Back To The Land Via The Peace Corps

(Page 5 of 5)

March/April 1978
By Patricia T. Cleary 
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If you're ever in need of travel advice, just ask a P.C.V. He/she is usually a storehouse of valuable information about his/her country.

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ADVICE TO THE WOULD-BE VOLUNTEER

Before you send your letter off to Washington, D.C., you should know that not everyone can qualify for Peace Corps duty. First of all, only U.S. citizens over the age of 18 are eligible ... and then only if they have usable skills. (Your chances of getting in are much better if you're trained in engineering, nursing, or medical technology than if you hold a bachelor's degree in history or social science. Your chances are better still if you're fluent in a second language.)

Also, it helps to be single. While married couples are not discriminated against per se, the Peace Corps does require that both members of a married pair have usable skills that are needed in the same place in the destination country. Both spouses, in other words, must accept job assignments ... and those job assignments have to be in the same part of the same country.

Every volunteer I've talked to has had a different experience entering the Peace Corps. For some, getting in was easy ... for others, it was hard. Some heard from Washington in two weeks, others two years. All I can say is [1] Be persistent. After you submit your application to ACTION, check on its progress. ACTION has a toll-free number: 1-800424-8580. Why not use it? [2] Don't get discouraged. Someone out there needs your talents and abilities. The Peace Corps is now operating in more than 60 countries, and new programs are opening up all the time. Old programs, too, are constantly being revised and expanded. So if there was no job for you two months ago, call or write again ... something may have come up. Be polite, but be persistent. As my mother wisely counseled, "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

The Peace Corps-as I said earlier-isn't for everyone. If, however, you'd like to [a] help others to help themselves, [b] make friends for America, [c] learn a great deal about you!, and [d] put away a little money, too ... the Peace Corps may be for you!

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