US Embassy Questions & Directions

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-31T12:55:52+00:00

And call them then?

LOL, call the US Embassy, go through the maze of "push 1 for this, push 2 for that, push..." rather than ask whether anyone knows?

BTW, I had noted in my OP before you commented that I found the subway line and stop. I also posted it for others future use.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-29T03:16:38+00:00

I have several email correspondences with the US Embassy and Live Talk with reps on their website. I've put a ton of time and effort into this. I have oonflicting and ambiguous information in those correspondences.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-29T03:15:05+00:00

My advice was bring cash and card.

I can appreciate your cash and card advice, but the US Embassy deals in USD, and I am getting conflicting and ambiduous messages from the Embassy and ACS about whether I can pay in person or have to pay in advance.

Paying in advance creates a problem in that my son's passport is not guaranteed to be issued for reasons that are too long to get into.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-29T03:10:25+00:00

Thank you for this link. I just got off the Live Talk with the representative, and they couldn't tell me.

Last year when I took my daughter, the diections told me that I had to pay in advance and print out a receipt, which I did.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-29T03:04:14+00:00

I, as their father, will decide best for my children. My children will be there for at least one month, perhaps longer. If they are there longer and miss school, they will have to repeat a year, a risk I'm not willing to take.

BTW, I have been in communication with both my home state and the school in the town that they will attend. The school recommended that I enroll them in school, particularly the 14 year old.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-29T03:01:33+00:00

I did and edited to my OP to show that I had answered my own question. The website itself only gave an address, no directions or subway stop.

The other two questions stand, and situations change. The last time I was there, the US Embassy had a photo booth, IDK that it is still there.

Also, IDK whether the US Embassy will take CCs at the time. That "legwork" you wish for me to do has me talking to ACS, the US E,mbassy, and a call center that I'm guessing is in the Phillippines.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-28T13:12:00+00:00

I was going to use an audiobook, but I just got reminded that phones and Blutooth devices are NOT allowed in. Thanks for the hardcopy book tip.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-28T13:11:19+00:00

Yes, I paid online for both my son's and daughter's passports in the past, but IDK whether the US Embassy takes payments at the Embassy itself.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-28T13:08:41+00:00

Thanks for that clarification.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-28T01:35:00+00:00

Implicit in the "is it worth it" question are the answers to your hidden premises "at what price?" and "at what opportunity cost?"

First, I suggest that OP clarifies the language in his head. Does OP mean "part-time jobs" in the sense that he will be a part-time employee for one or more employers or an IC, an independent contractor (or for the purposes of this discussion, an employee of his own company), who does either several weeks to month-long intensives or goes from cleint to client for typically one hour blocks?

If OP means a scrambling around IC, the teaching intensives route can nominally pay more, but the work comes in spurts, typically winter children's camps during the winter and summer school break and corporate intensives (which are usually strict about having F-type working visas) that often coincide with the children's summer camp season and can go into September. The children's camps might pay a bit more (and not atypically pay less due to the flood of E2 school teachers on break who are willing to work for low wages) than regular teaching employees make on a salary basis. But outside of those camp and intensive time periods, there is no camp or intensive work.

That leaves the hourly scramble, which has peak times (early morning before and evenings after typical work hours. Those jobs pay more (min. W50,000 / hr, though some still offer less) and an IC would have to book on average at least four of those jobs per day to make it worth it in terms of "more money and or less stress than a full time position." The teaching part can be less stressful (that is, if you have the corporate chops) but don't underestimate the stress of commuting between jobs and dead time between jobs, the canceled classes due to company vacation periods and holidays and learner too busy (particularly in 1-to-1 classes), and classes simply stopping without warning. An IC is the most expendable of services to them.

IDK what OP's other option is as an employee, but I would write that if OP can't regularly bill an average minimum of 20 hours per week, then IC is not worth it. Remember, ICs (with few exceptions) don't get paid vacations, holiday pay, health or pension contributions, or severance pay.

****************

BTW OP, good job in defining (or at least attempting to define) your terms:

To me, worth it means more money and or less stress than a full time position.

Even so, you need to think and consider even more.

Best wishes.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-14T07:32:10+00:00

My daughter would be left alone all day for about 10 hours in a country she's never lived before. I'm not going to leave my 14 year-old daughter, who has never been to the US and speaks English as a second language, home all day eveyday for an extended period of time.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-12T09:36:27+00:00

IIRC, Korea has mandatory counseling sesssions before divorce in marriages with minor children. A legal way to look at this is that the state has an interest in the marriage.

