Diplomat Kids and the Foreign Service TCK Experience

Growing Up in Diplomatic Families

The children of diplomats, foreign service officers, and consular staff have a specific version of the TCK experience shaped by the particular rhythms of diplomatic posting cycles, the insular nature of embassy communities, and the visibility that comes with being associated with a government mission.

Diplomatic families tend to move frequently, often every two to three years, and children may have the additional complexity of representing their country in the eyes of local contacts. The Foreign Service Youth Foundation and similar organisations were established specifically to support this population.

• What was distinctive about the diplomatic community as a social world for you as a child?
• How did your association with your country’s government affect how you experienced the host culture?
• What was the posting cycle like from a child’s perspective — was it the moves themselves, or the anticipation of moves, that was hardest?
• What do you wish the foreign service had done differently in terms of supporting families?