1 Thing That You Won't Find in AmeriCorps

by Meghan Oakley

categories: Tips for Applicants, AmeriCorps

Published December 17, 2009 @ 11:50AM PT

This post is in response to comments on the "poor pay" in AmeriCorps, both by people in the blogosphere and by people like your Cousin Frank. Although this post might not get you any closer to landing an AmeriCorps position, you will at least know what to expect if you do land one.

As both a blogger and the program director of an AmeriCorps Program, I get plenty of questions like: Why won't AmeriCorps pay people a living wage? How do they expect people to live on that salary?

The answer is simple: it isn't a salary. If you are looking for cash, the AmeriTree is not one to bark-up. From the start of AmeriCorps*VISTA (the oldest of the programs), AmeriCorps has been a program of full- and part-time volunteers.

While there are many benefits to being in AmeriCorps (including the fact that it can jump-start your non-profit career), it is not intended to compensate people like they are full-time employees (even if they work as much or more). With the exception of Professional Corps programs like Teach for America, most AmeriCorps programs don't (and don't claim to) provide its volunteers with salaries.

Despite this, there are many benefits to serving as an AmeriCorps member, including:

• Professional experience in the non-profit sector
• Health benefits (and lots of people who do have salaries don't have these!)
• Loan forbearance or deferment
• Living allowance
• An Eli Segal Education Award
• Transportion and housing (in some cases)
• Professional development and training

So no, an AmeriCorps position isn't going to bring you in a full-time salary. But then again, it's not supposed to. At the end of the day, AmeriCorps is a volunteer program and is meant to give people an opportunity to serve and communities much needed support.

Photo Attribution: Medical Practice Trends