I am interested in joining AmeriCorps Vista and relocate. Can anyone serve and is it easy to get into? Is the relocation allowance enough to move with? Is the living allowance enough to live off of and are taxes already taken out of what they give you? After your year of service, will employers look at your service as an asset?
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Levbe // Jul 12, 2008
I believe the application process is not too difficult. If you are interested in service, and the mission of the program, you should be fine.
In terms of money, the stipends are hard to live off of, but possible. Lots of Americorps members do it all the time, without any other sources of income. You can usually qualify for food stamps, and can live with other Americorps members to cut costs.
As for employers, I think that the experience you gain will be highly valuable. It will give you the chance to gain skills and take on responsibility that you wouldn't have as an entry level employee. you will gain references as well, and, especially in the non-profit world, Americorps is highly regarded.
Go for it!
2 princess345345 // Jul 12, 2008
I applied, was given a position, and ultimately turned it down. Here's why:
The stipend was 833/month. Before taxes. Around here, you could conceivably live on that, IF you lived in a large house with many other roommates. No thanks!
If you start working and find it's not enough money, you're screwed. You can't have ANY side income. And you can't take a single class after-hours at a University. All you are allowed to do during that year is your full-time Americorps work. They will guilt you into staying because if you leave before the year is up, the organization is not allowed to hire a replacement until the year is over.
Yes, from what I understand, employers look at your service as an asset. But, in my opinion, it was a better asset to find an actual job that paid actual money.
As for the relocation allowance, it seemed quite generous to me. I believe it was about $400 plus mileage. Which is doable, so long as you don't have a lot of stuff (and you shouldn't, if you're moving into the kind of living situation you could afford on the living allowance)
3 CF // Jul 12, 2008
If you have student loans, they will be deferred during your service time. You can also use your Americorps award to pay off student loans or to use for higher education. If you use them for higher ed, you pay taxes on the award when used.
I did a year of service with Americorps and it helped me get into law school.
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