When we arrived in Korea we were totally overwhelmed.
No sponsor. No teachers to help us (they were still away on their summer travel). And a real lack of information from anyone. We didn't even know how to get to the base!
We had to make MANY trips onto base to figure things out on our own. We jokingly call it the Land of 3 Tries. But with some helpful tips, maybe you will have better luck!
Tip 1: Take all your passports (tourist and official) and copies of your orders. You will need all of them to get on base. Be prepared for the gate officers to hassle you about not having the military ID. Make sure they understand you are going onto base to GET an ID!
You will need to head to the school first, in order to get your LOE (Letter of employment) from the school secretary. If possible, email the school to see about getting this process started BEFORE you go.
**Ask for a map of the base with building names/numbers.**
Download or get the Base Taxi number. And find a copy of the base bus schedule. It makes life SO much easier.
Then you will go to the CAC ID office to apply for your ID and your dependent IDs if needed. Make sure you have birth certificates and marriage certificates.
THEN you will need to go to DBIDS to get your photo taken and apply for your ration card.
I'm not sure what your base will be like, but ours basically shuts down from between 11:30-1:00 for lunch. So be prepared to go early.
Next, go to Housing to start that process.
Man, i'm overwhelmed just typing this. I hope that your school gets you set up with a plan. If not, I hope these tips help!
Kristen
No sponsor. No teachers to help us (they were still away on their summer travel). And a real lack of information from anyone. We didn't even know how to get to the base!
We had to make MANY trips onto base to figure things out on our own. We jokingly call it the Land of 3 Tries. But with some helpful tips, maybe you will have better luck!
Tip 1: Take all your passports (tourist and official) and copies of your orders. You will need all of them to get on base. Be prepared for the gate officers to hassle you about not having the military ID. Make sure they understand you are going onto base to GET an ID!
You will need to head to the school first, in order to get your LOE (Letter of employment) from the school secretary. If possible, email the school to see about getting this process started BEFORE you go.
**Ask for a map of the base with building names/numbers.**
Download or get the Base Taxi number. And find a copy of the base bus schedule. It makes life SO much easier.
Then you will go to the CAC ID office to apply for your ID and your dependent IDs if needed. Make sure you have birth certificates and marriage certificates.
THEN you will need to go to DBIDS to get your photo taken and apply for your ration card.
I'm not sure what your base will be like, but ours basically shuts down from between 11:30-1:00 for lunch. So be prepared to go early.
Next, go to Housing to start that process.
Man, i'm overwhelmed just typing this. I hope that your school gets you set up with a plan. If not, I hope these tips help!
Kristen