Sunday, March 10, 2013

The Breakdown

I've written my "pre-story" of my Peace Corps journey, but I wanted to present it in a "timeline format" for those who search through blogs for this type of thing.

December 12th, 2010: Get a username and password for Peace Corps application, but never look at it or give it any notice, really.

April 2011: Reset password from December because I have since forgotten it.

May 22nd, 2011: Sit down, look at the application, and say "what the heck, here goes!"

July 1st, 2011: Submit Peace Corps application. Available date: April, 2012

August 30th, 2011: Contacted by a recruiter. Was told I wouldn't be further contacted until mid-October due to a "large number of incoming applications"

Mid-September, 2011: Receive background paperwork and fingerprint charts. Complete and mail back.

October 20th, 2011: Interview with recruiter. Was encouraged to get experience in English instruction before we could proceed in the process.

Late October, 2011: Start volunteering teaching ESL. Goal: 30hours.

December 12th, 2011: Was informed I was still not competitive enough and that I should work on gaining more teaching experience.

February, 2012: Had 30 hours of English instruction but wasn't competitive for my preferred region (Central/South America)

Late February, 2012: Extend my start date to April, 2013 due to job, family, and friends-related issues. Application withdrawn (deactivated for the time being)

April, 2012: Sent in notice of 60 hours of ESL English instruction

May, 2012: Sent in notice of 106 hours of English instruction. Application reactivated.

May 22nd, 2012: Update referenced, since it's been a year since I've originally submitted them!

May 30th, 2012: Receive an email from recruiter stating, "I anticipate programs opening up in the next several months that you qualify for and are quite competitive."

June 12th 2012- Receive a nomination for Central/South America for June 2013 for English instruction. WOOOOOO Am also advised to hold on until August for any more progress until the new application/medical portal becomes available. Encouraged to gain experience in Youth Development.

July 30th, 2012: Invited to complete new medical portal questionnaires, etc.

October 19th, 2012: Preclearance

Mid-November, 2012: Asked to update resume

December 12th, 2012: Started a new job at the YMCA doing youth development. Send in an updated updated resume.

December 31st, 2012: Phone interview with another placement officer, asking questions about regional preferences, getting back to my motivation for serving, etc.

January 4th, 2013: Receive official invitation to begin serving June 2013 in PERU in the Youth Development sector

The rest, as they say is history. (And also continued in this blog so add me and check back often for updates!)


Time from starting application account to invitation: 25 months
Time from nomination to invitation: 7 months

Note that my start to finish time was significantly longer than normal due to my pushing back my start date an entire year pretty much.  I have heard that a normal time for this is 9-12 months, but that is all dependent on sector availability, personal skills and experience, and willingness for flexibility. While you may see timelines that resemble this latter breakdown, it is very important to realize that each person's journey is bound to be different. My advice: sit back, hold on, and be patient.

Have any questions? Leave a comment below or contact me by the information on the sidebar.

I'm in the process of finishing up some of my medical stuff (PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET IT BE TRUE) so hold tight to new updates within the next week or so!

Con amor, paciencia, y verdad,
Cheyenne