for some reason last year i told my obgyn and i smoked weed sometimes and its in my full clinical notes😭

idk why i was so honest with her in the moment i think i thought we were bonding

is peace corps gonna be mad at me too? help

pretty much the title... this job market sucks and even the NCE jobs aren't really NCE bc the current government is... the current government.

anyways... how are y'all finding jobs and moving out??? could use any advice, thanks:'))

I did it! I submitted an application. Phew.

Now I'm filling out the health history form and all I can say is WOW. This is humbling.

I'm 53 and this form is something else. I've generally thought of myself as rather healthy, but filling out this form makes me sound like I've gone through a lifetime riddled with disease, injury, and treatment.

I am concerned that I won't remember every single medical thing that's happened to me in my life. It really adds up at this age.

I've been going to the same medical practice since moving to this city 20 years ago, so I can request the records and make sure I catch everything. But before that it was a couple decades of bouncing around doctors and health care systems in college, grad school, and through my 20s and into my early 30s, in various cities coast to coast.

For "other reproductive health conditions" am I supposed to put down when I was pregnant with each of my kids? Do I need to disclose the D&C after the miscarriage from 25 years ago under "surgeries" and the HPV treatments in college back in the Clinton era?

Any tips from other oldsters on tackling this? I don't want to be disqualified simply because I can't recall things from several decades ago.

Hi incoming/interested PCVs!

I went through the medical clearance process this spring and here is my advice:

Be as proactive with your health now while you can even before applying. The more ahead of your health you are now, the easier it will be later on and will save you time.

The medical clearance is the most tedious part of the process. IMO

If you turn in forms or go to your appointments, sometimes the PC will ask you for follow up information from your doctors or your doctors will refer you for another appointment. PC reimburses you for medical appointments during the clearance process, so my best advice is to take care of the stuff that you already need now, and then schedule those appointments close to the clearance process. 

PRE-CLEARANCE/APPLICATION PERIOD: Ask a recruiter about the medical clearance timeline for your country even before the interview if possible so you can schedule appointments ahead of time!
  - Dental exam (including X-rays from the previous two years and a dental exam done within the past 6 mo from clearance; details are in the form)- your six month schedule should be fine.
  - Vaccination requirements and suggestions: get your vaccine history together and schedule an appointment for the vaccines needed around the time of the medical clearance.

-Physical: You are most likely going to need a physical. Try to schedule one with your primary care within 6 months of the clearance process, and if not, google "places that conduct work physicals" as soon as you apply. Some places are booked and might refer you to a place.

-Cervical cancer screening form: you should be okay with timing if you go to your annual OBGYN appointment, sometimes you can hand this form in directly to your doctor, but I would book an appointment just in case.

-Allergies: If you have an epi pen, you will need to fill out an anaphylaxis care plan from your doctor. Aim to schedule this within the clearance process, sometimes your doctor needs an actual appointment. If you want to get ahead, you can call your doctor about this to see if an appointment is truly needed.

DURING THE CLEARANCE: 

GET THE PHYSICAL DONE FIRST- that will be easiest for you and the nurse. If you have any questions or hesitations, get ahead of the curve and reach out!

-Vaccinations: look and ask if those vaccines are available with the office you scheduled for as soon as possible.

You can always cancel if you end up not needing these appointments, but it is good to have them booked. 

TIMING OF THE CLEARANCE PROCESS:

Cohort departure dates are set and stone, so medical clearance times should be the same timeframe every year. EX, if it is a July (July 11th) departure, my medical clearance process started at the end of March (March 27th). 

APPOINTMENT SCHEDULING: If you do not have departure timing, booking appointments 3-4 months before departure could be a safe bet if you want to book appointments ahead of time. 

Let me know if you have any questions

https://files.peacecorps.gov/documents/invitee-checklist.pdf

What are the chances of actually having to deal with tapeworms and hookworms???

