A Third Culture Kid's Place is in Foreign Affairs - Let me Share Why

I was born in the United Arab Emirates with Belgian parents but grew up in the French schooling system across the Czech Republic, China, Germany, Belgium and Austria. I then pursued my two undergraduate degrees in Canada and currently completing my master’s degree between Denmark and Belgium, all while visiting my parents when they previously lived in Bulgaria during the holidays. Now, I find myself back in Belgium, the country that according to my passport I should consider home.

Annelies Coessens

Being a multilingual Belgian citizen, Annelies has lived in various countries allowing her to receive an international education. When living in Canada, Annelies completed a BA in Advanced International Hotel Management at the Quebec Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management and pursued another BA in Political Science and Women’s Studies at Concordia University.

After graduation, in 2019, Annelies wished to further her interest in Gender Equality, Human Rights and International Relations and moved to Denmark to pursue a MA in Development and International Relations, specializing in Global Gender Studies at Aalborg University. Currently, working in Brussels as a External Partners Assistant at Women Political Leaders (WPL). Due to graduate in June 2021, her international experiences and her studies have sparked an interest to work in Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy.

After my undergraduate degree, I began questioning that part of my “identity”, and what “home” meant to me. I discovered the word “Third Culture Kid” (TCK), which defines a person being raised in a culture other than their parents’ or the culture of the country named on their passport (where they are legally considered native) for a significant part of their early developmental years. Based on my personal experiences, These experiences as a TCK will help benefit your career as you gain cultural intelligence, a sensitivity to inclusion and diversity, improve interpersonal skills, have a high tolerance to ambiguity through greater adaptiveness, and develop an ingrained curiosity and problem-solving. This article aims to address these benefits in greater detail, advocating for the benefits of being TCK to help others like myself see how they can utilise their skills in Foreign Affairs.

1. Cultural intelligence

Cultural intelligence refers to being able to understand and communicate effectively across cultural barriers and differences. TCKs not only observe the geographical differences around the world, but also pick up how people view life from different social and political perspectives. TCKs have an expanded worldview and open-mindedness which are brought on by growing up in multiple multicultural settings, allowing them to discover new cultures, traditions, gastronomy and customs. This awareness allows TCKs to understand, relate to and work within different systems and cultures.

Through cultural intelligence, TCKs usually develop an identity that is rooted in people rather than places, which is often the opposite to those who grow up in one culture. TCKs therefore put the focus on the relationship with people and develop their soft skills making them great communicators.

2. Sensitivity to inclusion and diversity

Sensitivity to inclusion and diversity allows TCKs to collect cross-cultural practices and skills that can be used to make sure everyone finds their place in social situations. TCKs usually have an interest in cultures other than just that of their own passport country, which draws them to find commonalities between people and creating inclusive spaces.

Being a TCK, my sensitivity, and many others, towards inclusion comes from having to adapt to new circumstances. We all know this feeling of being different, being the “other” and not belonging. Growing up within international schools, kids are surrounded by different cultures - not limited to their own and their current host country - this allows them to closely interact with people from diverse backgrounds as friends. We don’t see those from other cultures as ‘different’, we are all different yet see each other as the same - just people. 

Having lived and encountered different cultures, TCKs experience the world in a specific way that cannot be achieved by reading books, seeing movies or watching the news. It gives them an internal three-dimensional view of the world, creating a certain presence and clear awareness of what is happening in a country, even if we might not be there anymore or have never visited.

From personal experience, every time something happens in a country I have lived in or have a close connection with, it affects me as if it would be happening to my passport country. It has made me more empathetic towards people’s experiences.

3. Interpersonal skills

Having to move every few years, being uprooted and placed in new environments, TCKs have developed useful personal skills for interacting with and in a culturally diverse world. We discover a variety of cultural practices through having to successfully find our way in countless new schools, which often leads to strong cross-cultural skills. Giving us the ability to learn what some of the underlying assumptions are behind these cultural practices. 

I attended 7 different schools, which meant I needed to make at least 7 new friendship groups and navigate through 7 new school systems. After a while I got used to it, making it easier with time to build new relationships with all varieties of people. When you start over so many times, you develop a certain level of confidence because my past experiences have taught me that with time and patience, you will succeed - in this case, I will make new friends.

Many TCKs will usually be fluent in more than one language. Bilingualism and multilingualism have many advantages, as one of them involves having the opportunity to communicate, mediate and interact with various groups of people. The combination of cross-cultural skills and multilingualism provides Adult Third Culture Kids (ATCKs) - particularly who go into international or intercultural careers - with a great foundation to be the bridge between different groups of people.

4. Adaptive and high tolerance to ambiguity

Throughout my education, I attended three different teaching systems - the French system, the Canadian system and the Danish system, which meant that I had to understand, learn and adapt according to each educational and cultural system. This ability to adjust to my environment, relatively calmly, is a skill that many TCKs learn to adapt to. Being adaptive usually, gives us security to take a risk where others might not as we are able to manage new situations, usually by ourselves, as others will not always be physically present to help.

TCKs are often referred to as ‘cultural chameleons’, which refers to our ability to navigate through a vast spectrum of cultures, environments and personalities and adjust to unknown spaces. Having a high tolerance to ambiguity gives us the ability to adjust to suit new environments; providing not only a level of flexibility but a capability of ‘reinvention of self’, a can-do attitude when driving change.

5. Ingrained curiosity and problem solving

When living in a different culture, you learn about that culture through observation and natural curiosity. TCKs have to learn how to become careful observers of what is happening around them and then understand what it is they are observing. A seed of curiosity is planted within, constantly seeking knowledge and understanding of what is going on around us, while trying to find our own place in the world.

This translates well into leadership, as we have adopted a “move forward mentality” by searching and finding new ways to create value in their environments. As well as, to focus more on where we are going rather than where we have been. Usually we can’t have an emotional connection to a specific place, moving around so much, many places can be called our ‘home’ or none at all. We are the perfect candidates for fast-changing careers.

Concluding Thoughts

Our experiences as TCKs are unique. They celebrate embracing diversity, allowing us to bridge gaps and differences between cultures and people. We have created relations based on people and experiences, rather than similarities and likeness. This, for all some of us sacrifice, provides us with the skills to become leaders who will articulate a vision and empower a society that acknowledges our shared image as humans. For those struggling with TCK life, finding their place or identity, the book “Third Culture Kids: Growing up Among Worlds” has truly helped me to understand my place in this world and create my own definition of home.

Published 25th May 2021

Edited by Lauren Matthews