| |  Transition Issues and the Foreign Service ChildMoving again? In order to make the best educational choices for our children, it is important to understand the effects of a mobile lifestyle on them. Experts on the effects of international mobility on adolescents note that young people who spend a significant length of time out of their own culture develop a culture of their own. The new culture is made up of what they bring from their home (or their parents' home) culture intermingled with those cultural cues and experiences from the other cultures in which they have lived. Sociologist Ruth Hill Useem uses the term Third Culture Kid (TCK) to describe young people who live the Foreign Service lifestyle. All who live abroad are changed by the experience.
The adjustment to life overseas is not without difficulties for young people. The Foreign Service family needs to plan carefully, set realistic expectations for all family members, and be ready to identify and handle problems as they happen. Keeping that in mind, children and adolescents often adjust quickly and easily to life overseas. This varies from post to post, but often the overseas community is smaller and more welcoming. Even at large posts, other children have been "the new kid" themselves, so go out of their way to help newcomers. The school may be smaller and the student-teacher ratio better than in the school back home, allowing for more individual attention. Parents may be happier in their work and have more flexibility to schedule time with the family.
The new culture itself may offer a challenge that is filled with exciting opportunities to explore and learn. Preparing for the move by talking to other people who have lived at the post and reading as much as possible about the culture will help the whole family adjust better. Once at post, discussing feelings and reactions with family members and with other people at post helps facilitate the adjustment. Whether they admit it to their parents or not, Foreign Service children often feel that they are able to experience firsthand what many Americans only read about or see on a special television program. Read more in Education Options, Education Options, Chapter 2 - WHO IS THE FOREIGN SERVICE CHILD.
To learn more about transitions and the resources and programs available to Foreign Service children, see our clicks to the left (also below). For additional assistance, contact FLO's Education and Youth Officer.
FLO Weblinks for Transition Issues and the Foreign Service Child
Information provided by the Family Liaison Office
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