The reason for the hold...

So this morning I called PCHQ and spoke with the Placement Manager - actually he is a Director, in charge of all of the volunteer placements. Luckily for me, he was nice enough to look into my questions - the ones I felt had not been answered on Friday.


As I have long suspected, they have been holding my application until the house has sold. I had previously been told that I could still get an invite with the condition that the house is sold/I am no longer responsible for it as of my departure date. But apparently they decided to wait until it sold to move forward, contrary to what I had previously been told.


Now this presents a few challenges. It is a bit of a chicken-and-egg matter.


Last week the Bank (capitalized on purpose) requested additional information on my circumstances, made sure the buyer and I signed a document stating that it was an arms-length transaction, etc etc etc. So things are progressing. I found out this morning that when they do approve the sale, they usually provide 30 days' notice to closing. I asked if it is possible to get something more expedited than 30 days. Say they approve it TODAY - that is the end of December before it closes, unless I can get an expedited close. That is past the deadline for me to get an invite for a February departure.


Now, the buyers are committed to this, from everything I can tell. They signed the additional documents and have inquired about purchasing the empty lot next door to my house. I am not worried about the buyers. I am obviously committed to this sale, so that is not a problem. It is another waiting game - waiting for the Bank.


That being said, I have assured them that the closing WILL occur before February.


I got an e-mail back from him a little while ago, where he said:

...basically it appears that we are waiting on your house sale to proceed. There is the option of a provisional legal clearance...we would move forward as if your house had sold, and that is something I will discuss with (Placement Officer) when she returns or with another Placement Officer if she is out for an extended time. Also, please be aware that we are a little short staffed right now and doing out best to assess and invite people as we can. I know that it is difficult to understand, but we deal with over 6000 applicants per year and I have very few number of staff to handle all the cases. But be assured that by the end of the week a Placement Officer will look at your file and begin working with you on the final items to make a final determination as to your possible invitation. Expect someone to be in touch this week.

I did thank him, and told him I am very mindful of their situation re: staffing, and that I had in fact waited quite a while before calling and only became concerned after speaking with the Placement Assistant and (this I did not say) feeling like I was not getting the "whole story."

This is, actually, another argument for increased funding for Peace Corps, but that is another discussion...

I do wonder what the final items to make a final determination are - they have my medical and dental clearance, legal background is done, updated resume, etc. Whatever else I need to do, I am willing to do to get this application moving and get that invite.

While I am relieved to have had his assistance, I do not recommend that everyone start calling PC about their applications. I did so because my timeline for a February departure is becoming very short. I also had a bit of a special circumstance to deal with re: my house. But prior to calling, I had previously waited quite a while for them to conduct their business.

More later, when I have more to tell...