Sidebar #51: Post-Service Benefits of Being a Peace Corps Volunteer

Much like military service or other government roles, there are some nice post-service perks of being a Peace Corps volunteer too. Upon finishing service, volunteers receive a readjustment allowance to move back to the US. Volunteers garner about $300/month for this, so anyone who completes the full 27-month service receives a post-service parachute of roughly $10,000. Many Peace Corps Volunteers also choose to go to graduate school after finishing their service. Several graduate institutions offer Coverdell Fellowships for Returned Peace Corps Volunteers (RPCVs) which offer significant financial aid (and some full rides) to RPCVs. Finally, Returned Peace Corps Volunteers possess one year of non-competitive eligibility for jobs in the federal government. However, in the current context, many of those federal positions no longer exist under the Trump Administration following cuts by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Thus, NCE is becoming less of a post-service perk than it once was.

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