How to Become a Peace Corps Volunteer

Volunteering for the Peace Corps is on people's list of something they wish to do. Helping less fortunate people in other countries can be a rewarding experience. With all the wonderful feelings you will have becoming a Peace Corps volunteer, there are questions as to how you become one, where do you go to sign up, and what will happen once you do.

The good suggestion is you can take a quick survey to see if you qualify for the Peace Corps, before you read on more about it. On the Peace Corps official website, www.peacecore.gov, a survey is provided to see if you qualify to become a volunteer. Some of the questions are about your age, what you went to college for, and what languages you know. The website emphasizes that knowing another language is not required.

On the survey, there is a list of certain degrees in college that seem to be desired more. A degree that is Environmental related would probably fare better than someone with a Film degree, like me. Work experience and previous volunteer work will help you a lot, especially if you don't have a two or four year degree. My volunteer work for Rock The Vote might help me with selection into the Peace Corps.

If you qualify, you will learn that this is a serious commitment. A little more than two years of your life will be dedicated to training and providing your services overseas in one of the many 159 countries they serve. Vacations time is earned though.

A benefit about applying for the Peace Corps is that it is a rolling application process. However, the process from filling out your application to your departure takes anywhere from 9 to 12 months. You will be contacted by a Peace Corps recruiter within two or three weeks of the completion of your application. Fill it out now and you might be on your way at the end of the year to your assignment.

After a recruiter contacts you, there will be an interview. Since this is a two year commitment, serious candidates will only be considered. Most importantly, they want to know why you want to join the Peace Corps. They will ask personal questions, and you can do the same. The Peace Corps is a personal choice and people are proud to have served in it.