Has anyone ever considered/taken an Americorps position?

[sparklett]

I've been offered an Americorps position, but I'm not sure whether I should take it. It's an 11-month position and would allow DH, DS and I to live in a simply AMAZING, beautiful place and have a year-long adventure. It includes FREE housing and utilities, plus a $1,000 per month stipend. We have no debt except for student loans, so the $1,000 would be for food and expenses. DH would get a simple part time job to help make ends meet, or I might even pull out some of our investments. The award I would receive at the end of my term-of-service would cover the balance on the loans. The job would be a dream job for me and would allow DH to be a SAHD and make great strides towards finishing his academic program.

DS is 3 years old. What are you thoughts about uprooting a toddler, doing the adventure for a year, and then moving again?? Is that just too hard?

And does anyone have any experience with Americorps?

[Mom2M]

Wow, I would definitely do it!!
What a great opportunity for all of you, congratulations! I think your 3 year old will have fun, lots of extra Dad time and you guys will both be happy with the move which would probably make him happy too.

[liberal_chick]

That sounds really amazing!

We moved when my now 5 year old was 3 and, although totally different, it went fine. What a cool experience it would be!

[punkrockmomma]

I'm hoping that I can do something similar when I'm done with college, to offset some of my student loans, I'm going to private collage, and for the experience. I would totally go for it!! It sounds like a wonderful opportunity, and that you'll be left with no student loan debt, it seems like a given that you should do it! Keep in mind it's only for 1 year, that's not very long. So even if it ends up not being the ideal situation that it seems to be now, you're not stuck in it for very long, and can go home.

When I'm finally in a similar situation, in about 4 years, I hope the situation will be as ideal for me as yours is for you. Good Luck!!

[sparklett]

Originally Posted by punkrockmomma

So even if it ends up not being the ideal situation that it seems to be now, you're not stuck in it for very long, and can go home.

That's kinda what I was thinking. But therein lies the problem. We would uproot DS, move him far away from his life and family, and then move again in 11 months. Is this too much for a toddler, or is NOW the perfect time to do something like this?

Also, the area is far, far, far away from where we currently live. And it's far, far, far away from EVERYTHING. It's a town of only 3,000 people and the closest Target or movie theater is three hours away!!

And as far as Americorps goes, how does something like that play out on a resume? It's a short-term position, so should I really expect to get relevant experience from it?

So many questions...

Thanks, everyone for all of your encouraging responses.

[sparklett]

Holy cow- I just learned that my college matches the end-of-service award dollar-for-dollar. JEEZ!

So now I just need to be sure that the housing will be appropriate for my family. We're so torn- I have a few job offers right now and we don't know where to go.

[blizzard_babe]

Weird, I thought I replied to this. I was an AmeriCorps member back in my single, childless days, and it was so worth it. Then again, it can totally be a different experience depending where you work. AmeriCorps is just the funding source. So research it like you would any other position... do you like the culture of the organization you'd be working with?

You're lucky you get free housing. I had to try to get by on my stipend while paying rent. Luckily, I had parents who strongly believed in the organization (Admission Possible) I was working for, so they were happy to help me survive as a kind of "charitable contribution" .

I live far from Target (only one hour... but it's an hour on a plane as there are no roads leading to where I live) and the like... and it's fine. There's not much that can't be ordered off Amazon.com or Drugstore.com these days.

[aprons_and_acorns]

That sounds like an amazing opportunity! Just as a BTDT, I moved with my toddler and then moved again two years later, all so DH could finish grad school. It was totally fine. Parents are the center of your world at that age, and I think it would be MUCH easier with a three-year-old than with an older child, when friendships are so much more important.

Best of luck to you!!

[painefaria]

DP and I did AmeriCorps*NCCC for two years back in 2001 - 2002. I would do it again in a heartbeat. Now the program that you are doing is different but I would recommend it to anyone. I really miss being in the Corps. My sister did VISTA in 2002 and really enjoyed it.

[shayinme]

I was an Americorps Vista back in the 90's and I was a single Mom. I loved the experience and to this day I think it opens doors. I did a stint as a community organizer in Chicago and after that ended up working in the non profit sector. It really helped me find a career so to speak. But it was hard to live off the stipend and there were times I had to put in a lot of hours so while it was not conducive to being a single Mama, it may work well for you.

Yes it short term but people generally don't look down on it, it says a lot that someone would sign on to do work for such a low rate of pay.

[*MamaJen*]

That sounds like an awesome adventure. I totally think you should do it.
In terms of timing, I think it would be great to go with a three year old -- past the toddler stage, but not yet at the stage where they have friends of their own that they would miss.

[Ruby2]

AmeriCorps looks absolutely wonderful on a resume if you're applying for jobs with intelligent people! I had a National AmeriCorps job for a year and loved it. It opened up many many career doors for me that I never would have had otherwise. I would jump at the opportunity if I were you.