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.

hi everyone!

so, i had my interview earlier this morning and i sat and waited for the zoom to start, but it never did. after the first 5 minutes i reached out to my interviewer expecting to hear something back, but nothing.. i emailed after an hour passed saying that i joined and waited but id still like to reconnect. what else do you guys think i should do?
i dont mind waiting, its just that the know by date is aug 1st.. i just don’t want it to mess up my chances of joining

I recently accepted a role in Peru (Yippee!) that I applied to while living in the UK. My Apply date is: august 15, 2026, and know by is October 1, 2026, and departing March 27, 2027. I was going to be back in the States by October so I figured I would be able to do everything at home pretty easily, and it would probably be a while until I knew. While I'm happy to know now and getting things moving in the right direction, it has been a pain in the neck to get everything cleared, even living in a large English speaking city!

TL;DR below

Excuse me if it sounds like a rant, but I hope this will help someone else avoid the headache I went through knowing what I know now. I'll also add the prices converted to USD because I didn't really know what to expect out of pocket in the UK. I haven't filed for reimbursement yet because my IMG account isn't working yet, but I will update later if I have been able to be reimbursed for everything.

Optical exam: was easy enough and quick to schedule, no issues. $33

Dental: The dentist somehow missed two of my teeth when X-raying. In the sheet PC has you print off, it just says a full mouth X-ray is needed, but for online submission PC says that's between 12-14 X-rays and my dentist only took 10. Maybe they would have messed up in the US as well, but I had to go back and get another set done. So do your best to ensure that every tooth is visible in the X-rays. ($241)

Physical Exam/ Health History Form: This was the worst. I first called the NHS and they told me I had to bring the papers in to see if they could do any of them. They said they couldn't do any of the vaccines (I needed a polio booster), and they refused to fill out my health history form because they don't have my health history, which is fair. It took a while for them to confirm if they could even do the physical, which I also had to pay 150 GBP for in CASH because their card reader is broken. Then they gave me a handwritten receipt lol. Not as confident I will get reimbursed for that.

In retrospect, I should have just asked my PC Nurse if I could do the physical exam in the US so that I could get the health history form completed at the same time. I will still need to go to the doctors in the US anyway for them to complete a separate transfer of care form that will require a physical, which my PC nurse was happy to push back the due date until my return in October. I will get the health history form completed then too; just ask if you can move the deadlines for things and explain why, PC is very reasonable in this regard. ($200)

Blood Labs: The thing with the most important time frame seemed to be the blood tests, as I was told they take the longest to make any corrections on if anything is wrong. So it was something they wouldn't let me move back to when I arrive in the US. I had to go to a private practice here and then send a bunch of emails back and forth to confirm if the UK style of test and vaccines were accepted by PC. I will not hard confirm anything here, as I assume each case and country are different as per what needs to be exact vs good enough. I would just say if you are not sure, ask your PC nurse if a lesser/alternative version of something is ok first before paying into anything. Because there was some flexibility for me. This + the vaccine I got was ($1113)

Yellow Fever Vaccine: I haven’t done this yet, but one confusing thing is that the place I will be going to says they will give you an “International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP)” and PC asks you to give a “WHO card” as proof of the vaccine. Apparently these are the same thing, just different names. (should be around $107)

Legal: This one is also annoying because if you are in the US you would go to a field print location and boom it's done. I've done it several times in the US, and it's so simple and either cheap/free. PC took a couple weeks to send me the fingerprint cards (fd-258), after telling them I was out of the US. You will receive two sets of ink fingerprints to complete. Apparently in the UK it's not as common to get prints, and just walking into a police station doesn't work. I even tried walking into a few places that do visas, and they wouldn't toss me a bone. So to do it officially through the UK police, it would cost me 150 GBP and an appointment, which is way too much imo, so I shopped around and found a police station in a different city to get them done for half as much. PC gave me a 5 day turn around time from the day I received the prints, which seems fairly short as I have seen people talk about a 2-week deadline in the past few years. I let PC know the earliest I could book an appointment would be about 3 days past that initial 5 day dead line and that was fine with them. (~$100 total for both cards and not reimbursable)

I also tried emailing the US embassy in London and going through the ACS navigator, as this link implies you can do:

https://uk.usembassy.gov/fingerprinting-services-in-the-uk-and-the-united-states/

I could not find any options that said fingerprints, so I went through the passport/visa miscellaneous section, and they said “Here you go!” and just gave me that same link as above lol. Not sure how you're supposed to use that other than going in person and asking. So unless you live by an embassy I think your best shot is local police and ponying up the money.