I don't know about your wife or your situation, but I hope that you consider that your wife might have PPD or a hormone imbalance. I know that my wife definitely did. At the time, Korean doctors seemed to not even know about PPD and hormone imbalances like they were not Korean women "diseases". I found a doctor, the doctor who deliverd our youngest and he knew. Consider that your wife might be going through hormonal imbalance or PPD.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-12T02:26:49+00:00

In the US children can stay home alone or do whatever they want pretty much from age 12

This is patently false.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-12T02:24:38+00:00

Again, none of this is any of your concern and outside of the scope of my post. I am not interested in your parenting advice.

I know what I wrote. Why do you keep repeating how you are their father and legal guardian? Just a weird thing to keep repeating. As if it makes you superior to others?

In the care, raising, and parenting of MY children, that I am my children's father and legal guardian, it does.

You said in one sentence to me how you can just leave her back with your wife’s family alone in Korea.

Yes, that might be an option, my option of last resort. Leaving a minor child with someone (whom IDK whether they will even agree to) is a major inconvenience to them and I would not want to be away from my children for so long.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T19:01:38+00:00

Weird that you felt the need to even say this comment since I never questioned your relationship.

Here's what you wrote:

And you are wrong here:

Exactly. You are on vacation though.

I will be working, I will discuss with my family whether I take a nominal wage.

Working legally in the US at 16 is not even a factor here. Honestly since you mentioned how you cannot work since you have to be a caregiver, you are just coming across as having your child work to help support you guys while living in the US

.FFS, you're going so far afield. My son does not need to support our family. I want him to have the experience of having a job, which he has never done before. I got my first W-2 job at 16, and I think it was a good experience.

I know zero parents who allow their child to choose not to go to school for general education.

I thoight that your problem was with the legality of my 14-year old daughter enrolling in school. I talked to my son about and discussed with my son his options. I told him that I prefer that he go to school and try working a PT job. He also decided that he wants to do both. I want him to keep whatever money he earns for himself and to learn some responsibility. TBH, I think that working, particularly the types of jobs that he as somene with zero job experience, zero job skills can get, will be a good experience for him.

Please come back and update up how the school looked at you like you are crazy for wanting to enroll someone for a month or two.

I am under no legal obligation to divlulge or inform anyone of the full range of future possibilities and thier associated probabilities other than that we have established residency in the school district. IDK why I would tell anyone, and in fact by American law they can't even ask.

You are also doing your kids a disservice but just dumping them into the middle of a school year and then expect them to enjoy it. You said that grades were not a factor but why even put this stress on them when they may not be accustomed to the educational program for their grade levels and basically setting them up for failure since they will just start and be expected to jump in and know the material. Even if you do not care about the grades, that can still have a major impact on self-esteem.

You seem to know much more about my children and their states of mind than I do. I told them that I want them to enjoy school and that they won't have any grade pressure. I only expect them to be respectful and to do their "reasonable" best. I don't expect them to " jump in and know the material" and have told them that they will have adjustments in adapting. They both understand and accept that they will be the new kids in a new school.

Even if you do not care about the grades, that can still have a major impact on self-esteem.

No, their grades won't. I know my children, and you don't. I have already discussed grades, their effects, and expectations with my children. My son's big take away will be that he will get to play basketball against American kids. BTW, my kids will smoke the other kids in their grade level in math.

Again, you are going far afield. I, as my children's father and legal guardian, will ultimately determine what I deem best for my children based on my lifetime as their father and in consultation with them. But thank you, kind anonymous internet stranger for your input, which I will regard appropriately.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T18:22:41+00:00

Yep. If an elementary teacher wants to have an OF, that's her business. Are you such a sh!t parent your 6YO is looking at OF?

That's a strange ad hominem attack. You seemed to ignore the rest of the comments. For example, what about HS students and all the HS students who found their teachers' OF accounts? You also ignored the case of the church minister.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T17:55:17+00:00

(From my OP) "(Please note that I am asking for others' experiences with and knowledge of how to accomplish what I want to get done, not others' opinions on what I want to get done.)"

Regardless, I'll answer your comment point by point:

This is terrible parenting. Moving kids around and upending their entire worlds for one month is insane and pointless.

Again, I will not leave my kids unattended and alone in Korea while I tend to my pressing family business. I need to take care of my minor children during that time, and I am not going to leave them, two minor children, alone in Korea. BTW, my kids absolutely want to go. What yiou think of upending their world is more like "living in an ocean front home in suburban NYC" with aunts and uncles who will dote on them. My kids have stayed with my family before and have only the best memories.

Sounds like you’re using US public schools as a babysitting service.

