I Honestly Love NH Bank

You will hear that you need to get a KEB bank account to have the best your money can get and the ease your mind needs to be happy with your money traveling back and forth between countries. 

BUT!

I am here to tell you (no matter what Carl says) that NH and I have a committed monogamous relationship. I haven't cheated on NH after my 3rd month of being here. They opened my account the first day swiftly with my coTs help. Then I went back to ask them to fix my account to do online banking. Done the same day. They filled out my paper work and told me it would be in my best interest to have my coT help me set it up over the school computer. They were right.

Then I needed to send money to the states and the first time they did it for me. They also told me how much I'd need to send in person for a better rate at the bank. Anywho, when I send money on-line I have the option of Sky Miles or a Gift Card.  Also, in order to use those "Gift Card"s (meaning points) NH has their own online shopping site in which they can be used.

NH Bank offers a bankbook like all other banks. They have a bank debit card like all other banks and they have credit cards...yea. Like all other banks. I got one after 3 months of living here. I decided it was foolish to continually use my U.S. cards and then pay the wire transfer fees to pay them off. The Smarty card from NH is perfect for my young foolish ways. I get discounts on theme parks, coffee shops, movie theaters, online shopping, etc. 

NH has a fully functional English website for online banking and you can always call their customer service number and get an English speaker. My banker set up so much for me and even literally walked me over to the nearest SK shop to have them discount my mobile services. When my security certificate went faulty, my banker set it back up over my USB and set up my mobile phone banking apps. Is this love? You bet it is. NH and I will be together 'till end of contract do us part! *breathing heavily*

Now. How do I get some of that cake Jamasian? I don't share...
Just kidding. You'd better go into your local NH and look at their brochures! They have the lists of cards/services available written in plain Korean~~ hehe Honestly, some tellers will not trust your foreign self to pay on time or stay in the country but some will. So don't be afraid of the little farmer bank. Sometimes it's the little things that count. ;)

Visit The Main Site (Click: Global Banking: English)

Learn to Set It Up Yourself

Learn to Send Money Home Yourself

 

Their English help number is  1588-2100 ext. 730 press 1 for English

Rent/Buy a Handuh Pone

Here is the guide i got in June of 2011 at ICN.

(It was only available in Chinese, Japanese, Korean that day so I translated it myself.)

Here is what I gathered shopping around for phones. I heard that non-nationals have problems when entering a 2yr contract, but most of you are only doing a year anyway right?

Regular Phones

A lot of people are getting these phones for about 60,000-100,000won. Then they do a prepaid plan which means you just buy a calling card and replenish the minutes.

There are also plans for simple phones that range from --- to --- won.

Smart Phones

These are always going to be overly expensive because they have to import them. I'm talking 700,000won plus for something you could get at home for $450. Take my advice and do a plan with these. Sometimes you can get the phone free for a 3yr plan. They give you a slight discount for the 2yr plan and I don't think a 1yr plan is possible under normal circumstances.

Lastly, there is a place to get a deal on a phone before you get here. I haven't used it (Got a 2yr on an HTC Raider 4G) but others are very pleased with its service.

Getting Started With Korea

So I've decided to be pulled into Korea and become a teacher for a moment in life. Again I wish there was a down to earth person that just answered each question I had with a definite answer, but there wasn't so here is one in case I forget.                             Just Kidding~~! It's all for you :)

When coming to Korea I researched very little about what to bring and found out that the little I got out of it was wrong! Boooooo. Since I'm female I'm going to include female concerns on this list first.

1. Leave tampons and such at home unless you desperately have a specific love for a certain brand. I actually use a Moon Cup now but for those that don't want to switch, I have found Tampax Pearl and such in mini marts even.

2. You'll probably have to buy a new cell since apparently the sim cards are different here. (Unless you have an unlocked smart phone.) I would suggest renting a phone at the airport first if you want to take time to consider what you really want later because the prices aren't too bad.

3. Get a Tmoney card at a convenience store when you get here. Then you can save bills when using public transportation. This is for the Seoul area and maybe a few cities in Gyeonggi-do.

4.  Find out your shoe size! I'm an 8 1/2-9 in the states. About 40-43 in China aaaand 250-255 in Korea!! But actually 250 only fits some shoes, 'cause of how they are made or what have you, but that is usually the biggest size that stores will carry. Even at Songtan's AFB. :(

5. Make good friends with the Seoul Metro map before you go. Not all trains start and stop at the same time. It doubles in Korean and English so you shouldn't have much problem. It tells you how much you'll spend and the amount of time a trip will take. You can use the website before you go to get familiar with your area and then buy a phone that comes with the map in it. (You can also get a paper map from friendly workers in an office in the metro.)

Again this is not for the whole entire country but it sure does get you around most of it. Be friends in Korean! Be friends in English!!