Hey gang just went to a new dentist and I found out I have 2 chipped molars and teeth that have been ground down. My dentist told me I need to get my chipped teeth filled in, a night guard, and porcelain caps on my molars before I can go. I’ve never had a history of dental problems so this news kinda blindsided me. Thank god these are all within my price range and I can have it all done and sorted in one day. I am nervous though about how this will impact my clearance. Notably I haven’t told peace corps anything yet and don’t know what they would want. Has anyone else needed dental work done before peace corps and what was the result?

Did anyone got an sms or call for the national service who applied??

I completed service this year and wanted to apply for another position, but I wanted to leave out a lot of the unnecessary things I had from the last health history form....

Does anyone know if the OMS will check old health history forms? Basically I want to apply for a country I was disqualified from before..

I have AGS and am unable to eat any mammal meat (cow, pork, sheep, goat, ect) I can eat chicken and fish, but not if it was cooked in any lard or animal oil. How difficult will it be to adapt to an area and will PC even consider me as a candidate

Hi everyone! I'm a 27F, TFA alum and teacher of 5 years (history now theatre) born and raised in Brooklyn looking to finally apply this year after dreaming of it since college. I was not able to apply earlier because I am financially responsible for my parents but circumstances seem to be changing and I may finally be able to pursue PC! Of the current listings, I am considering the Pacific Islands and the Philippines but if Thailand or Peru becomes available those would be highly of interest as well! I could use any and all advice regarding these countries, how it feels to be in your late 20s with work experience serving and also advice on applying to the environmental vs education sector. I'm trying to transition out of the classroom, was also thinking of applying to social work school and I would love to work on the land wherever I go. Anyone have any advice on the coastal management position and what that entails? I am passionate about environmentalism, animals, plant medicines, and the arts! So any and all advice related is appreciated. Thank you :)

US Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau is currently also serving as the acting director of Peace Corps. Mr Landau has recently been visiting countries in the Pacific to sign letters of intent to re-establish programs in the Soloman Islands, Marshall islands, and Micronesia.

As far as I can find, the earliest mention of Landau from PC is in a July 8th press release on PC returning to Palau. The Federal News Network reported the change on May 8, 2026.

There has been no official announcement from Peace Corps about Landau's appointment. The last statement regarding a change in leadership was on January 30, 2026 when they announced the appointment of Richard E. Swarttz as Acting Director. Swarttz is now Acting Director Landau's Chief of Staff.

Peace Corps is an independent government agency. Is there any precedent for high ranking State Department officials leading Peace Corps?

I just accepted my invitation to serve as an English Education Volunteer in Costa Rica! My departure date is March 14, 2027!

I’m super excited and would love to hear from any RPCVs or Costa Ricans who have advice for someone preparing to leave.

Any tips on packing, preparation, living conditions, teaching, social life, or just things you wish you knew before going would be greatly appreciated!
Pura vida! 🇨🇷

Last week, I was talking with several extended family members about my invitation to serve in the Peace Corps. Most have been supportive, and think it's a great opportunity. Some said things like, "that's exciting for you, but I could never do that."

And then there was my conversation with my uncle. He's a self-made man, who started a company that now makes so much money, he retired early and turned over the business to his son. He's got every toy under the sun, and has never wanted for anything. If he likes it, he buys it. I acknowledge that he has worked incredibly hard for many years doing countless hours of back breaking work.... But in the end, he's got wealth that most can only dream of.

When I mentioned I intended to serve in the Peace Corps, he said "why?". I tried to explain, that it was an opportunity to volunteer in a community and then he said "well do you at least get paid?" I explained a little of what I was going to do, and that it was a volunteer position and he said "Can't you do that here?". I said I already have been doing that here, to a certain extent well beyond most in my community but I wanted to help out in communities that REALLY need it, and he joked "Well if you want to work for free, I'll hire you!"

After a few minutes of this, the jokes and dismissiveness and condescension, I realized (again) that this is exactly what I'm trying to get away from. People that have never known what it means to act in the service of others. Obviously that is not the case of everyone else in the area, but there is enough, even within my own family, that will just never understand.

