We have orders to move to Korea in June. We won't know for awhile if he is assigned to the DMZ or Seoul. Even though the army won't allow me to go with him if he is assigned to the DMZ, I think I am going to move to Seoul anyways and teach. I've done a bunch of research and there is a very high demand for English teachers. We would be able to see each other a few times a month.

But I have a few questions.

1. If you live/lived in Korea what is/was your experience like?

2. If you chose not to move to Korea what were your reasons not to go?

Thanks!

P.S. I'm probably going to bump this a lot so I can get a variety of answers and info. So don't get annoyed. :giggle

No info for you, but good luck! That sounds like quite an adventure for you. :mrgreen

You should PM jellybeanqueen. Her boyfriend is in Korea!

You should PM jellybeanqueen. Her boyfriend is in Korea!

Ah, good tip. Gracias!

I don't know about living there, but I was going to teach English there once. I went through footprints (google them... I don't know the website). There is tons of info and they will get you a job :) They are awesome! I was all set to go and then my parents talked me out of it.

:bump

You should PM jellybeanqueen. Her boyfriend is in Korea!

hi-larious... yup thats me!

i am not in korea :) reasons-

1) being an english teacher does nothing for my resume, as an engineer... aaand as they are in "high demand" its also not a really "coveted" position. (i hope nobody gets offended by that...) i know a guy who did this in china, and.. honduras? with no college degree.

2) we arent married, and i need a bigger commitment to isolate myself from my family in a foreign country

but korea is awesome. youll be able to find alot of everything you need pretty quick. its super low crime, and the people are very helpful. i loved seoul and the SUBWAY is amazing.

i really REALLY REALLY recommend the book about korea from "a lonely planet" its up to date, it has maps of the city and subway, and tells you all about the different parts of the town, and country... customs and places to stay/eat/shop/visit are rated and organized by price. there are also small phrases... "where is the bathroom/police station/bus stop", "the food is very good/cold/spicy"

if he is in the DMZ though... i think youre right about the 1ce per month, OR LESS visits. but obviously youll be able to visit more than if you're in the US. i know some guys go out to the field for 30 days + ...

LOOK INTO VISAS!!! i got in huge trouble in Europe... i can try to be of assistance... i know some girls are there already though :P but get that book!!!

hi-larious... yup thats me!

i am not in korea :) reasons-

1) being an english teacher does nothing for my resume, as an engineer... aaand as they are in "high demand" its also not a really "coveted" position. (i hope nobody gets offended by that...) i know a guy who did this in china, and.. honduras? with no college degree.

2) we arent married, and i need a bigger commitment to isolate myself from my family in a foreign country

but korea is awesome. youll be able to find alot of everything you need pretty quick. its super low crime, and the people are very helpful. i loved seoul and the SUBWAY is amazing.

i really REALLY REALLY recommend the book about korea from "a lonely planet" its up to date, it has maps of the city and subway, and tells you all about the different parts of the town, and country... customs and places to stay/eat/shop/visit are rated and organized by price. there are also small phrases... "where is the bathroom/police station/bus stop", "the food is very good/cold/spicy"

if he is in the DMZ though... i think youre right about the 1ce per month, OR LESS visits. but obviously youll be able to visit more than if you're in the US. i know some guys go out to the field for 30 days + ...

LOOK INTO VISAS!!! i got in huge trouble in Europe... i can try to be of assistance... i know some girls are there already though :P but get that book!!!

That's all great advice! Thanks so much. I'm definitely going to be getting that book.

I live in South Korea right now.

You can't get a job unless you have a working visa. It is a big no no here.

Stationed on the DMZ? What camp do you know?

We are at Camp Casey.

My experience is good so far. We leave in November.

hmm oh and in seoul there is this huge mall... its the youngsan subway stop. all the subways end there basically LOL and inside this HUGE MALL is an "e-mart" which is basically like a super walmart...its definately cheaper than the commissary to shop off post i thought. but i only got to go to the commissary once bc it was such a hassle to get me on post since we werent married (HIS FAULT *ahem... * off topic...)

and get a t-money card for the subway it also works on the bus! :yes hmm im just trying to remember everything since its still semi-fresh...

