I know there are several posts on going noncommand sponsered and we have started reading those for information but I thought I would ask some of you spouses who are there now or have been there recently what they thought.

If you had a choice would you rather do a one year non command sponsored tour and live off base or a two year command sponsored tour and live on base?

A little background info about our situation:

We are not 100 percent going to Korea at this point but it is a strong possibility so I'm trying to do the research now. We would be arriving around June 2008. My husband would be an O-4 and based on the position it should be CS but I don't think it has to be.

WE have two boys; ages 4 and almost 2 when we move this summer.

My concerns about going ncs mostly revolve around the kids being space A for school , child care, and med clinic (though I heard its not usually a problem here) and the issues that I have been read about with off base housing. Oh, and the cost of getting everyone there and back.

My only concern with going for 2 years is being that far away from close family for that long and just the possibility of really not liking Korea and being stuck there for 2 years when we could have elected for one.

Either way, the whole family is coming if we get the assignment. I would appreciate any insight you guys could provide. I have already learned so much on this forum in the last few days.

Thanks,
heather

Hi, Heather!

Congratulations on your impending assignment to Osan, I hope you find it as rewarding an experience as I did.

The decision between CS and NCS is a difficult one, I'm certain, and one that involves so many personal matters that it's very hard to make a well-informed advisory.

The deciding factor in our decision not to even apply for a CS tour was the follow-on assignment my husband was offered, a position and base he's been wishing to go to for a very long time.

However, in all honesty, if that factor had been taken out of consideration in our decision making, we probably would have gone with the CS option for the simple reason that although NCS tours aren't nearly as difficult as some might imagine, there are still perks to the CS tour, and overall a few less things that you have to worry about.

It's very hard to predict whether someone will enjoy their stay at a base. I can fully understand your concerns about not liking Korea. However, in all honesty, you really run the same risks with any assignment, and from my experience, the time goes *very* quickly, far much more so than one would expect. The atmosphere at Osan is entirely different than anything you've ever seen before, and as a result,there seems to be more "bonding" among folks, regardless of your sponsorship status.

As far as the housing goes, with the Towers scheduled to be completed before your Summer 2008 arrival date, CS status would offer you the option of living on base, and the likelihood that on base housing would be available would be considerably increased. While I didn't experience the same concerns with security living off base that others have described in the forums, living on base does offer a certain convienence that off base living doesn't.

The firm admission to school, and child care is a definite "security" factor. While I personally have not heard of a child being turned away from the elementary school due to NCS status, the fact of the matter is that there *is* always that possibility. If your child were denied admission for some strange reason, would you be willing to homeschool your youngster? If so, there is a very active homeschooling group on base, with a lot of support,and you might do fine no matter what your situation. For me, I came prepared to homeschool, but with hopes of getting into the elementary school... luckily, we had no problems with admission (although waiting until the last minute for notification was a bit taxing on the stress-o-meter), but if I hadnt been so lucky, I was prepared to deal with alternative. Knowing exactly where your kids will be going is definitely a CS benefit.

SLC, you've used the child care center, any advice/recommendations from your corner? :) I have no experience there at all. :)

My one regret in only doing the one year tour is the fact that we didn't have time to do as much exploring and travelling as we'd like. We did take advantage of the midtour and go to Hawaii and Japan for a couple of weeks, but had we stayed longer, we might have had more opportunity to go visit some of the other more popular destinations, particularly China, and possibly Australia.

No matter what you decide about your status, one major piece of advice that I can offer...take full advantage of all the opportunities to explore and travel that are so readily available from Osan.

All in all, either way you choose to come to Korea, I think you'll be glad you came. :)

Dee :)

I'm here on a one year NCS tour with our six year old, three year old, and one year old. They were five, two, and nine months when we arrived. My perspective has been that I can do anything for a year, especially considering we have an outstanding follow-on, and I'd much rather be here in Korea with my husband than in the States with extended family. I love my family, but my husband has my heart.

I am able to grocery shop, get everything we need necessity-wise from the BX or by shopping on-line, and haven't had to use the clinic at all.

