About Peace Corps
Peace Corps is a US government organization that sends volunteers around the world for two years of service. Volunteers work to support Peace Corps’ three goals:
- To help the people of interested countries in meeting their need for trained men and women.
- To help promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans.
- To help promote a better understanding of Americans on the part of the peoples served.
Volunteers receive up to three weeks of intensive training in language and job skills, as well as about the culture of the country in which they serve. Volunteers then serve for two years, working in a variety of areas, including agriculture, community economic development, education, environment, health, and youth in development. You can learn more about what volunteers do here. Beyond assisting local communities, volunteers gain real job skills through their work abroad, which can translate well to future employers.
Peace Corps provides volunteers with the exciting opportunity to not just experience another culture, but to develop deep, significant relationships with people in a place that is likely different in many ways from the United States. Volunteers only serve in countries that request them and Peace Corps works with governments to determine how volunteers can best help meet countries’ needs. Peace Corps is currently serving in over 60 countries.
Peace Corps service also provides additional benefits, including reduced tuition at over 90 graduate programs upon your return, deferment of federal student loans during service, and payment of a resettlement allowance to help you readjust to life back in the United States. You can learn more about these benefits here. Furthermore, gaining career experience, fluency in a foreign language, the ability to work with diverse populations, and a global perspective are all skills that are desirable to employers in the US and worldwide.