I didn't go with DH.

mainly because for him to get command sponsorship i had to make a decision right then & there in a 2 minute phone call. I said no because i can't make a decision that big in 2 minutes. Especially because we would have been there 4 yrs if I went compared to him going 1 by himself.

I didn't go with my DH be/c I knew it wouldn't be able to help me with the kids. I would be stuck without family and without ANY help. it was a tough choice but I am so glad i made it. I needed all the support from the homefront.

I live in South Korea right now.

You can't get a job unless you have a working visa. It is a big no no here.

Stationed on the DMZ? What camp do you know?

We are at Camp Casey.

My experience is good so far. We leave in November.

Get a visa- check! Will definitely do that if I'm able to go

We actually don't know if he will be at the DMZ or not. We won't find out till March.

I'm glad to hear that you've had a good experience! That's encouraging

hmm oh and in seoul there is this huge mall... its the youngsan subway stop. all the subways end there basically LOL and inside this HUGE MALL is an "e-mart" which is basically like a super walmart...its definately cheaper than the commissary to shop off post i thought. but i only got to go to the commissary once bc it was such a hassle to get me on post since we werent married (HIS FAULT *ahem... * off topic...)

and get a t-money card for the subway it also works on the bus! :yes hmm im just trying to remember everything since its still semi-fresh...

:lol More great advice. I'm going to copy this thread to a word document so I can save all the good advice.

I didn't go with DH.

mainly because for him to get command sponsorship i had to make a decision right then & there in a 2 minute phone call. I said no because i can't make a decision that big in 2 minutes. Especially because we would have been there 4 yrs if I went compared to him going 1 by himself.

Don't you love how the army requires us to make these huge decisions on the spot and they take forever to confirm plans for us?

4 years vs 1 is a really long time. DB has been told 2 years vs 1. I really hope they don't change that. 4 years is a long time to live in Korea.

I didn't go with my DH be/c I knew it wouldn't be able to help me with the kids. I would be stuck without family and without ANY help. it was a tough choice but I am so glad i made it. I needed all the support from the homefront.

That makes sense. If we had kids then I'd probably rethink wanting to go.

:bump

:bump

my fiance is over in korea now....i didnt go with him reasons being im still in college....and we arent married yet i mean i know we will i just wanna do it right thats all....and i hear from him that it is really nice over there.....but if i had the opportunity and i wouldnt have already been enrolled in school i probably would have went with him that time difference between the states and there is ridiculous i hardly talk to him its almost as bad as while he was at basic...so if i were you i would go with him over there the extra year will be worth it over there as long as you are with him....hope everything works out for you

I live in South Korea with my hubs. I dont know what you mean about being stationed on the DMZ. We live about 30 miles away. Closest they will ever get and you are allowed to live that close, so no worries. We are on Camp Hovey/Casey, closest base to North Korea. There should be no reason why you would have to live in Souel and only see your hubs on the weekends. As far as teaching, you have to get working VISA and Korea can tax you. There are tons of schools around here looking for Americans to teach, degree or no degree. Your soldier will got all the info he needs about you coming over when he gets here. :wink

I live in Korea in Seoul. Dh is stationed at Yongsan in Seoul and we LOVE it, been here since Jan 2007. I had a hard time at first adjusting but now I am already dreading going back to the states in 2 years. Financially it was the smartest move for us. With the AIP and COLA, we're doing very well. We will be debt free by this time next year!!
I, too, had to make this decision to come here in a quick phone call. Long story short dh made Chief in the Navy so I knew he was eligible for new orders and I wanted something different after 8 years in San Diego. I saw these orders to Korea and knew dh would love to go but I didn't think he could because he was on shore duty already and this is a shore duty billet but I told him about them anyway. Anyway, he talked to his detailer and mentioned the Korean orders and the detailer flipped out and said if he wanted them they were his and we could get max AIP which is $450 so he called me up and said how serious are you about Korea, I need to know now! I pondered for about a minute and said OK!! I mean shit, why not?! It's an oppertunity to go overseas on the governments dime! I had never been overseas. Hell, I never even crossed the border to Mexico! Besides, it's not permanent, it's not like you'll be here forever but it's a great way to take advantage of visiting other countries cheaply. Places like Beijing is an hour and half flight from Seoul. and Seoul is a very safe city, I walk around by myself all the time off base and never had a problem. The people here are friendly for the most part. You'll run into a couple who are bitter but they won't hurt you, just say nasty things or purposely bump into you but that's the extent I have experienced.
We have kids here, too but they are older. I think it would be hard with babies and toddlers but there are A LOT of young families here doing really well.

