Peace Corps Reviews

Former Employee – worked at Peace Corps as an intern for less than a year

Pros – -Work with lots of Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) who are passionate about their experiences, and always have a good story to tell.
-Some cool special events and guest speakers from local and international government officials.

Cons – -Extremely stressful government position dealing with possible furloughs and constantly shrinking budget
-Stale environment on financial floor

Advice to Senior Management – Other offices seem to have a lot more fun, but in OBA it was extremely boring, uninteresting and stressful.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend – I'm not optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – I was a Peace Corps Volunteer, not employee, and it was great. If you have ever thought about joining I would wholeheartedly recommend it. You have enough autonomy to work on projects that interest you but are given a base to build from by Peace Corps.

Cons – 27 months is a long time commitment but in the end it is worth it and I think that it takes that long to really hit your stride.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Current Employee – been working at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – Excellent international experience in a foreign country

Cons – Tough conditions in a foreign country

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – Great language skills, 2 year solid experience, rural/"off the beaten track" experience

Cons – Can be a challenge for people who have specific skills to offer or people who already have their masters

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – First hand experience with project development, coordination and management
Lots of responsability - sink or swim!
Supervisors are host country nationals!

Cons – Community buy-in - free-hand out mentality
Sustainability can be ignored in favor of implementing projects - money should come from within not internationally for most types of projects volunteers work with.
PC mission is outdated and does not reflect needs of developing world - goals 2 and 3 happen as a result of living in a community for 2 years.
Many Americans are unaware of what Vols do.

Advice to Senior Management – PC mission is outdated!

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Current Employee – been working at Peace Corps

Pros – My time at Peace Corps was the most formative of my life so far. I ended up serving for four years (extending my service twice), and went on to work as a campus representative at my university.

Cons – This experience is not for everybody. Somebody that requires a lot of direction/supervision would probably not do very well in the Peace Corps. There are many opportunities, but it takes initiative to make them come to fruition.

Former Employee – worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – Service in the Peace Corps allows you to gain a relatively deep understanding of life in a less-resourced country and, as an overall intense experience, can spur tremendous personal and professional growth. Peace Corps provides a time-tested, well-developed (but admittedly imperfect) operational and social support structure for doing this.

Cons – It isn't always easy--often far from it, in fact--adapting simultaneously to an alien culture and language and job, far from family and friends at home and, once you finish your 3-month training and set off to your permanent site, far (to a greater or lesser degree depending on your country) from your fellow volunteers.

Advice to Senior Management – None

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company

Former Employee – worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – - Comprehensive and thorough training of the culture and language of your host country post
- Access to a vault of technical tools to assist you in your work
- Minimal supervision to allow independence for work

Cons – - Bureaucracy of protocols when applying for grants to fund projects
- Lack of consistent monitoring for the well-being of the volunteer
- Imperfect ability to match the skill set of the volunteer with the needs of the community

Advice to Senior Management – More competent trainings for the local staff to work efficiently with Peace Corps protocols

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

Former Employee – worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – It is truly a life-changing experience to live and work in another country. PCVs learn invaluable communication and problem-solving skills that can transfer to any job after service.

Also, I love the Third Goal of the mission statement - "Helping promote a better understanding of other peoples on the part of Americans." Because of this, PC service is never really finished.

Cons – A pro and a con - since many PCVs live far from the PC offices, they receive little support from PC staff. This requires PCVs to develop self-motivation skills.

Former Employee – worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – It's an adventure of a life time.

Noncompetitive status only helps if your extremely qualified.

Cons – Can get VERY lonely at your permanent site.

Advice to Senior Management – Volunteers should be treated like adults.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend – I'm optimistic about the outlook for this company