Pros
I served 18 months on a trail crew with Americorps. I believe that each and every program within Americorps differs greatly. My experience with Americorps as an organization was great. I felt that, for the most part, they took care of us and we always felt important. While there isn't much room for advancement, there are many opportunities to earn accolades such as a bronze, silver or gold presidential service awards. Most programs provide many certifications and training for members.The education grant upon completion is always nice, too.
Cons
The pay is absolutely atrocious. Some of the contractual bindings are a bit heavy-handed, such as being banned from wearing the Americorps logo in bars, liquor stores, legal cannabis stores, at any political function, etc. or be faced with losing your job, your contract & your education award. I spent 18 months paranoid that I was wearing my shirt in the wrong place, and as a crew we would even flip our shirts inside out when we went to get dinner and wanted to have a beer off the clock.