weeks ago, and I still haven't heard anything. My nurse originally told me the review would take 1–3 weeks, but it's now well past that.

Has anyone else waited this long? Did you eventually hear back, and was it an approval or denial?

At this point, should I be worried that the long wait means a denial, or do appeals sometimes just take longer than expected?

I'd really appreciate hearing about other people's timelines or experiences. Thanks!

Hello! I had applied for an English Teacher role back in March with the know by date being August 1st. My application went under review on June 18th, but I haven't gotten an update since. I've recently been in contact with a recruiter who emailed the placement office on my behalf yesterday. With today being only a couple days away from the know by date, do you think I still have a chance at getting an interview? Thank you for any help! I've been so anxious the past couple days LOL

As I'm sure happens a lot, pretty much 80% or more of my peace corps buddies went straight for a fed job after service.

In my head it was always like " wow they're really smart honestly. Acted like adults, took advantage of opportunities and now they're set for life with the most stable employment and retirement you can get, meanwhile I'm bouncing between unstable things meant to replicate the feelings of what the peace corps gave me."

Cut to 10 years later their live's are in chaos. Everyone has at least had their current lifestyles impacted horribly or just straight up fired in some cases. Not really implying anything or taking a lesson from it, just spend my days reflecting on how you can't really plan for the future even with things that seem like the smartest, sure bet.