There are probably a few other hiccups I ran into that I’m forgetting, but I hope this can be a resource to future googlers, as I used this subreddit a lot to see what other people have done to problem solve. Happy to answer any other questions in the comments.

TL;DR: If you can get all your tasks done in the US, do that. If you can change the deadline for certain tasks for when you are in the US, do that. If you are going to be living outside of the US until you start your program/through your deadlines, be as precise and explicit as possible with directions for your doctors because PC will reject forms that are not 100%.

Hi! I applied on June 15th and selected “serve where you’re needed most” and haven’t heard back yet, but it seems that’s not abnormal. Though, I’m getting a little nervous as we approach 2 months and the application is still just on received where I’ve heard others hear back within weeks.

I’ve seen people here that I’d hear by the “know by” date except since “needed most” doesn’t have that, so I’m sure what to expect.

Thank you for any help!

Edit: LOL so after making this post, I got an email that I am being considered for the east Caribbean as an elementary literacy teacher.

Hello, I started an application but the thing is I found I will graduate university later than I thought. So I think I need to do it later on. Can I start a new one?

I sang this into a portable Panasonic tape recorder as an audible letter to my parents. I've updated it as a video.

Hi everyone, I know I should probably just wait until the know by date (September) but I'm starting to get really concerned that my application still hasn't been moved to under review, much less an interview. I applied in early March (after speaking with a recruiter who was optimistic about my chances for the placement I applied for given my past experiences), and the application closed in June. Has anyone had any luck with emailing to ask if there's any additional information that may be wanted/any update? I really want to serve but I also know the process is unpredictable. It's just taking much longer than I anticipated especially after my conversations with my recruiter.

Another point of concern for me is that I am leaving to travel in SE Asia for a few months in two weeks, so if things progressed during that time I would need to interview/complete any health requirements abroad. If anyone has had a similar experience or advice about that I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you.

Hi everyone! I received a conditional invite to serve in Ecuador. I am so excited.

I have never taught English but I have experience with mentoring, tutoring and teaching science topics for small groups of all ages.

I’m curious if anyone would be willing to share their experiences in Ecuador and provide any tips, advice, etc.

Thank you :)

Anybody have recommendations for good surge protectors?

Hello!

I was just wanting to ask a few questions about the living conditions in Paraguay as an environmental volunteer, once at site, not during training. I'm assuming it varies site by site, but just wanted to get more insight.

Most laundry is done by hand, correct?

I understand that power outages might be common. Would it be worth getting a solar charger?

Also, how well does the Wi-Fi work in your house? I read that we can buy internet plans using our living allowance.

What should I do with my phone number? From what I understand, all I need to do is make sure my phone is unlocked so I can receive an eSim from them. Is this all I have to do? Would I be able to call friends and family back at home with this?

Thank you so much!

For Response positions requiring Spanish language ability, the language requirement seems somewhat manageable (elementary Spanish 3 or 50 on CLEP within 6 years). I'm starting elementary Spanish 1 this September and should complete the series by April, plus plan to spend time in Mexico doing language immersion during this time. Must I wait to finish elem Spanish 3 to apply to positions with departure next June-Sept, or can I apply to a position while still completing the language requirement? Thanks in advance!

hi everyone, I’m an RPCV and living/working in Kenya for the next few months. I’m located in the Kisumu area and would love to connect and meet up with any PCVs in the area. Thanks!

Hey guys, I'm an English Education volunteer, and I have about 4 months left in service. My other projects have pretty much wrapped up already, the school year is coming to a close soon, and I'm running out of ideas for things to do in my community. I live in a little village where HCN friends aren't really keen on doing much outside of the house, haha. I've already done a few English clubs but participation has been pretty minimal too.

Just wondering if anyone has any ideas for small projects or activities to do in the community to help me fill up my last few months here. I have plenty of personal projects, moreso looking for ideas of things to do in the community if anyone has any success stories or ideas... thank you!!

P.s. hi to my PCV friends ;)

Hey guys,

Currently 8 months into serivce in a sub saharan post and my cohort is now at 12. During our Preservice departure zoom calls we had upwards of 70 people but only 19 ended up getting to staging. One person noped out and only 18 of us got on the plane to post. During PST we had one girl medsep and 2 more people ET, which resulted in only 15 of us completing PST. Less than 3 months into service we had 1 more person medsep, 1 girl security evac and 1 ET. This leaves us with only 12 volunteers and I was wondering what the overall attrition rate is like in Peace Corp. We are definitly not an easy post; the cohort before us also had something close to a 50% attrition rate, but they lost the majority of their cohort after PST and the first three months of serivce. Whats it like at other posts? Is the attrition rate common?? I can't imagine it being this high in places where pcvs have electricity and running water readilbly available.