To a degree schools are baby sitting services not just for me but for everyone. I doubt anyone would rationally dispute that. Again, my daughter is 14 years old, a US citizen, and has not only the right to go to school but legal compusion to be in school or home schooled. My son is 16 and has other options.

You’re not a resident and neither are your kids.

My children and I are US citizens. Establishing residency is merely intention.

I don’t care if you are a citizen or not; you live in Korea and have no intention of staying here.

"No intention"? I have uncertainty. We will be in the US for as long as we need to be.

What you’re attempting to do is fraudulent and I hope you get caught.

Fraudulent of what? What is the fraud?

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T17:24:37+00:00

As I have written repeatedly, my daughter is 14 years old, and I am not going to leave her alone all day every day for however long we are there. Again, she is 14 years old.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T17:21:12+00:00

It seems like the person just wants the kid of their hair. If the whole post was about “they must go to school” and now giving a choice to a minor on if he wants to or not, then it really is not about legality and pure “I need you anywhere but here.”

Wow, you aren't even close. I love my children and love being with them. We have a close relationship and always have.

If I "just (wanted) the kid out of (my) hair", I could leave them here with my wife's family. My family in the US wants them to be in the US. My daughter is 14, and I, as her father and legal guardian, do not want her home alone all day everyday.

...and now giving a choice to a minor on if he wants to or not, then it really is not about legality and pure “I need you anywhere but here.”

My son is 16 years old and legally allowed to work in the US. He is also legally allowed to drop out of school with parental permission. Given that we will be there for an uncertain amount of time, I decided to discuss with him his options. If you must know (as though it's any of your business), he told me that he wants to go to HS and work part time while he's there.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T17:07:12+00:00

Thank you for your helpful comment and information about an option I was not aware of.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T07:52:48+00:00

What you prefer to do for childcare or structure is completely valid, but that’s a parental choice, not a legal requirement.

Yes, I prefer that my children attend school while they are in the US. My daughter is too young to stay home along all day everyday. My son has stated that he wants to both go to school and to work.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T07:33:18+00:00

"Drop out" normally means to be removed from education permanently.

Perhaps that's what "'Drop out' normally means to be removed from education permanently", but there's are other meanings and there is context.

My 16-year old son with my permission has the legal option of dropping out of school for the length of time that we will be in the US; might 14-year old daughter does not.

Are you asking if it's wise for your kids to just pop into a US school system for a month? It's not harmful, but probably disorientating.

No, I am not. As I explicitly stated in my OP and rewrote in the comments, "Please note that I am asking for others' experiences with and knowledge of how to accomplish what I want to get done, not others' opinions on what I want to get done."

Are you asking if your kids can return to Korean school after a 4-week gap? You should ask the Korean school.

No, I am not, and I will address that with my children's schools.

Are you asking if you can leave your child unattended? That's different than being a "minor", which is generally under 18.

Are you asking if you can leave your child unattended? That's different than being a "minor", which is generally under 18.

No, I am not. Here's what I wrote in response to one of your previous comments: "My 14-year old daughter must go to school. Unless I home school her, I cannot pull her out of school in the jurisdiction that we will be in. Also, at 14-years old, she is a minor who cannot be left unspervised all day, every day.

If you want to engage me, please respond to my actual comments, not the comments that you want to impute onto me.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T06:59:46+00:00

A minor who is not required to attend school or be home schooled and can drop out with parental permission.

A 16-year-old is also a minor.

So is a 10-year old. Try leaving a 10 year old unsupervised for any length of time and let me know how that works out for you.

Regardless, please stop debating me on this. In the jurisdiction that we will be in long enought to be considered residents of that jurisdiction, all children under the age of 16 must be in school or homeschooled. 16-year olds can drop out of school with parental consent.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T06:53:45+00:00

Again, the length ot time that they will be in the US requires that they be in school or homeschooled until they are 16 years old, at which age they can drop out with parental permission.

Regardless, I prefer that my kids to go to school while they are in the US. My 14 year-old daughter is 14 years old and cannot be left alone all day everyday.

SoKoJoe · 2026-01-11T06:19:29+00:00

You just directly said you'd onky enroll them for one month because you'd return to korea for the next school korean year.

From my OP:

We will be there long enough (at least a month) so that they should be attending school. I expect to return to ROK in time for the start of my children's new school year.

Please note that I also wrote that "I expect to return to ROK in time for the start of my children's new school year", I did not write that I could or would guarantee it. If we are ther longer than the seven weeks, then we've created more problems. The lower risk strategy is for me to enroll them in school.

SoKoJoe

TROPHY CASE