Applications to join the Peace Corps have increased by more than 70 percent over the last year to 17,336 for two-year service positions in fiscal year 2014 — a 22-year high for the U.S. volunteer agency.
In response, the Peace Corps has doubled its placement staff in recent months and boosted its recruitment staff to support the reforms, which includes hiring 10 staff members dedicated exclusively to diversity recruitment, a spokesperson told Devex Wednesday.
Such an uptick in applicants is also sure to make the already competitive service even more so, although applicants have the opportunity to choose to up to three specific countries and program areas at a time, including the option to say “send me anywhere I’m needed.”
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About the author
Kelli Rogers@kellierin
Kelli Rogers has worked as an Associate Editor and Southeast Asia Correspondent for Devex, with a particular focus on gender. Prior to that, she reported on social and environmental issues from Nairobi, Kenya. Kelli holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri, and has reported from more than 20 countries.