Employment Guide: Peace Corps and Teach for America provide public service opportunities

Ryan Riley graduated from Pitt this summer, but instead of joining her job-searching peers in… Ryan Riley graduated from Pitt this summer, but instead of joining her job-searching peers in the mire of the struggling economy, she took a public service position.

Riley is just one of many college gradyates who wants to do good for others by seeking a position in the public service sector as opposed to a job in the private sector.

Teach For America and the Peace Corps are receiving record-high numbers of applications from students. The organizations share the goal of providing students with opportunities to exercise their commitment to public service and to volunteer to help those in need.

Teach For America places qualified students in a two-year program at underprivileged schools around the nation with hopes of bridging educational gaps.

Riley made the decision to apply and enroll in Teach For America after working as the national chair for College Democrats’ Black Caucus, where she become an advocate for advancing education in black communities.

“I wanted to give back to younger African-Americans in my community, and Teach For America allows me to do that,” Riley said.

This year, according to Teach For America’s website, more than 9,300 volunteers will teach 600,000 students. Applications are at a record high with a 32 percent increase over last year.

Riley was placed as a seventh-grade math teacher teaching three 90-minute classes a day to students in a charter school in Inglewood, Chicago — an experience that taught her skills she hopes to use when she attends law school.

“You’re asked to juggle a lot of different things. I thought I was pretty good at multitasking in college, but the workload is much more with something new coming at you all the time,” Riley said. “It really helps you in learning to multitask and plan ahead of time, but it also looks good to be able to attach Teach For America to your resume.”

Adrian Monge, Pitt’s campus coordinator for Teach For America, said, “I think that students recognize that it’s a great opportunity not only for them to do something very meaningful after college, but also a great opportunity for themselves in terms of furthering their own professional and academic aspirations.”

Monge said that “the idea isn’t that we are attracting the most worthy students and keeping them in education forever.”

Instead she said that Teach For America members’ two-year service allows them to serve as advocates in their field of interest after they complete the program.

“Teach For America isn’t your average AmeriCorps program. It’s not like the Peace Corps where you’re volunteering your time and getting a small stipend at the end. With Teach For America, you receive a full teacher’s salary benefit and an American education award of $10,000 in terms of furthering your education afterward,” Monge said.

Monge also said that Teach For America assists Corps members’ transition into their desired fields after completing the program by providing partnership opportunities with grad schools and various businesses.

But the Peace Corps has also proven to be a viable option for students looking for volunteer work, only overseas.

The Peace Corps is a 27-month commitment placing students and graduates in one of more than 76 countries across the globe to volunteer in areas such as education, youth and community development, health, business and information and communications technology, agriculture and environment.

More than 200,000 volunteers have served in the program since its establishment in 1961.

The number of volunteers has increased since 1970, and applications on the rise. In 2010, the organization received almost 13,500 applicants for about 8,600 available positions.

The program is open to all people 18 years old and over with an interest in public service abroad. Applicants are placed in a location according to the host nation’s needs and the applicant’s skill sets.

Molly Levine, Public Affairs Specialist for the Peace Corps, said that 635 Pitt graduates have served in the Peace Corps since 1961.

Pitt political science professor Scott Morgenstern, who volunteered with the Peace Corps, said he encourages interested students to add themselves to the volunteer record.

A graduate of Occidental College in Los Angeles, Morgenstern decided to volunteer after facing uncertain future career prospects. Morgenstern turned down a job offer from a bank in search of a career that was “more in touch with the rest of the world, with a greater sense of purpose to it [than] counting money.”

The Peace Corps provided him with such an opportunity by placing him in the South Pacific island country of Samoa, formerly called Western Samoa, where he worked primarily as a math instructor.

“It’s an incredible opportunity to step out of your comfort zone, and it’s an opportunity that you have very seldom in your life to do something very different that has an important, yet still small, impact on the world,” Morgenstern said.

He also said that his involvement in the Peace Corps led him to his current career as a political science professor. The experience kindled his initial interest to study the developing world, and gave him the drive needed to travel to Asia and Latin America to do so.

“It has tremendous benefits in terms of understanding the world and gaining a new perspective on our own country through different eyes,” Morgenstern said.

Junior Rachel Browning said she can relate to Morgenstern’s sentiments about post-graduation plans as she contemplates joining the Peace Corps.

“I’m a social work major so I want to get some field work practice before I actually start practicing social work,” Browning said. “Secondly, I’m really unsure about my plans after college. So I figure why not do something where I can see the world and make a difference in someone’s life while becoming more cultured myself?”

While the thought of spending 27 months abroad is a bit daunting to Browning, she said the sacrifice is worthwhile.

“You do have to recognize that you can’t go into a country for six months trying to set up a reform program and expect it to be functioning six months after you started it. You have to put more time into it,” Browning said.

While prospective applicants and participants alike cite job uncertainty as a factor in their decision to apply, the Peace Corps does not view it as the main incentive.

“We do not see the economy as a factor in people’s decision to join,” Levine said. “Our applicants are committed to public service and often mention wanting to join to continue their volunteer efforts during their interviews.”

Seniors interested in either Teach For America or the Peace Corps are encouraged to apply soon, as the process can take about a year to complete.

Teach For America involves a four-step process involving the completion of an online application where students submit personal, academic and professional information, a resume and a letter of intent. From there, applicants will complete a two-part online activity, a phone interview and a final interview before they are notified of their acceptance.

The Peace Corps involves a five-step application process before accepted members can prepare to depart. Applicants will complete an application form involving two essays, three references and a resume. Those who will potentially qualify will then be contacted for step two, an interview, before having their application reviewed for nomination by a recruiter.

Applicants who have been nominated will then undergo a final “health, legal, suitability, and competitive review” before receiving their final invitation into the program.

The Peace Corps recommends beginning by Oct. 1 for those intending to begin their service in fall 2012.

Teach For America has set five rolling admissions deadlines for students. The next one is Oct. 26.