WCC AmeriCorps member positions

• Applicants must be 18-25 years of age on the first day of their service term¹.
• Applicants must be eligible for AmeriCorps:
  • AmeriCorps limits members to serving a maximum of four terms in any AmeriCorps program.
  • AmeriCorps legislation requires applicants to be one of the following: U.S. Citizen, U.S. National, or Lawful Permanent U.S. Resident Alien. If selected, applicants must submit citizenship documentation prior to service.
  • Eligible candidates will undergo a National Service criminal history check prior to service (includes state repositories, National Sex Offender Registry, and FBI).
• Washington legislation limits service in the WCC program to a maximum of two years.
• Applicants must commit to a 40-hour service week and a designated term of service of 11-months, 6-months, or 3-months.
• Per legislative mandate, priority is given to Washington state residents².
• If selected, WCC members must provide for their own living arrangements and transportation to designated meet-up locations:
  • Crews have a designated meet-up location, and travel to project sites together in a WCC truck.
  • We provide food, lodging facilities, and transportation for crews (or reimbursement) when overnight travel is required to complete project assignments.
  • Individual Placements will generally report to their designated host site location each day. Host site organizations are responsible for food, lodging facilities, and transportation when overnight travel is required to complete project assignments.

¹Age restrictions are based on legislative mandate, limited exceptions may be made for Gulf War era II veterans, active duty reservists, and active duty dependents. In addition, leadership (non-member) positions, and participants with a sensory or mental disability are not subject to this age restriction.
²Out-of-state candidates are considered after in-state candidate pools have been exhausted.

Member positions

We are now accepting applications for 6-month AmeriCorps members! Learn more about current field crew opportunities on our web map before applying online.

Member recruitment schedule

The WCC operates on an AmeriCorps calendar, meaning each service year runs October through September. When positions open, interviews are conducted on a continuous basis until vacancies are filled. To ensure consideration, we recommend submitting your application early. All 300 of our AmeriCorps member positions open annually in July as part of the 11-month member recruitment cycle, while 6-month and 3-month positions are limited in quantity (based on vacancies as they occur).

• 11-month positions — Applications accepted beginning in July for a start date in October.
• 6-month positions — Applications accepted beginning in January for a start date in March.
• 3-month positions — Applications accepted beginning in April for a start date in June.

Supervisor positions

We are not currently recruiting crew supervisors. Learn more about how to become a crew supervisor and apply to the continuous applicant pool online for future opportunities.

AmeriCorps member positions:

• Serve outdoors on a WCC field crew - We offer 275 WCC crew positions completing restoration, trail, and "spike" projects across the state.
• WCC Individual Placement Program - We offer 18 full-time AmeriCorps Individual Placement or "internship" positions.
• Veteran Conservation Corps - We offer opportunities for recent veterans to transition from military to national service.

WCC crew supervisor positions

• Learn more about becoming a crew supervisor.

• Living allowance: Our members earn a semi-monthly living allowance equivalent to current Washington state minimum wage ($1,058 issued twice a month).
• Educational benefits:
  • The AmeriCorps Education Award (scholarship) is available to members upon completion of service term. For the 2019-2020 program year, our available terms and scholarship amounts are:
    Full-term positions (11 months / 1,700 hours): $6,095.
    Half-term positions (6 months / 900 hours): $3,047.50.
    Quarter-term positions (4 months / 450 hours): $1,612.43.
  • Forbearance is available on qualifying student loans. AmeriCorps will pay interest that accrues while serving in the WCC for eligible loans. Interest accrual is paid upon successful term completion. Forbearance is typically limited to government-backed student loans. Contact your lender to learn if your loan qualifies for National Service forbearance.
  • College credits:* Six months or up to two years of WCC service qualifies as Cooperative Work Experience credits within Walla Walla Community College's program requirements (non-transferable). More information about this program is provided at our orientation training.
    
    *College credits require application and acceptance to Walla Walla Community College.
     

• Health Insurance - 11-month WCC members are covered under a basic health insurance policy.
• Childcare and Food Assistance - Assistance is available to those who qualify through DSHS and / or the AmeriCorps Childcare Program.
• GED Reimbursement - GED exam fee reimbursement is available for those who successfully pass the exam during their WCC term.

While there are five designated disaster response crews, any crew has the potential to deploy. Disaster response crews are included in the crew descriptions when reviewing our application map.

National or local disaster response deployment may include flood and landslide control, tornado and hurricane assistance, wildland fire operations, or volunteer and shelter management. Learn more about WCC disaster response services in Washington and across the country.

WCC members attend an orientation and two formal week-long training courses as an introduction to a variety of environmental or disaster services topics. Members select two from a list of 13 professionally-taught courses. Formal courses include forestry, hazardous waste operator (Hazwoper), mycology, Wilderness First Responder, wildland firefighting, and more. Many of these courses offer members the opportunity to earn valuable, career-transferable certifications. Our members also receive informal training on field topics on a daily basis, such as native plant identification, tool use, safety techniques and more.
 

• MyAmeriCorps - Provides resources for members before, during, and after service. MyAmeriCorps makes using the AmeriCorps education award easier than ever. Alums can also complete interest accrual requests, retrieve past tax information, print an AmeriCorps service verification letter, and more.
• WCC on Facebook - Highlights member projects, photos, disaster response updates, and more.
• WCC Alum Facebook group - In addition to our Facebook page, we host a closed group for information specific to alums, including job announcements, networking, scholarship opportunities, and more.
• AmeriCorps Alum website - Provides information for job and volunteer opportunities, scholarships, alum events, education award assistance, and more. This website serves as a virtual community connecting AmeriCorps alums from around the country.
• NationalService.gov - Provides information on the Eli Segal Fellowship Program, employers of national service, and maximizing your education award.