A lot of it depends on what is already included in your package. Most expat packages include housing, and if they don't, they include some sort of an uplift or allowance since housing in Seoul is so expensive. Whether you ask for furnished or unfurnished housing will depend on whether the company offers to move your furniture over or not. Our company provided the option to move furniture or store it - or a combination, so we stored some and shipped some. As I'm sure you know, living space in Seoul is not as large as in north America, so consider the size of your furniture when making this decision. Almost any apartment that you find can provide furniture for not very much money, so the main decision is deciding if you really want to ship any furniture. Unless you are planning to homeschool or send your child to Korean preschool, it is worth asking for at least partial tuition reimbursement for preschool. All the international preschools around here are pretty expensive - about $10-!5K per school year, so if you think you might want to send your child, consider this in negotiations. While homeschooling is a great idea in the US, the social aspect of preschool - for both you and the kids - is something to consider. There are a number of expat organizations here for 'trailing spouses' but if you are looking for other English-speaking mums of young kids, a preschool arrangement is a great way to begin to build yourself a network of friends and playmates. It is hard to tell you otherwise what to include (or not) in your package. Most companies have a sort of standard package that people use as a starting point and then negotiate anything special from there. If you are planning to drive, consider that you will need to have a car - will a lease be included in your package, or do you plan on buying one in Korea? Keep in mind cars with Korean specs cannot be shipped back to the US. Also, as far as carseats go, you will find that Korea is a bit behind the USA as far as carseats go - they know about them, and some people use them, but they are still not an ingrained habit in the culture, and you will still see children sitting on laps - unrestrained - in the front seats of cars. This is even more shocking when you see what the driving here is like. It's not as bad as Bangkok or Vietnam, but I have had many more near-accidents in the 3 years I've driven in Seoul than I ever had in 20-some years of driving in the USA. Bring your carseats and use them, regardless of what the law requires or what you see other people doing. You'll see what I mean when you get here. A lot of it also depends on where you live. If you live, close to a Home Plus or an E-mart, you can easily walk over to do your shopping. Also, Home Plus (at least, the one in UN Village) will deliver. Keep in mind that many of the foods you are used to finding easily in the USA may take more searching in Korea. Cuts of meat (if you eat it) tend to be fattier, and it can be challenging to find something like boneless skinless chicken breast or sliced turkey. You may just have to go to several stores in order to get everything you want, and much of it depends on personal taste. A good site to look at for information and ideas is Korea4expats. You can also find some useful links and ideas on some korean expat blogs, such as 'eat your kimchi.' and this one for parents of toddlers, http://www.sippycupsojourner.blogspot.kr/. You could also try looking for more information at SIWA (Seoul international Women's Association) website or AWC (American' Women's Club of Seoul.) All of them have links for newbies with lots of information. Sorry I couldn't help with more specific information, but I will be happy to answer any other questions you may have to the best of my ability. Best of luck with your move.

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Thank you for the reply. Those links are very helpful! We found there is a standard package online and we will likely get something similar.
I don't think we will get tuition, as they specifically asked our children's ages, but we are used to spending $10KUSD for our son's preschool currently. The prices I've seen for international schools are closer to $18-22K, so I'm hoping to find one for closer to $15K.
I do plan to bring our US car seats. I think I am going to ask for our car allowance be a lease. We will likely not do much driving as I'm not sure how all that works with US licenses etc. I've seen where you can trade your license for a Korean one, but I also hear the public transportation is very good in Seoul. And I've read trains to other cities (like to ski or to the coast) are pretty easy to navigate. I hope that is true. I may come back to you with questions if you don't mind, and thank you again cogden4.

Laura

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The international school where I teach (German) charges about 14K (roughly, in won) per year, plus about $2K in fees (new families, enrollment fee, bus, surcharges) for their 'kindergarten' program (equivalent to USA preschool), so roughly 16K. The Franciscan foreign kindergarten(English) in Hannam charges around 12K per year, plus fees, so there are definitely preschools out there in the under 18K range. The 18K-22K price you mention sounds more like elementary school tuition to me, and I know there are actually Korean preschools which are much cheaper if you're interested in going that route. Our son (high school senior) is in his 4th year at Seoul Foreign School, arguably one of the best (and most expensive) foreign schools in Seoul and tuition and fees (plus bus) run right around $30K per year (more expensive as they get older so elementary is always cheaper.) You should be able to find a preschool program in the $15k range with no problem if you decide to send them. As far as driving goes - I know many people who do not drive in Seoul. It took me almost 7 months to get up the nerve, and I only did it because I was tired of taking taxis to my son's school all the time for parent meetings, PTA, and activities - especially when I was carrying food for a lot of hungry teenagers. You are right that you can only drive on your US license here for a short time(can't remember how long) before having to surrender your American license (PITA when you go home for home leave.) You can live very comfortably in Seoul without driving. If you plan to do this, I recommend making sure your apartment is close to a subway or bus stop, unless you plan to always travel by taxi. Consider this when looking for a place to live, and also consider your husband's commute. When you look online at apartments (nicerent.com is a good one) don't believe whatever they say about '10 minutes to the nearest subway stop' - walk it yourself to be sure. Many people I know rent cars for weekend ((or longer) trips out of Seoul, which is sort of the best of both worlds, and really nice with small kids on long trips - all you need is an international driver's license, which you can get for $15 (while keeping your US license) at any triple A office in the USA. The intl license is good for 1 year, so we renew ours each summer when we're in the US on home leave. It is also useful if you plan to travel to other countries and feel like renting a car there. You are correct that public transport is quite cheap (buses are about $1.50 per ride with free transfers, subway less than $2, and a typical cab ride, say, to the grocery store, will run between $5-$10 max) and very efficient and easy to deal with, but I would still get that international DL before coming just in case you decide to rent a car. Another site you might appreciate is http://koreaye.com/ It is geared toward military wives (especially those with youngish kids) but there is a lot of applicable information for non-military in Seoul. Good luck - I remember trying to sift through all the info before we came and it seemed overwhelming - it all falls into place, though, and you will find Korea a very easy country to live in with kids. Lots to do and a culture which loves children. You are in for a treat.

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