Peace Corps Reviews

I worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – Working at the Peace Corps led me onto my current career path, which I continue on today. I am grateful for the experience and still think that no other organization compares

Cons – There can, at times, be too much bureaucracy and red tape. At the same time, it is a government run organization so some of that is to be expected.

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

I worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than 3 years

Pros – The ability to create your own goals, vision, and manage your outcomes.

Cons – There's very little, often nothing, to ensure quality or successful results.

Advice to Senior Management – Like the Fulbright Fellowship or Teach for America, the Peace Corps could benefit tremendously from increasing the competitive quality of its applicant pool.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – Learn a new language; get crazy stories; great cross-cultural sharing; challenging and rewarding work; great learning experience.

Cons – Being away from friends, family; very unstructured (although many would consider that a pro); health can suffer if you don't take care of yourself.

Advice to Senior Management – Keep working on improving institutional memory. Give PCVs the freedom to do what they do best. Focus on capacity building.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – Tremendous potential for personal and professional growth. There can be a lot of flexibility in the projects you are able to engage in during your service. NCE status for one year after you finish your service. International, cross-cultural, and language immersion experience, as well as the potential for leadership/capacity building/teaching experience.

Cons – The Peace Corps benefits innovative thinkers and self-starters most. Due to the diversity of each country/region/town placement, there is no blanket training that the country offices are able to provide that fully prepare you for a specific job or task. It is not a guarantee to be able to walk away from your volunteer experience with a lot of deliverables or concrete impact analysis.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – Deeper understanding of what normal life is in other countries than you can get in any development job
Language training and exposure
Great colleagues
Peace Corps organized second year volunteers to be emotional support contacts for first years

Cons – No structure--everything depends on what the community wants to do, so sometimes you don't do much at all
Technical training is only moderately useful
Somewhat bureaucratic country office
Isolation (for some placements)

Advice to Senior Management – More project management training would be very beneficial.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Peace Corps full-time for more than a year

Pros – Both personally and professionally challenging, lots of opportunities for growth, a real learning experience, significant leadership responsibilities, personally rewarding, develop strong personal relationships and lifelong friends

Cons – Limited resources and support, some annoying bureaucratic regulations, a lot of luck with regard to posting (country, city, local counterpart and/or supporting organization)

Advice to Senior Management – Many, but not all, APDC's seem to lack strong management skills and the ability to effectively prioritize PC goals

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I 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

I 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

I 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

I have 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