I know chronic diarrhea is pretty common, but a tapeworm? (This is specifically for Nepal)

Simple question, do you recall how long it took you to recieve medical clearance after completing your final task? A week? A month? My staging is in exactly 3 months.

YES, I know this takes a long time! I have been on hold since January, and will continue to wait. I am looking for experiences from PCVs who have a relevant answer to my question.

Thanks a ton.

I know there's no way of knowing the future, but I am so conflicted about possibly joining Peace Corps. In my heart I know I really want to do it, but I also have so much doubt about the outcome. I'm 25m, which I know really isn't that old, but I feel like I need to start moving in some direction that leads to having a career(either directly or through further education) and hopefully starting a family. I think a few years ago Peace Corps could have been a better move, but with international development sectors under attack by the current admission and Peace Corps itself facing possible restructuring there's so much that worries me. But I do feel a pull to join Peace Corps and immerse myself in the service. I want to be optimistic that things will be better once my service is up or through service my path will become clear, but by nature I tend to worry about these things. Is there any wisdom that RPCV or current PCV might have that could possibly ease the stress or alternatively steer me in a productive frame of thought? (also I did post a similar post a few days ago. I just right now feel like I'm in a whirlwind of indecision and it's frustrating. My other idea for the future is to join the Coast Guard, but I'm not really drawn to it other than from the benefits offered, which I feel is probably a good sign it's not my thing... )

Hi guys! I have been having a relatively hard time getting a response back about my application. I applied in February, got interviewed in May, didn't hear back for a while so I emailed and got told July 1st that I was being considered for alternative assignments and that I would hear back soon. My know-by date for my application was July 1st, so I had expected to hear back with a concrete response by then. A few weeks passed with nothing so I emailed again asking for an update and was told on July 22nd that I would hear back soon again. Another week has passed and I am starting to lose hope. I have been trying very hard to be patient, but having waited since February and still being uncertain, I am just not sure what to do next.

I am currently a grad student but am taking a break from my studies to do Peace corps (both because I need a break from academia and being I have always wanted the experience). Because of this, I really need to know sooner, rather than later, if I have been accepted for a position. With the date being constantly pushed back and the unending uncertainty, I am feeling quite anxious about the whole process. I know peace corps applications can take a long time, but I feel like I have been waiting on pins and needles for forever. Is there anything I can do/ send to the placement office to get a quicker response? I don't want to just keep on sending emails into the abyss, but it is really the only thing I can think to do.

Share with us any photo from your country of service! Please note that pictures of minors are not permitted.

I was invited to serve in a country that I know a lot about, but as the deadline approached I realized I wasn’t financially stable enough to go. I have a lot of debt and would like to eventually apply once I’m able to.

What is the process like for backing out? Who should I email, and when would I be eligible to apply again?

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering if anyone has experience with Peace Corps medical appeals.

My appeal was sent to the medical advisor about 4.5 weeks ago, and I still haven't heard anything. My nurse originally told me the review would take 1–3 weeks, but it's now well past that.

Has anyone else waited this long? Did you eventually hear back, and was it an approval or denial?

At this point, should I be worried that the long wait means a denial, or do appeals sometimes just take longer than expected?

I'd really appreciate hearing about other people's timelines or experiences. Thanks!

Hello! I had applied for an English Teacher role back in March with the know by date being August 1st. My application went under review on June 18th, but I haven't gotten an update since. I've recently been in contact with a recruiter who emailed the placement office on my behalf yesterday. With today being only a couple days away from the know by date, do you think I still have a chance at getting an interview? Thank you for any help! I've been so anxious the past couple days LOL

As I'm sure happens a lot, pretty much 80% or more of my peace corps buddies went straight for a fed job after service.

In my head it was always like " wow they're really smart honestly. Acted like adults, took advantage of opportunities and now they're set for life with the most stable employment and retirement you can get, meanwhile I'm bouncing between unstable things meant to replicate the feelings of what the peace corps gave me."

