“David… How much does your ‘trip’ cost?”

I get this question A LOT. First off, it’s not a trip it’s a job. PLEASE REMEMBER THAT! It resembles many aspects of other jobs (e.g. Paid Time Off/vacation days, paid training, a somewhat regular work schedule, etc.). One wouldn’t ask a US soldier, “Hey Joe, do you have to pay for that assault rifle? Who covers your plane ticket to Afghanistan, you or the military?”

You kind of need to think of the Peace Corps in similar terms. The PC pays for my plane ticket to and from my country of service (Guyana). If I decide to travel either throughout Guyana, South America, or even back to the States during my 27 months, then I’m responsible for that (out of personal savings). But the PC is responsible for getting me to and from Guyana at the beginning and the end of my service.

Though I may not come out of the PC a millionaire, I won’t be accruing bills/debt from my time spent in country. Technically speaking I never get “paid.” I may work a 30h work week, but I won’t be paid a US$7.25/h wage. That would be WAY too much money for the community I live in. If the family I live with and the rest of the members in my community live off of $1 a day then I would be a king making a US minimum hourly wage. What would I need all that extra money for? Yes, making that extra money would be nice, but you need to remember that if I’m to live in a community with very little, not living at the level of my community would ruin my credibility resulting in a disconnect with my community and would be a disadvantage with any of the projects I try and implement as a “rich American.”

Instead all volunteers receive a living stipend. This is enough money to live off of every month. The amount volunteers receive for their living stipend depends on which country they’re in. Some countries have a higher standard of living, demanding a higher living stipend. Whereas other countries have a drastically lower standard of living driving down the amount of the stipend needed. This includes housing. It’ll depend on where I end up living. If I live in an apartment, my rent will be included in the living stipend. And if I live with a host family my stipend will include money for my family’s house bills. The stipend is used to cover food, bills, and transportation costs (locally). I may not be able to save a ton from my stipend to fund my IRA, but again, I’m not responsible for covering my costs from my personal savings.

The same goes for all medical care. The PC is responsible for covering all medical insurance costs as well as any/all treatment. This includes my day to day necessities like insulin, pump supplies, glucose testing strips, etc. As well as if I get sick and need to seek out any medical care until I recover.

I hope this helps answer any questions along those lines. Let me know if you have more.