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Share Your Experience
From group presentations to one-on-one, informal mentoring, there are countless ways to promote service. To help guide those conversations, we’ve compiled resources, practical advice, and common questions you may encounter when speaking with individuals interested in learning more about the Peace Corps.
Global Connections
The Global Connections program gives schools, community groups, and other organizations access to the Peace Corps network—free of charge—for presentations, pen pal exchanges, and more. This program is a key component to fulfilling the Peace Corps' third goal: to increase Americans' understanding of other peoples and cultures. Global Connections allows learners of all ages to experience different countries, languages, and traditions by connecting with a current or Returned Peace Corps Volunteer (RPCV) and their host community.
Any teacher, organization, or local club interested in participating can submit a request form, including specific details of how they would like to shape their intercultural exchange. The educator will be contacted directly with more information to facilitate their connection. Volunteers can email [email protected] to learn more about how to participate during service.
RPCVs who would like to sign up as a speaker in the Global Connections program can do so through the RPCV Portal.
Whether you speak at a local high school, a Rotary Club meeting, or a special event, approach the opportunity as an open, informative conversation.
If speaking with someone interested in applying, start by listening. Encourage them to share why they are interested in Peace Corps service and what they hope to gain from the experience. A deeper understanding of their goals, interests, and concerns can shape the guidance and stories you share.
When discussing your own experience, focus on authentic, personal examples. Every Volunteer’s experience is unique and keeping your perspective grounded in your own service helps to avoid generalizations. Review our storytelling tips to strengthen your stories.
The best practices below can help you connect with various age groups:
Empower your storytelling with ready‑to‑use templates and Peace Corps resources.
Review a prospective applicant’s LinkedIn profile
To better understand where someone could go with the Peace Corps, it helps to know where they’ve been. LinkedIn is a great way to gain a deeper understanding of someone’s previous work experience, education, skills, and interests. RPCVs are invited to sign up to review prospective Volunteers’ LinkedIn profiles and discuss with them the Peace Corps assignments for which they will be most competitive.
Profile review checklist
Eligibility
All Volunteers must be U.S. citizens who are at least 18 years old. If they do not meet these requirements, they cannot serve until they do.
Qualifications
Do they have either a bachelor’s degree OR four years of work experience OR two years of work experience and an associate degree? If so, they meet the basic qualifications required for most Peace Corps Volunteer roles.
Sector focus
Consider how their previous work experience, studies, and long-term goals relate to Peace Corps’ six work sectors. For instance, you might recommend that a forestry graduate with dreams of working for the National Park Service apply to an Agriculture or Environment opportunity. On the other hand, you might suggest a former camp counselor or sport science major look into Youth in Development or Education options. You get the idea!
Language skills
Ask if they speak another language and encourage them to consider countries where they could continue developing those skills. Spanish speakers could be strong candidates for select roles in Latin America where language proficiency is required. As you may know from your own experience, Volunteers receive three months of intensive language instruction during pre-service training—not to mention two years of daily immersion to become fluent!
Geographic interest
Are they drawn to a particular country or region? Perhaps they’re hoping to deepen their connection to their heritage, or maybe a country they saw on TV sparked their curiosity. Perhaps they did a school project or studied abroad in a place they’d love to make an impact.
Whatever motivates their top choice, encourage them to do the following:
- Apply to a position in the country as early as possible.
- Research the 60+ countries Volunteers serve in and see if one that was not previously on their radar has a role that excites them.
- Apply to serve where they’re needed most, which will give them the best chance of a Peace Corps invitation since their skills are considered for all open positions.
Tell them about your country of service. Was it your first choice? How did it compare to your initial expectations?
Deepen the connection
Finally, encourage them to follow the Peace Corps on LinkedIn and other social media platforms to learn of new opportunities and be inspired by the work of Volunteers happening every day. If you’re open to it, send them a LinkedIn connection request to stay in touch.
Questions you may get asked
Yes! There are opportunities that accept candidates with four years of relevant experience or two years of experience plus an associate degree. If the prospective Volunteer qualifies based on years of experience, instruct them to clearly list their job start and end dates on their resume to make it easy for the Peace Corps to confirm they meet the minimum years of experience requirement. Learn more about qualifying without a college degree.
Two years can sound intimidating or a long time to live away from loved ones. Knowing what you now know, what would you tell your younger self who may have been hesitant to commit to two years? Be honest about the difficulty of missing milestones or special events back home while serving. How did you navigate those days and what did you gain in the tradeoff? Share if anyone came to visit you during your service and what it was like to share your temporary corner of the world with them.
Think back to how you first heard about the Peace Corps. Was it a professor or a poster? Did you hear service stories from an RPCV you met? What ultimately inspired you to commit to serving overseas?
How did your Peace Corps service shape who you are, how you see the world, and where you are today? How did the vast RPCV network support you personally and professionally? Did you or a RPCV friend of yours gain a graduate degree after service through the Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program? How did you use post-service award money? Be sure to share all the Volunteer benefits.
The toughest days are often the ones when you feel overwhelmed adapting to a new culture or lonely during service. They can also be when Volunteers must navigate situations with few resources or slow project progress. Now think about what came next: the moments when connections deepened, when a strong sense of belonging formed, or when you and the community identified creative solutions. In many ways, the hardest and most rewarding days are intertwined.
You might be surprised how many people have never heard of the Peace Corps. It’s important to share that the Peace Corps sends U.S. citizens to over 60 countries that have formally requested support. Service is a powerful way to strengthen U.S. relations with other countries. After all, the Peace Corps mission is to promote world peace and friendship through community-based development and intercultural understanding.
Serving in the Peace Corps is free! With a commitment to make service accessible to all Americans and reduce financial barriers, the Peace Corps covers everything from the medical expenses incurred during the clearance process to your passport, flights and housing. Learn more about the costs covered by the Peace Corps.
Other ways to share
Add your voice to the Peace Corps’ living history.
Write a blog post to share your service story and pass along what you learned.