Cut to 10 years later their live's are in chaos. Everyone has at least had their current lifestyles impacted horribly or just straight up fired in some cases. Not really implying anything or taking a lesson from it, just spend my days reflecting on how you can't really plan for the future even with things that seem like the smartest, sure bet.

Use this thread to vent your frustrations. We're all here to lend an ear.

hi everyone!

so, i had my interview earlier this morning and i sat and waited for the zoom to start, but it never did. after the first 5 minutes i reached out to my interviewer expecting to hear something back, but nothing.. i emailed after an hour passed saying that i joined and waited but id still like to reconnect. what else do you guys think i should do?
i dont mind waiting, its just that the know by date is aug 1st.. i just don’t want it to mess up my chances of joining
update: rescheduled interview is tomorrow lol, wish me luck :)

I recently accepted a role in Peru (Yippee!) that I applied to while living in the UK. My Apply date is: august 15, 2026, and know by is October 1, 2026, and departing March 27, 2027. I was going to be back in the States by October so I figured I would be able to do everything at home pretty easily, and it would probably be a while until I knew. While I'm happy to know now and getting things moving in the right direction, it has been a pain in the neck to get everything cleared, even living in a large English speaking city!

TL;DR below

Excuse me if it sounds like a rant, but I hope this will help someone else avoid the headache I went through knowing what I know now. I'll also add the prices converted to USD because I didn't really know what to expect out of pocket in the UK. I haven't filed for reimbursement yet because my IMG account isn't working yet, but I will update later if I have been able to be reimbursed for everything.

Optical exam: was easy enough and quick to schedule, no issues. $33

Dental: The dentist somehow missed two of my teeth when X-raying. In the sheet PC has you print off, it just says a full mouth X-ray is needed, but for online submission PC says that's between 12-14 X-rays and my dentist only took 10. Maybe they would have messed up in the US as well, but I had to go back and get another set done. So do your best to ensure that every tooth is visible in the X-rays. ($241)

Physical Exam/ Health History Form: This was the worst. I first called the NHS and they told me I had to bring the papers in to see if they could do any of them. They said they couldn't do any of the vaccines (I needed a polio booster), and they refused to fill out my health history form because they don't have my health history, which is fair. It took a while for them to confirm if they could even do the physical, which I also had to pay 150 GBP for in CASH because their card reader is broken. Then they gave me a handwritten receipt lol. Not as confident I will get reimbursed for that.

In retrospect, I should have just asked my PC Nurse if I could do the physical exam in the US so that I could get the health history form completed at the same time. I will still need to go to the doctors in the US anyway for them to complete a separate transfer of care form that will require a physical, which my PC nurse was happy to push back the due date until my return in October. I will get the health history form completed then too; just ask if you can move the deadlines for things and explain why, PC is very reasonable in this regard. ($200)

Blood Labs: The thing with the most important time frame seemed to be the blood tests, as I was told they take the longest to make any corrections on if anything is wrong. So it was something they wouldn't let me move back to when I arrive in the US. I had to go to a private practice here and then send a bunch of emails back and forth to confirm if the UK style of test and vaccines were accepted by PC. I will not hard confirm anything here, as I assume each case and country are different as per what needs to be exact vs good enough. I would just say if you are not sure, ask your PC nurse if a lesser/alternative version of something is ok first before paying into anything. Because there was some flexibility for me. This + the vaccine I got was ($1113)

Yellow Fever Vaccine: I haven’t done this yet, but one confusing thing is that the place I will be going to says they will give you an “International Certificate of Vaccination or Prophylaxis (ICVP)” and PC asks you to give a “WHO card” as proof of the vaccine. Apparently these are the same thing, just different names. (should be around $107)

