Job Discussion Forums

[dfields3]

I have an interview with the Peace Corps next week in Atlanta. I think that i'm gonna be doing English teaching with them (got the certificate last year). Has anyone here ever done this and could someone tell me the difference between teaching under the umbrella of peace corps vs. going at it on my own and finding my own job. Not really which one is better but maybe just the differences (if any) between the two. Any info would be great.

[anninhk]

Never been a Peace Corps but I was a VSO(UK) volunteer for a long time.
The main difference is that you have an organisation behind you who do things like get the visa and provided medical coverage. You also know they will get you out in an emergency.
I also liked being part of a group - you always had somewhere to stay when you travelled around the country and you had people who were going through the same experiences to share your ups and downs with.
For VSO there was a lot of orientation both in and out of the country so you made friends before you went to your placement.
I also liked the fact that I wasn't an 'expat' - as a VSO I lived on a local salary and didn't have that distance there sometimes is when you are working with local colleagues who have similar qualifications but don't get an expat salary.
I think the biggest problem a lot of people face is that because of the development element of being a volunteer it is difficult sometimes to see any development in the placement and this leads to some dissatisfaction. The person who develops the most is the volunteer.
Good luck - being a Peace Corps or any volunteer is a great experience.

[fat_chris]

I was a Peace Corps volunteer in China from 2000 to 2003. I extended my service for a third year and also served as a volunteer leader, which is a liaison between the in-country Peace Corps administration and the volunteers. At my site I served as a high school and junior high school teacher trainer and a university instructor.

To answer your question, I think Peace Corps is a great way to gain entry into a country; that is, if you are highly interested in teaching in an underdeveloped/developing country. "Exotic" countries like Mongolia, Azerbaijan, Cambodia, the Stans in Central Asia, etc... all have Peace Corps English Education programs. I think you'd find it much more difficult to set up work in such countries on your own.

Anninhk's description of VSO can largely be applied to the Peace Corps as well. You would be paid a local salary which doesn't allow you to live lavishly. Nonetheless, the prime interest in joining the Peace Corps isn't in making money, of course. On that note, if you need medical attention, the Peace Corps will usually pay for 100% of your costs. During my first year in China, I had to have a medical operation. I asked my medical officer how much I had to pay for it and she just laughed. Peace Corps flew me to a Westernized hospital in Bangkok, paid for my week long stay in the hospital, and then paid for an additional week's stay in a Bangkok hotel including a modest amount of spending money while I recuperated from my operation. Again, it would probably be much more difficult to set up such a cozy medical plan on your own.

During your service, the Peace Corps also stages many opportunities for professional development for you to learn more about teaching in your host country. Furthermore, you may even be granted opportunities to make presentations about teaching to your fellow volunteers--invaluable experience!

Peace Corps will provide you with language lessons during your pre-service training and may very well continue to grant you language support after you are sworn in and begin work as a volunteer.

Finally, think about life after Peace Corps (check out the Peace Corps Fellows programs which are grad school programs that allow you to gain practical work experience while working on a Master's degree, usually with tuition support). After I returned to the States from China, I enrolled in the Peace Corps Fellows program at Teachers College, Columbia University in New York. There I earned an MA in TESOL from Teachers College and I worked as a full-time ESL teacher in a New York City public school for three years. Peace Corps was the springboard for further training and really launching my career.

So...if going out on an adventure, learning a foreign language, improving your teaching, and engaging another culture are for you, really put your all into your interview next week and give the Peace Corps a serious consideration. The two years do go by fast, and as much as we want to give to our host country, as anninhk indicated, the volunteer is the most who benefits.

Regards,
fat_chris

[dfields3]

Thank you Fat-Chris and annihk! Your advice was very helpful. I actually am thinking about going to grad school after the Peace Corps. I've heard that a lot of volunteers go into the foreign service after they serve and I have toyed with this idea too. As I said, I also might go to grad school to do a TESOL Master's degree. At this point i'm not sure whether I would be doing at-risk young adult and women's education or english teaching or both but I am a bit excited and really want to do the peace corps. Again, thank you for the info.

[JZer]

[naturegirl321]

I looked into the Peace Corps when I was still in uni, but decided against it. I'd like to do it now, but am not eligible. WEll, I am, but my husband isn't. I like the idea, but now have been teaching for five years, have expenses and don't think I could earn that little.

[EricBartholemew]

I did VSO hundreds of years ago, and shared with a Peace Corps volunteer. We also had WUSC (Canadian) friends: a good support network, lots of cheap places to crash when travelling the country, and ideal for training you up in skills that you didn't know you'd need. Also, they gave support in terms of housing if needed (I didn't) and equipment, and could have "Medi-vac-ed" if there was a requirement.

However, getting into PC might be your biggest problem - though, having said that, getting a visa into the country of your choice might also be problematic.

Otherwise, try other voluntary organisations - if PC don't want you / they don't seem right for you.

One annoying-looking resource if you've skills / experience / training is:
http://www.devnetjobs.org/

[Mpho]

I too did a two year stint with the Peace Corps in their English Education program in Africa. 50% of my time was in the classroom and 50% holding HIV-AIDS education training for children and adults.

If you go to Africa, you will be teaching HIV-AIDS plus your other subjects. If you are not comfortable being around HIV infected people and dealing with questions of sex, sexuality and diseases transmitted by blood and sex, be careful.

The PC will lull you into believing you will be teaching English, but you will be teaching HIV and AIDS at least half the time.

Mpho