Repatriation Challenges

Running Head: REPATRIATION CHALLENGES 1
Repatriation Challenges
Student’s Name
Institutional Affiliation
Date

Repatriation Challenges 2
US third culture kids are those children who spend significant time in their development
lives in other countries. They are often repatriated for college. However, there is inadequate
visibility or attention given to the TCK population on US campuses. There is also a little
understanding of their journeys. The research Smith & Kearney, (2016) undertakes an
exploration of the repatriation experiences of the TCK population of college students, using the
lenses of Erickson’s development stages (1963, 1968, and 1997) and the Kubler-Ross grief
model (1969). The US TCKs are the American parents who live overseas raising their children.
The Bureau of Consular Affairs reported in January 2013, that 6.8 million Americans lived and
worked abroad with their children. The findings of the report showed that there was a huge
struggle with identity, relationships, and cultural differences. There was a tendency to align with
other TCKs and a huge desire to be heard. The American children whose parents worked abroad,
as they stayed and schooled in a foreign land, struggle to find footing when they finally come
back home. For one, they develop issues with finding their true identity because as they grew up,
they adapted to the cultures and ways of life of foreign countries. Therefore, repatriates are often
faced with the challenge of adopting their children to their native homes and schools.
There is a term called self-initiated expatriate (SIE) that researchers have recently
concentrated on using. This term provides an account for a special kind of skilled business
migrant. The individuals in this kind of skills normally relocate through their own initiative but
are not offered sponsorship by a home corporation. However, little is known about the patterns
of migration affecting the behavior of organizations and the interactions of the local country
nationals in organizations that are foreign. Language has also been found to have a great
influence on the organizational behavior since it is the main foundation of communication in
organizations. Therefore, it is of high importance to closely study the acquisition and usage of

Repatriation Challenges 3
local language in relating to the differences existing between organizational expatriates and SIEs.
This research utilized qualitative data of 74 local Chinese employees and Nordic expatriates
(Zhang & Lauring, 2019). Destinations like China, where the proficiency of the general English
language have issues with language for expatriates. Therefore, the research questions relating to
the expectations of learning the language of the receiving country.
Akkan, Lazarova, & Reiche, (2018) reviews the experiences of individuals in the
transition period of expatriation and repatriation in regards to their long-term global career goals.
The article offers a glimpse of expatriate challenges in terms of career decisions through the case
of Fernando Gonzalez at Biopharma. After working of almost eight years as an expatriate in
Argentina, USA and Poland, Gonzalez had gone back to Barcelona two and a half years back.
The dilemma for him was the fact that his career had been in the senior management position in
Global Clinic Development at Biopharma. Therefore, his career bore a global nature. Gonzalez
was therefore unsure if the family would agree of his next career move because his career path
led him only to the global markets. In that case, this article provides an insight into the problems
that expatriates face when they eventually return. The specific kind of problem identified is the
career pathway dilemma, especially for the careers that are relevant overseas and irrelevant in the
home country.
Santos, (2016) underscores the fact that the globalization of economies led to a huge
increment in the number of companies that operate internationally. That has consequently led to
a huge rise in the number of corporate international assignments. Companies, on the other hand,
are adopting approaches that are more flexible. There is an emergence of alternatives to the long-