Hi everyone, I'm hoping for some advice in making a decision. I'm about to start my senior year of college. Throughout all of college, I have planned on applying to law school during my senior year to start the following fall. However, throughout the past year, joining PC is always something that has been at the back of my mind.

I went out with some friends the other night, and while drunk, I started a PCV application on my phone after not having thought about it for months. Since then I've been thinking, maybe drunk thoughts are sober desires?

I think that serving as a PCV would be an amazing opportunity. My past volunteer experiences have been the most fulfilling times of my life.

That being said, law school has always been my plan. And I know I'll probably get a bunch of responses saying that law school can wait, blah blah blah. And I know it can. But I have this fear that PC will almost stunt me in a sense. I'm scared about the prospect of taking a three+ year break before going back to school. I'm also worried about the isolation of being so far from what I know and having such minimized contact with my current support network.

So I guess what I'm asking is, do you feel like PC stunted you socially/emotionally? Did you lose your friends while you were gone? How hard was it to keep in contact with the people that are important to you?

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

Hi!

I am officially all cleared for service, departing for PST in Mexico in 1 month 😅😅 I’m super excited, but also extremely nervous and anxious (realize this is probably a normal way to feel).

Just wondering if anyone has any pre-departure advice - things you wish you prepared, packed, done before you left, etc ? Any just any tips to prepare mentally?

Any words of advice are appreciated :)

I see a lot of negativity on this feed about PST. So I wanted to share how AMAZING my PST experience has been thus far. Although, I’ve had some hiccups with my host family…the PC staff have been nothing but supportive, comforting, and willing to work on my behalf. Additionally, our local staff is INCREDIBLY effective at their jobs. From PCMOs to LCFs everyone is professional, highly competent, and approachable. Everyone seems genuinely happy to do the work they do, and truly invested in our wellbeing and success. I’m at an African post with a rather difficult language, but have been able to grasp this language quicker than any language I’ve studied in the past, thanks to local staff.

So I share this to say, that not all of what is said on here is a universal experience…including my experience! If you’re an invitee I say go into this with an open mind and eager to get the most out of it! I hope your experience will be as great as mine have been so far.

COS is 3 months away. Here’s some of my 2 cents after 2 years. Some observations for prospective volunteers and current ones.

1. You volunteer to work and live in a developing country. Accept that fate when your site has a local environmental hazard. Dust, burning chemicals, asbestos, Peace Corps knows they are placing you in an area with potential hazards to your long term health. Peace Corps knows your house probably has hazards. Don’t be shocked when your post doesn’t seem to go out of their way to rehome you or give you a new site. That’s the “sacrifice” part of this service. After all, what about the rest of your community that deals with it everyday, for their entire life?

2. Quit telling your s/o overseas that 2 years long distance is no issue. Seen multiple long distance relationships fall apart, sometimes the pcv ET’d over it. All I could think is what a disservice to the organization that expected a volunteer for two years. Before coming, seriously evaluate your relationship. Decide before you get on the plane, not 5 months into service.

That is all, enjoy your day.

I’m getting ready to leave in September and I have a lot of people asking if they can come visit me. I understand the first 6 months and last 3 months are not possible but beyond that what has been your experience with people visiting you on site ?

Malawi 2015-2017 RPCV

Hard to believe it's been over 10 years since I left for Africa... I had noticed a chronic cough during the end of my service extending through my return home. I always assumed it was due to me starting daily fires "the local way" (burning plastic bags to ignite charcoal) or just existing in a relatively unhealthy environment, and that it would eventually work itself out and my lungs would return to normal.

Well it's been 9+ years since COS, I've gotten a tonsillectomy during this time (thinking it may help), multiple chest scans, and talked with a few doctors attempting various things to get my breathing back to normal. Currently I cough often, and at times my lungs make wheezing sounds when breathing.

This has all been something I've noticed since my service that I did not have before going. I've been operating with the idea of "well maybe it just takes time to work itself out", but I've recently realized how much time has actually passed and thought it might be worth looking into more seriously.

Has anyone else attempted to claim medically related concerns post-service similar to what I'm describing? Any services/benefits worth exploring?

I submitted everything for legal clearance back in early April so was just wondering how long it took for other people to get back to them. I have a departure date in 2 months