Positions and Eligibility

Employment eligibility

The Peace Corps is powered by people who bring their individual culture, identity, and life experience together in the spirit of world peace and friendship. Learn more about available roles and who’s eligible to fill them.

Equal opportunity

We are committed to providing equal opportunity to all employees, Volunteers, and applicants for employment and Volunteer service.

The Peace Corps does not discriminate in employment on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy and gender identity), national origin, political affiliation, sexual orientation, marital status, disability, genetic information, age, membership in an employee organization, retaliation, parental status, military service, or other non-merit factors.

The Peace Corps provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the application and hiring process, please notify the Office of Human Resources by calling 202.692.1200, or the Office of Civil Rights and Diversity at 202.692.2139. Decisions on granting reasonable accommodations are made on a case-by-case basis.

Learn more about our commitment to being an Equal Employment Opportunity employer

Intelligence background limitations

Peace Corps Manual Section 611 prohibits the employment of certain persons previously engaged in intelligence activities or connected with intelligence agencies within the past 10 years. If you have ever worked for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), you are not eligible for employment at the Peace Corps in any capacity, and you should not apply for employment.

PC-1336 form: Applicants who are found to be otherwise qualified will be required to submit upon request a completed PC-1336 form or narrative signed statement, indicating whether the applicant has been involved in or has had any connection with intelligence activities or related work and, if so, the nature and dates of their involvement.

Usually relying on memory is sufficient to answer most, if not all, of the questions. Failure to meet this requirement will result in the applicant being rated ineligible for further consideration. If you have any type of possible intelligence connection, your application will not be further considered until you submit this form.

Except when the CIA or the National Security Agency (NSA) is involved (see below), if your connection with an intelligence agency involves an immediate family member who works or has worked in intelligence, the immediate family member should complete the form, not the applicant.

If you have an immediate family member who works or has worked for the CIA, please contact your relative directly—not by phone, email, social networking, or any other means that is not in-person—and ask them to contact the Office of General Counsel at the CIA.

If you or an immediate family member have been employed by or associated with the NSA, you or your family member must contact the NSA Prepublication Review Office at 443-634-4095.

Former Peace Corps employees

Peace Corps employees receive time-limited appointments and most employees are limited to a maximum of five years (60 months) of employment with the agency. This time limit is referred to as the "five-year rule." It was established to ensure that Peace Corps staff, like Volunteers, bring fresh ideas and innovation to the agency.

Former direct-hire Peace Corps employees who have separated from the agency and were appointed to a position to which the “five-year rule” applies, cannot be reappointed to the Peace Corps to any direct-hire position to which the “five-year rule” applies until they have been separated from the Peace Corps for the same amount of time of their previous Peace Corps direct-hire appointment. For example, if you previously worked for the Peace Corps in a direct-hire position to which the “five-year rule” applies for three years, you cannot be reappointed to a direct-hire position for the Peace Corps to which the “five-year rule” applies until you have been away from the agency for three years. This rule does not apply to the following categories: Peace Corps Volunteers or Peace Corps Response Volunteers, expert appointments, and Farr-Castle exempt appointments.

After three years of employment with the Peace Corps, you will earn non-competitive eligibility status, which can help you obtain employment at other federal government agencies.

Recently Returned Peace Corps Volunteers

Returned Peace Corps Volunteers are eligible for the Peace Corps Hiring Benefit (PCHB) and can be hired for Peace Corps staff positions, non-competitively, for up to three years after close of service (COS), if they have successfully completed their service. Apply to the Peace Corps Eligibility (PCE) roster on USAJOBS to be considered.

Country post management positions

Each overseas post has three senior management positions, who together effectively lead the host country staff team to optimize the safe, quality and high-impact service experience of Volunteers. These positions include country director, director of management and operations, and director of programming and training.

The country director position may only be filled by U.S. citizens. Depending on the post, the director of management and operations and director of programming and training positions may be filled by U.S. citizen direct-hires, or by host country national or third-country national personal services contractors.

Beyond the three positions listed above that provide leadership to posts, there may be additional direct-hire positions available that support post-specific or regional leadership responsibilities. They include deputy director of programming and training, program manager, regional mental health officer, or Peace Corps safety and security officer.

Medical officer positions

To support Volunteers in the field, Peace Corps medical officers are needed at each Peace Corps country post and are limited to licensed physicians and licensed and certified nurse practitioners.

U.S. citizens and third-country nationals (applying for positions outside their country of permanent residence) can apply whenever there is an open solicitation for a Peace Corps medical officer position (long-term, short-term, or intermittent) posted to Sam.gov. The open solicitation will provide information about the position as well as instructions on how to apply.

Foreign nationals seeking a medical officer position should direct their questions on current openings, eligibility, and the application process to the Peace Corps office in the country they wish to work.