Last Friday I was poking around the Peace Corps website trying to glean something new from their slim pickings and cryptic non-answers when I discovered I could talk to a recruiter through a Web Ex online meeting. I signed up and decided it was a good place to start to get more in-depth answers their site conveniently doesn’t supply. What I learned was a bit sad and strange, but I should’ve expected it since it’s the government.

I signed in to the meeting and chatted with a nameless recruiter only to be known as “from Peace Corps to All Participants”, which instantly gave me a sense of great warmth and intimacy with the moderator. I soon realized after a moment or two I was the only one in this meeting, which was a bit unsettling at first, but I decided to make the most of the opportunity presented to me and started asking questions knowing I wouldn’t embarrass myself in front of others.

The Deployment

One thing I looked everywhere on the Peace Corps website was about the deployment process, but it’s not there. It’s kind of important to know how long you have between the invitation and the actual deployment – you need to shut down your American lifestyle quickly. There are things like your bank account, your apartment lease, your car, and your household items that need to be quickly liquidated and settled.

So, how long do you have? Well, according to the recruiter, it’s about an eight week period, BUT there’s a catch: the invitation you accepted could be changed or filled by another PC volunteer in the meantime. This means you could have accepted and packed for Bolivia, and by the time you hit the plane, you could be sent to the Artic circle, which could stink if you’ve got shorts and need North Face gear. There’s no guarantees you’ll be sent to the country you accepted an invitation to by the end of the 8 week period, and keep in mind it might be sooner than 8 weeks. Nothing’s written in stone with the government.

The Invitation

You cannot request the country you want to serve in, but you can request the region. It doesn’t mean you will be stationed in that country, either. In order to get into the country of your choice, you need to develop the necessary skill sets before you apply. That still doesn’t mean you’re guaranteed to be in the country of your choice – it just increases your odds of a positive outcome when it comes to placements. Ok, so how do you figure out what skill sets you need for a specific country or region? Start here and read between the lines and then paste your future together the best you can.

One aspect I did manage to worm out of the recruiter was confirmation that the invitation does tell you what country is asking you to come. That’s important for a variety of reasons – you need to know where you’re going to be stationed, you need to know how to pack, and you need to learn the language (or start learning to).

Declining an Invitation

This is something crucial for me – I wanted to find out what happens when you turn down an invitation. Turns out you’re all but toast in the eyes of the Peace Corps. Here’s the exact wording from the meeting:

“If you are declining an invitation because you are holding out for a specific country, you will likely not get another invitation. If you have a reasonable cause for declining, medical or other, you may get another invitation. Peace Corps is looking for motivated and committed individuals to do a job in a community that needs their particular skill set.”

To me, this is pretty amazing on multiple levels. First, if you’re bold enough to request an area to serve, then you’re committed to meeting that community’s needs. If you’ve also made it through the “meat grinder” process the Peace Corps puts you through (all you have to do is read a few sites to see this is the norm, not the exception to the rule), you must be committed to serving or else you wouldn’t have put yourself through the hell in the first place.

Think about all the expensive tests not covered by health insurance, or if you’re lucky, 50% dental coverage – all that money you have to shell out to make sure you’re exceptionally healthy so you don’t cost the government, and when you turn down one invite, you are considered uncommitted and most likely, unreliable in their eyes!

Invitation Alternatives

I started to worry about the invitation situation a bit and then understood there might be a way around it. If God has taught me one thing, it’s “if you can’t go through the front door, go to the back and I’ll let you in.” If nothing’s impossible for God, then in theory there should be some flexibility with the Peace Corps, so I decided to use the back door approach.

“Assuming I take a posting that puts me in another country other than Jordan…if I re-enlist after the 27 months, will I have a better shot at being placed in the region, or are my odds the same as a new PCV?”

“If your skills are needed in the area that you preference, you may have a good chance of going there to begin with, however if they are not, sending you to Jordan would be less about the Peace Corps and more about your personal goals. Your chances remain the same, even if you are re-enlisting.”

It’s rather ironic that my goals should strictly be about the Peace Corps and have nothing personally to do with me. After all, I’m the one that has to sit there for 27 months of my life, I’m the one committed to the program, but I have to leave “me” at the door.

“I would not encourage you to focus on a country though, as this can be construed as you wanting to serve in Jordan, and not in Peace Corps.”

I understand, but at the same time, I don’t. It’s typical governmental double-speak. You don’t want someone who’s going to shoot off their mouth and create a mess in the community – there has to be some level of conformity for cultural and safety reasons. I don’t understand what’s the difference between serving in Jordan and serving in the Peace Corps – the commitment, the job, the service is all the same.

Roadblocks In My Future

If there’s anything that scares me most about the Peace Corps process, it’s the bankruptcy that’s hanging over my head. It’s important to know how that’s going to be viewed for a legal clearance. I hated to ask, but I knew I had to.

“If you are able to adequately cover your costs while serving in the Peace Corps, it should not be a problem. If you are trying to leave debt, financial, and legal obligations, behind, then you would not be able to successfully do so with the Peace Corps.”

The recruiter said the Peace Corps does not put any weight against a past financial history, but they do want to make sure your current situation is in order. This is good news for me – many who try to apply for governmental jobs are turned down if there’s a bankruptcy in their past. I can understand the motivation because they’re afraid the person in question could be easily compromised with a financial incentive. Then again, what’s the purpose of bribing a broke person who’s stationed out in a mud puddle – there’s no place to spend it!

The Proverbial Forgotten Questions

I had a couple of questions on my mind that I forgot to ask was about the readjustment salary of approximately $6,000 and re-enlistments. I wanted to know if you choose not to re-enlist at the end of your 27 month tour, if you use the readjustment salary to buy your own ticket home, or if you get to pocket the cash. I’ve read some conflicting information regarding it, and I still don’t know the answer.

The other question I had was if you re-enlist for a second tour of service, at the end of your 54 month period, do you receive $6,000 or $12,000, or do they tax your $6,000 and issue you the remaining amount while you’re still stationed?

Speaking of taxes and how you deal with it because you’re drawing a stipend, I did ask this through email awhile ago to another recruiter, and here is her answer:

“Peace Corps volunteers do not pay taxes to the host country because you are getting the “salary” from the US government. The IRS does not tax you on your stipend, however there is other monies that you will be taxed on. On our website it tells you that you will receive $6075 at the end of service. This is basically $225 for every month you serve. You will be taxed on this income. There is also “walk around money” for conferences and official visits to the Peace Corps office/other parts of the country. This amount will differ from country to country, but it was about $10/day in Romania. This is in addition to your stipend. Just taking into consideration Peace Corps service, your taxes will be very small. In fact you probably will not make more than $6000.”

Above it says the IRS does not tax you, but it doesn’t say you do not have to file your income tax report. Maybe the Peace Corps does this for you, or perhaps they send you the W2 in your email or to the nearest local PC office where you’re stationed. I guess this requires a follow up with more details to avoid a big mess later on down the road.

If you don’t like trying to find all the segments of this series, you can locate the links to them here and they will return you the exact spot on the appropriate site.