How to talk to your family about the Peace Corps

Peace Corps Volunteer Kaela with her host family in Colombia.

You’ve done the research, you’ve talked to recruiters, you’ve applied, and maybe you’ve already been invited to a position and a country of service.

Or maybe you’re in the early stages of considering the Peace Corps. Either way, you know your family and friends are going to have questions. Don’t worry—there is plenty of information you can share to calm everyone’s anxieties (including your own)!

Help others understand Peace Corps service

Moving abroad for two years might sound scary. Service in the Peace Corps takes grit, resilience and patience. While some things haven’t changed since the agency was established in 1961, service today looks pretty different from what it once was. Help your friends and family understand what Peace Corps Volunteers do so they know it's not a two-year vacation—it's a two-year job with real benefits both during and after service. Share Volunteer profiles with them so they can get a sense of what’s happening on the ground.

A Peace Corps Volunteer in South Africa leans over the front of a table, smiling as she talks to her young students. — A Volunteer in South Africa engages students.

Share your motivations for joining

Americans decide to apply to serve in the Peace Corps for a variety of reasons. Some join right out of college to apply what they’ve learned and gain new skills, some take advantage of opportunities like Peace Corps Response to take a mid-career sabbatical, while others choose to join after they’ve retired. Peace Corps service is a big commitment, and it might be hard for some people to understand why you want to live and work abroad for an extended time. Help your family understand what drives you to serve.

Volunteer safety is the number one priority

Your loved ones care about your well-being, so it’s reasonable for them to feel nervous when you announce you’ve decided to take the Peace Corps leap. Although the Peace Corps cannot eliminate every risk that Volunteers face, the agency takes Volunteer safety and security very seriously.

Each and every Volunteer receives extensive training and support to help minimize risks, and Volunteer sites are carefully selected based on a variety of safety and security criteria. We believe that Volunteers are safest when they’re well-integrated with their communities; learning the language and culture are an important part of staying safe during service. This page explains the way Peace Corps approaches Volunteer safety and security.

You’re covered—even during medical emergencies

What if your family is concerned about you getting sick? Peace Corps Invitees must get medically cleared, an individualized assessment that takes into account their personal medical history and risk factors. Although this clearance process might seem unwieldly, it’s in place specifically to ensure that staff in your country of service are prepared to support your health—mental, emotional, and physical—while you’re in country. Once you get to your country of service, Peace Corps medical officers are available 24/7 to provide support, and the agency provides all necessary and appropriate health care coverage during your service.

Read more about in-country medical support here.

You’ll keep in touch!

For lots of people, both Volunteers and their loved ones, being apart for many months or years can be a big concern. Although not every Volunteer will have cell phone or internet service at their site, most big town centers and capital cities will. Chances are that you and your loved ones will be able to have the occasional phone call or even video chat. And, even if you have to resort to old-school methods, letters are still a lot of fun to send and receive. Every Volunteer has a local mailing address where they can receive mail.

Whether you stay in touch with a monthly phone call or daily text message, let your family member know that they will always be able to contact the Peace Corps in the event of an emergency.

Connect your family with the global Peace Corps family

With close to 250,000 Americans who have served as Volunteers the Peace Corps community is a big one, and your family member or friend will soon join a community of people who support Volunteers. There is a private Peace Corps Family and Friends group on Facebook to facilitate connections in this important community. Because sometimes it helps to hear what another parent or loved one has to say!

Invite family to visit

Michael with host family and American family. — Michael’s family visited him during his service in Nepal.

Since the beginning, the Peace Corps’ third goal has been to share other cultures with Americans at home. Whether your family member or friend has traveled to five countries or five counties, you have a unique opportunity to share your host country culture with them. After you’ve spent a few months at your site, you can even invite them to visit you... and perhaps inspire them to serve, too!

Joining the Peace Corps is a bold move—but Volunteers are well trained and supported. Once you talk through your decision with your loved ones and show them all the ways the Peace Corps supports Volunteers, the people you love may stop being nervous about your choice and instead become your most enthusiastic supporters!

Learn more about what to expect when your loved one serves.