By KATE PIERCE
News Editor
Do you want to travel the world? Do you have a desire to help others?
The Peace Corps is a volunteer program that is an independent United States government agency. The program was established in 1961 under the administration of President John F. Kennedy in an effort to promote world peace and friendship.
On Wednesday, Oct. 5, the regional Peace Corps recruiter for Upstate New York, Douglas Miller, came to present an information session about opportunities and tips for applying to do those things as a Peace Corps volunteer
Miller began his journey as a volunteer in 1990 when he served as a teacher in a rural section of Thailand for two years. He taught seventh and eighth graders in a town 12 hours away from the capital city of Bangkok.
The program has three goals that it strives for in order to promote world peace and friendship: help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained volunteers, help promote a better understanding of America for other people, and help promote a better understanding of other people for American volunteers.
Since the start of the program nearly 220,000 Americans have served in the Peace Corps, and more than 6,800 volunteers are serving in the field each year.
Historically, the Peace Corps has had volunteer services in 140 countries. Currently, volunteers are stationed in around 60 different countries.
The country with the largest amount of volunteers is Africa, with 45 percent of volunteers currently stationed there. The next countries with high numbers of volunteers are Latin America, Asia, and Eastern Europe.
Most volunteer positions are “generalist,” meaning that they are roles that can be filled by people who may not have a career’s worth of experience within that field. For example, you don’t have to have been a teacher in order to teach through the Peace Corps. For the education program, it is recommended that an applicant have at least 30 hours of experience of tutoring, teaching or mentoring someone or a group of people who are learning English as a second language.
While a lot of experience is not necessarily required, it is highly encouraged that potential volunteers have attained at least an undergraduate degree before applying. Currently around 94 percent of volunteers in the field have earned an undergraduate degree.
“The bread and butter of Peace Corps recruitment is campus recruitment,” said Miller.
People interested in must first meet the base requirements of being a United States citizen and being at least 18 years old. While there is a minimum age requirement, there is no upper age limit as volunteers range in age from 20 to 70 years old. You also have to be able to commit to 27 months of service, which consist of three months of training and two years of service.
One of the first concerns potential volunteers have is that they are not fluent in the language of the places they would like to volunteer. However, the only language prerequisites are a level of fluency in Spanish to volunteer in Latin America and French for West Africa.
Peace Corps volunteers around the world are speaking over 200 languages and dialects, including better-known languages like Spanish and French, and more obscure ones such as Ancient Mayan.
Some of the benefits of being involved in the Peace Corps include language training for the area you will be serving in, along with paid airfare to your service country and home, assistance in getting a passport and visa, 100 percent health and dental insurance coverage while serving, a monthly stipend which includes two vacation days a month, and student loan forgiveness and deferment eligibility.
The process of applying to be a volunteer in the Peace Corps is extensive, and it requires more than other jobs. Potential volunteers must apply around a year in advance of a departure date. The Peace Corps application is even a different process than other jobs college graduates might pursue.
As is the case in many jobs, a resume is a key component in the hiring process. However, Peace Corps applications are different from most others in that they suggest a minimum of two or three pages that you list all of your paid and unpaid work as well as your volunteer experiences, travel abroad, any second language fluency, and many other details that are not relevant for other resumes.
“Your resume is by far the most important part of your application,” said Miller.
The career center on campus is familiar with the application process for the Peace Corps, and can help students figure out how to best tailor their resume, among other tips.
Miller said that he would highly encourage students who are passionate about helping others, and would like to travel to consider the commitment of becoming a Peace Corps volunteer.
“The Peace Corps truly is a life-changing experience,” said Miller. “You’re going to have more experience than any corporate training could give you. As a volunteer you’ll do something good for the world and you’ll also change as a person and be able to bring the new ‘you’ back to the United States.”
