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Married couple, one US, the other Canadian - is is possible to go?nicholas covington7-22-07  4:26 pm
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Laurie Lynn (c-24-6-164-89.hsd1.ca.comcast.net - 24.6.164.89)
Posted on Friday, March 10, 2006 - 4:38 pm:   

My husband and I are thinking about applying for the Peace Corps. I finish my masters degree in May'06, my husband will finish his in 2 years. We would plan on leaving after he finishes his Masters, which would be around June'08.

Since I've heard placing couples takes a lot longer, can we apply earlier than a year in advance? I was thinking we would start the application process in Jan'07. Is that possible?

One more question. I have a pretty good amount of volunteer experience, but my husband has no real volunteer experience. He will have 5+ years of work experience and some tutoring experience, but no real volunteer experience. Will this be a problem? Is volunteer experience absolutely necessary--even if you have a lot of experience in the area of your job (if it has to do with what you will be doing in the country you are placed)?

We could start volunteering someplace before we start the application process. So, if it's necessary, that won't be a problem.
Anonymous (c-24-56-218-209.chrlmi.cablespeed.com - 24.56.218.209)
Posted on Friday, April 14, 2006 - 5:43 pm:   

1) From my experience as a Peace Corps Volunteer, married couples are in demand and they seem to adjust easier and excel more at their sites. I know there would be no problem placing couples in the country I served in.
2) It took me a total of 2 years to get into the Peace Corps (PC). The least amount of time, that Ive heard of, to get into the PC is 4 months. The older you are the longer it tends to take, because you have more history to report. so yes i think jan'07 is good, but you can also get a head start by making sure you have all your required paper work handy. For example, I was married and divorced. PC requires, information about the marriage and divorce, including my ex's social security number. this took me a while to find. the medical process is also time consuming. You can also apply at your own pace on line.
3) You do not have to have volunteer experience. It doesn't deter you from getting accepted as a PC volunteer, but it does help you to get placed in the feild you want to work in and also gives you personal experience which will make it easier for your adjustment to volunteering in the PC.
4) Your credentials are not really an issue, since you are going into a developing country, anything you will be teaching or coordinating will most likely be very basic. the strongest skills you will need are patience and flexibility.

good luck
Enrique (156-56-132-170.dhcp-bl.indiana.edu - 156.56.132.170)
Posted on Thursday, November 09, 2006 - 7:43 pm:   

The application has you set a 'leave by' date. So theoretically you could fill it out whenever I would think.

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