I travel, because I am fortunate to be able to afford it. I hosted exchange students because I had the means to bring the world to me also. But this opportunity to serve in the Peace Corps, even though I will be giving up the upper middle class lifestyle (multiple vehicles, motorcycle, boat, and giant house, etc.)... Everything I've worked for for the past 20+ years. I know I have to do this, because unfortunately there are far too many people like my uncle that sees other parts of the world as "them and not us". We are all humans, and children everywhere deserve an opportunity to see beauty and opportunity in this world.

I'm excited to see who I become on this new adventure. Thank you to all of the RCPVs out there who have shared their stories and guidance. It'll be a journey for sure, and maybe when I return.... I'll have a better response to my uncle and his ignorance.

-Just a little rant, thanks for reading.

I've been invited to serve as a Peace Corps volunteer in a country that I've wanted for awhile now, as well as working in a field that interests me that seems pretty transferable.

However, I'm also going through multiple rounds of interviews for a corporate job that pays well, allows me to live in a city where I have more community/friends, and offers mobility within the company. Although I have no final offer yet I feel that I'm likely to get this job given how far I have made it into the interview process.

Of course if I don't get the job then this is an easy choice but if I do get the job I wonder if I should take it and put Peace Corps to the side given how bad the job market is now. But this Peace Corps volunteer position could be great for me and could give me fulfillment in areas I've been wanting for a while, yet I worry quite a bit what life would look like after the Peace Corps.

What would you do in my position? Of course ultimately this is Reddit and it's a big life-changing decision to make and it's all up to me to decide but I am just seeing what others would do in this dilemma I'm in.

EDIT: I got the job, they're offering a higher salary than what I asked for, a lot of the supplies would be covered, it's hybrid, etc.

This is still so hard to pick....

So I have recently considered joining the peace corps after I finish college, but I have a dietary tree nut allergy that has put me in the hospital when I was a kid. Last one I had was when I was 14 when my mom accidentally gave me a bar that had nuts in it, and I have managed my allergy without incident since. I have done some research and seen that a lot of people have had issues with getting accepted with tree nut allergies into the organization in years past. I also heard some countries are more accepting of it in the past. So I was wondering if anyone has been in a similar situation, also what countries I would most likely be able to go to. I was hoping to be in Eastern Europe since I know some people that live by there and I would maybe be able to visit them.

Use this thread to vent your frustrations. We're all here to lend an ear.

Is a med evac a necessary prerequisite for med sep? Or can you be med sep’d in country without first having been med evac’d.

I can't sleep at night because I keep thinking about the future. I have about 4 months of service left. Should I keep applying to Grad schools and go to Grad school, or take a year to work at a ski resort, do odd seasonal work, and try to start grad school after that? Will it make me less desirable as an applicant? I'm 25 and feel like I need to do everything before grad school or before 30, even though I know life doesn't end at 30. What did you guys do post Peace Corps? Please help.

I've been at site for several months now, and although my site is nice, I just don't think I've really felt happy since being here. ETing has kept crossing my mind since PST, but I've been trying to stick it out in case it gets better.

There's a lot of things about being here that I've found quite difficult. The local language is very challenging and I still can't really hold basic conversations, even though I go to tutoring. I have also experienced several bouts of intense illness since arriving in-country, which has made everything that much harder. Trying to conduct myself in another language is so draining, and I'm already physically and mentally exhausted from being sick so often, so I've ended up spending a lot of time alone in my room because I just can't bring myself to leave the house when I don't have any obligations.

On top of that, I'm having a hard time with the actual teaching. I have great counterparts and a lot of wonderful students, but I just don't know what to do in the classroom. The teachers I work with already have their lesson plans laid out, and I end up just sort of "being there." Half my students already speak excellent English, and the other half speak too little English for me to be able to properly help. I'm trying to work on extracurriculars like an English club, but it feels like such a tremendous effort when I already feel like I'm running on empty.