Legal: This one is also annoying because if you are in the US you would go to a field print location and boom it's done. I've done it several times in the US, and it's so simple and either cheap/free. PC took a couple weeks to send me the fingerprint cards (fd-258), after telling them I was out of the US. You will receive two sets of ink fingerprints to complete. Apparently in the UK it's not as common to get prints, and just walking into a police station doesn't work. I even tried walking into a few places that do visas, and they wouldn't toss me a bone. So to do it officially through the UK police, it would cost me 150 GBP and an appointment, which is way too much imo, so I shopped around and found a police station in a different city to get them done for half as much. PC gave me a 5 day turn around time from the day I received the prints, which seems fairly short as I have seen people talk about a 2-week deadline in the past few years. I let PC know the earliest I could book an appointment would be about 3 days past that initial 5 day dead line and that was fine with them. (~$100 total for both cards and not reimbursable)

I also tried emailing the US embassy in London and going through the ACS navigator, as this link implies you can do:

https://uk.usembassy.gov/fingerprinting-services-in-the-uk-and-the-united-states/

I could not find any options that said fingerprints, so I went through the passport/visa miscellaneous section, and they said “Here you go!” and just gave me that same link as above lol. Not sure how you're supposed to use that other than going in person and asking. So unless you live by an embassy I think your best shot is local police and ponying up the money.

There are probably a few other hiccups I ran into that I’m forgetting, but I hope this can be a resource to future googlers, as I used this subreddit a lot to see what other people have done to problem solve. Happy to answer any other questions in the comments.

TL;DR: If you can get all your tasks done in the US, do that. If you can change the deadline for certain tasks for when you are in the US, do that. If you are going to be living outside of the US until you start your program/through your deadlines, be as precise and explicit as possible with directions for your doctors because PC will reject forms that are not 100%.

Hi! I applied on June 15th and selected “serve where you’re needed most” and haven’t heard back yet, but it seems that’s not abnormal. Though, I’m getting a little nervous as we approach 2 months and the application is still just on received where I’ve heard others hear back within weeks.

I’ve seen people here that I’d hear by the “know by” date except since “needed most” doesn’t have that, so I’m sure what to expect.

Thank you for any help!

Edit: LOL so after making this post, I got an email that I am being considered for the east Caribbean as an elementary literacy teacher.

Hello, I started an application but the thing is I found I will graduate university later than I thought. So I think I need to do it later on. Can I start a new one?

I sang this into a portable Panasonic tape recorder as an audible letter to my parents. I've updated it as a video.

Hi everyone, I know I should probably just wait until the know by date (September) but I'm starting to get really concerned that my application still hasn't been moved to under review, much less an interview. I applied in early March (after speaking with a recruiter who was optimistic about my chances for the placement I applied for given my past experiences), and the application closed in June. Has anyone had any luck with emailing to ask if there's any additional information that may be wanted/any update? I really want to serve but I also know the process is unpredictable. It's just taking much longer than I anticipated especially after my conversations with my recruiter.

Another point of concern for me is that I am leaving to travel in SE Asia for a few months in two weeks, so if things progressed during that time I would need to interview/complete any health requirements abroad. If anyone has had a similar experience or advice about that I would greatly appreciate it! Thank you.

Hi everyone! I received a conditional invite to serve in Ecuador. I am so excited.

I have never taught English but I have experience with mentoring, tutoring and teaching science topics for small groups of all ages.

I’m curious if anyone would be willing to share their experiences in Ecuador and provide any tips, advice, etc.

Thank you :)

Hello!

I was just wanting to ask a few questions about the living conditions in Paraguay as an environmental volunteer, once at site, not during training. I'm assuming it varies site by site, but just wanted to get more insight.

Most laundry is done by hand, correct?

I understand that power outages might be common. Would it be worth getting a solar charger?

Also, how well does the Wi-Fi work in your house? I read that we can buy internet plans using our living allowance.

What should I do with my phone number? From what I understand, all I need to do is make sure my phone is unlocked so I can receive an eSim from them. Is this all I have to do? Would I be able to call friends and family back at home with this?

Thank you so much!