We've had no problems living off base. Our landlord is terrific and takes care of anything we need. We ran out of gas for our stove/oven on a Sunday afternoon and it was refilled within the hour. The Koreans are so welcoming and helpful and we have really enjoyed our time here!

We came here as homeschoolers and have continued to do that, so if you have any questions in that vein, I'd be happy to answer them.

Hope that helps!

Kara

Amen, Kara! I couldn't have said it better!

Whether you choose to come NCS or CS, being in Korea is far better than remaining stateside, and with you looking at a 2 year tour, I'd definitely plan on coming NCS if your CS falls through.

Dee :)

Just a short note. We arrived in Korea NCS and then applied for and received CS. In my opinion the only differences are that for E6 and below you can drive, that it's easier to get into the dental clinic and it's 100% paid for, and you can live on post. Since your husband is an officer, you'll have a car either way and once you have a car it makes living off post that much easier.

Other than that, I don't mind Korea and have actually begun to enjoy it. The only downside is not being able to see our families. Our plan is to go home while school is out in the summer. Good luck w/whatever you decide

__________________
Have a Blessed Day!

Michelle

Thanks to everyone for the replies. Still waiting for the official word. I'm sure if or when we get the word I will have tons of questions. Anyone, know or have an estimate of what it costs to go NCS. Right now I know we would have to pay for plane tickets and anything over 500 lbs? Is that right? NOt sure what else it would entail.

Your initial and usually your largest expense in coming NCS is your plane tickets. Unfortunately, family members coming over NCS do have to purchase your own transportation tickets,and you don't get reimbursed for it.

You are also responsible for obtaining your own passport, I would recommend a normal tourist passport, the cost of which can vary depending on how quickly you need your passport in hand. If you apply well-ahead of time, you can get it shipped normally instead of expedited delivery, and save yourself some bucks.

Some folks here, primarily the Army Spouses here, were able to get a great deal of help and support in getting their passports from their base passport office. I didn't have any assistance at all, nor was the passport office at the base I was at cooperative in any way, even in offering information...you might try contacting your base passport office, and see if they can help you with filling out your applications,etc. Don't be discouraged, however, if they don't help you, it's really a very easy application process, it's just really more time consuming.

You will also need to obtain a Korean A-3 visa from the Korean Consulate nearest you, but the good news in that is that the visa itself is free of cost to American citizen military dependants, so the only cost involved in that is your mailing cost (if you mail, I'd recommend going the more expensive priority method, or express, just so you have a way to track your documents, both in sending and receiving) or your cost for travel to the consulate (if you travel to the consulate , it's a same day process).

As far as the cost for shipping more than 500 lbs., that cost won't be assessed to you before you leave the states, and I'm -told- that sometimes it takes several months for that to work it's way through the system and get billed to you. I have to confess, however, I have no personal experience in that area, so I would have to refer you to your local TMO office (a referral I really hate to make, since I know many of us have had less than consistent experiences with TMO, it often seeming that the policies depended on who you talk to, at what time,and what day :) ) . One thing you might want to check into, since your hubby is an officer, is if he is allowed more than 500 lbs. I believe the amount is based upon a percentage of the JFTR, so your husband might actually be allowed more weight over. In any case, however, with a little careful planning, you would be surprised at how much you can get over in your 500 lbs., especially given that you'll only be in Korea for a year, and the fact that most apartments are furnished...and little things can be purchased fairly inexpensively at the BX.

Dee :)

P.S. Be sure to check around for the best prices on plane fares..you can find some good buys online, but surprisingly, we actually found our best price at our former base's ITT office...you could have knocked us over with a feather! :)

Just to add to Dee's eternal wealth of information... :)

Keep in mind that the weight allowance does NOT include any professional gear. Does your husband wear a uniform to work? Pro gear! Does he type up performance reports on the computer in your home? Pro gear! Does he study any of the manuals or books in your home that relate to your job? Pro gear! All that stuff weighs an incredible amount and will not count against your "personal" things.

Hope that helps!

Kara

I would say, for over all ease, if you get the command sponsorship, do that.

With kids, it would be much easier all around.

If sponsorship is NOT an option, then I would look into NCS.

Even though most NCS kids get to attend school on base ~ it's automatic for CS kids. So not having to worry about that is also a difference to consider.