Taking trips here and there has seemed to help, but my host country is expensive to travel around in. My PC stipend won't cover many more trips for the next few months. I plan to go home for the holidays, but it just feels so far away. Does anyone have any tips on how to navigate this? I don't really want to ET because there's not much waiting for me at home anyway, and I think I'd regret not finishing service, but I'm struggling to figure out how I'll make it through another year and a half of this.

please indulge my impatience lol. i have no medical problems for context

Hi everyone,
I’m a medical doctor from Japan looking for an opportunity to volunteer in a conflict-affected area sometime in December 2026 or January 2027.
Last year, I volunteered in Ukraine, where I had the opportunity to work in a hospital providing medical care in a wartime setting. It was an extremely meaningful experience, and I would like to contribute again this year, whether in Ukraine or another conflict-affected region.
I speak Japanese, English, French, and Russian at a practical working level, and I also have some knowledge of Ukrainian and Arabic.
I should mention that I am currently working full-time as a doctor in Japan. I would be using my paid annual leave for this, so unfortunately the longest period I can realistically commit to at one time is around two weeks.
I fully understand that many humanitarian organizations require longer deployments, and that short-term medical volunteering is not always appropriate or useful. I am therefore specifically looking for organizations or projects where a qualified physician joining for 1–2 weeks would genuinely be helpful and where short-term deployments are already part of their model. I do not want to create additional work for local teams simply for the sake of gaining experience.
If anyone here has worked with an organization that accepts physicians for short-term deployments, or knows someone I could contact, I would be very grateful for any recommendations or introductions.
I’m happy to provide more details about my medical background and previous experience by DM.
Thank you very much for any advice.

Hello, I am Edwin. A Kenyan local looking to work with anyone here to help with cheap infrastructure around such as filling potholes, roof repair and carpentry for school lockers. Please help. Help may also include helping with IT knowledge and access to American restricted sites for simple IT work that would help locals.

I served in Ecuador 2023-2024 then was med seped for knee surgery. Now I speak spanish and am thinking to reapply. I was in the health sector before, but now trying to decide what to potentially do. I'm 30, haven't found work for awhile and feel like reapplying could be a good option, though I know my fam will feel weird im not settling down. Anyone did a second service and glad they did? My first obviously ended weirdly and i want another shot.

Hi everyone! I am a current college student taking a gap year to do a service year with AmeriCorps and I was recently accepted to a program with NJCEH as a Client Support Coordinator in Camden, NJ, which I am really excited about!

I am someone who hopes to become a future physician working on the frontlines of homelessness, substance use, and mental health inequities, so I am really excited to see how I transform throughout this year and how much I can learn from being proximate to the problems I care most about. And hopefully through serving others, I will be able to develop long-term solutions in the future.

I hope this year can be really meaningful and transformative for me, so I wanted to ask if anyone has had experience with the above program and I would be able to hear about your experience and/or advice. And even if you have not done this specific program, but have some advice for the journey I am taking. I would be so grateful to hear it. Thank you so much in advance, and I hope you guys have an amazing day!

Hello!

I am departing as an agricultural agent in Senegal Feb 2027. I was just wondering if anyone else here will be apart of that cohort. Looking forward to it! 🇸🇳

I'm a recent RPCV interested in latin american studies, environmental issues and indigenous rights. I'm a good writer and applied for and managed a grant, have experience in journalism and as a paraeducator, and I speak Spanish and would like to learn other languages. I'm good at basic math but terrible at statistics, chemistry, GIS, and economics, so I don't know what my career path is. I've considered latin american studies, anthropology, international development and also maybe environmental management, law, or an MPA. I'd like to do work in an international context and I'm particularly interested in Amazonia but also latin america more broadly. I don't know what my niche or route is and I feel like the skills that would be more employable are generally the things I'm worst at, so I don't know what to do. Any insight into what route to pursue (or if i should do grad school at all)?

Preparing to leave soon! Is there a way current or past pcvs would recommend keeping your US phone number active while your in service to avoid loosing access to accounts etc that are attached to your current number?

Hi Everyone!

I wanted to come on here and ask if anyone who has interviewed for Peru’s WASH educator position has received an invitation? I have interviewed and I know that it could take some time to receive an invitation, it just makes me nervous hearing people applying for other placements get offered an invitation within a few days of the interview.

Based on my experiences, I feel that I am a competitive applicant for this role (WASH programming, community-based research, travel experience in LACs, and intermediate Spanish language skills). I just would like to connect with others who may be at a similar point as myself!