Life After AmeriCorps

At the end of your term of service with AmeriCorps, will you sign up for another year of AmeriCorps, or serve through another service organization, like the Peace Corps? Will you look for a job? Will you use your education award to attend college or graduate school? How will you build on the skills you’ve developed?

To help you sort out your options and make the best decision, AmeriCorps has prepared a website that may help you whether you’re thinking about getting a job, going to school, or doing another year of service. What's Next: Life After Your Service Year includes exercises to help you evaluate your accomplishments as an AmeriCorps member and figure out how to combine your skills and interests into a potential career path.

Specifically, What’s Next will help you:

• plan your transition;

• reflect on the personal and professional growth you’ve experienced as a result of your AmeriCorps or VISTA service;

• assess your skills and accomplishments;

• weigh your choices for what comes next; and 

• identify resources and strategies to help you take the next steps

Visit the What’s Next website at http://encorps.nationalserviceresources.org/whatsnext. 

You may serve as many terms as it takes to earn the value of two full-time Education Awards in national service. To be eligible to serve a subsequent term of service, you must receive satisfactory performance reviews for any previous term of service. Your eligibility for a subsequent term of service with this program will be based on your performance focusing on factors such as whether you have:

• Completed the required number of hours;

• Satisfactorily completed assignments, tasks, or projects; 

• Meet any other criteria that were clearly communicated both orally and in writing at the beginning of the term of service.  

That eligibility for an additional term of service does not guarantee selection or placement.

Education Alliance AmeriCorps program is a part-time program and members may only earn the equivalent of two full time education awards. If you transfer to a full-time program you will have to verify you are eligible to receive a full education award.

The final decision regarding a member serving more than one term is at the discretion of the Education Alliance AmeriCorps Director. See Attachment 7: Application for Subsequent Term on page 90.

Part of your pledge as an AmeriCorps member is to get things done “this year and beyond.” You have several options and resources if you want to continue to serve, such as:

• serving another term as an AmeriCorps member; talk with your project director, visit my.americorps.gov, or call (202) 606-5000 or (800) 833-3722;

• leading teams of AmeriCorps members and programs as an AmeriCorps Leader; call (202) 606-5000, x164;

• applying to the Peace Corps; visit www.peacecorps.gov, or call 1 (855) 855-1961 ext.1470 or 202.692.1470; and

• volunteering in your community; visit www.volunteermatch.org or www.serve.gov. 

• Get involved with the National AmeriCorps Association; visit www.americorpsalums.org or call (404) 979-2923;

• Help the national recruitment office spread the word about AmeriCorps; call (202) 606-5000, x566;

• Log-on to our web site, www.nationalservice.gov, to find out what’s happening in the national service field. Our site has lots of great information, including:

  • Answers to frequently asked questions about the education award;

  • Information on how to get involved in national days of service like National Youth Service Day and Martin Luther King Day.

Regardless of the path you choose, as an AmeriCorps graduate you have the special skills needed to transform your communities and shape the future. You did it this year, now it’s time to keep your AmeriCorps pledge to carry this commitment with you this year and beyond. Good luck and stay in touch.