hmm oh and in seoul there is this huge mall... its the youngsan subway stop. all the subways end there basically LOL and inside this HUGE MALL is an "e-mart" which is basically like a super walmart...its definately cheaper than the commissary to shop off post i thought. but i only got to go to the commissary once bc it was such a hassle to get me on post since we werent married (HIS FAULT *ahem... * off topic...)

and get a t-money card for the subway it also works on the bus! :yes hmm im just trying to remember everything since its still semi-fresh...

That would be I'Park Mall and it is HUGE. They like huge malls in Korea! I like E-mart, too, they have some nice stuff!
Did you ever see the parking garages? Cleanest garage floors I had ever seen!

Hello!

My husband and I are moving to Camp Casey in August 08. We are very excited and are trying to see the situation positive. I am command sponsored and have couple questions about the life over in South Korea. May be some of you who live there can help me.
First of all I have to mention that I will be 32 weeks pregnant when we move. How is the situation with medical service and hospitals over there? My OB is an ex army doc and said that the main hospital (121 I belive) is supposed to be very good. Can anybody tell me anything about it?
We also would love to bring our 2 dogs over. My little one is a 35 lbs dachshund mix and the big one is a Yellow Lab. What are our chances to find housing with our dogs and what are your opinions on bringing them over?
I am originally from Germany, so please excuse my English. 
I am so very thankful for any information!

Nadja

if you take your dogs over it will be difficult. they will be quarantined and you need to get more shots and thier papers in order.

depending on the amt of time for quarantine and the time youre there i think you can make a better decision, i know some girls here have had to do that?

Hey

I thought there is no more quarantine for dogs over in Seoul. At least we were told so. :confused We were told to get rabies shots and an USDA approved health certificate and then the dogs can be released to us the same day. I hope we got the right information. Does anybody know more? And how does it look like with the housing? Is it hard to get housing having two dogs? Btw we are going over for 2 years.

Thanks

Nadja

Hey

I thought there is no more quarantine for dogs over in Seoul. At least we were told so. :confused We were told to get rabies shots and an USDA approved health certificate and then the dogs can be released to us the same day. I hope we got the right information. Does anybody know more? And how does it look like with the housing? Is it hard to get housing having two dogs? Btw we are going over for 2 years.

Thanks

Nadja

I think that has changed and you have the correct info.
As far as housing, I have no idea what Camp Casey husing is like, what wait times are and pet limits. I think there are a couple ladies here whose husbands are at Camp Casey.
121 hospital is on Yongsan Army Garrison in Seoul and is a very nice hospital and the only military one in Korea for labor and delivery. There is a place near the hospital called the storks nest that is free but you will have to cal them to make arraingments or pay to stay in the Dragon Hill for a couple days before you deliver. I am not sure of the details.
Here is another forum that is more specific and my help you better. I am a member of it as well.
http://www.usfkforums.com/


Here is a link for housing.
https://onestop.army.mil/armyonestop.asp?v=2

Thanks a lot for your help!

My husband is in South Korea right now, but nowhere near Seoul. I was supposed to live with my husband non-command sponsored, but after arriving there, I was sent home due to a mess up with his paperwork. The week that I did spend there was absolutely amazing, and that is why we currently have paperwork in for Command Sponsorship. We can't wait to see if the paperwork gets approved, so I can hopefully move back over there!