A diplomat gives so much of their life to their career; shouldn’t they be happy with it? Yet, evidence suggests that giving too much and burning yourself out leads to reduced career satisfaction across the board, especially for those living in a foreign country. 

Lucky for us, a 2022 study in the Journal of Global Mobility found that diplomats have a way to reduce burnout and increase career satisfaction: strong identification with both host and home countries. 

Three Types of Diplomats and Their National Identities

This study used a survey to measure the national identities of over 200 diplomats around the world, and divided them into three main groups:

First were the diplomats who displayed strong identification with their home country but not with their host country. These people only care that people associate them with their home country, not the country they live in. 

This group did display significantly less burnout, but strangely enough, the connection between burnout and career satisfaction was not nearly as strong in this group! These people might feel less tired at work, but it won’t give them the satisfaction they are looking for out of their foreign posting. 

Second, some diplomats displayed high identification with the host country but lower levels of identification with it. These diplomats experienced no change in their burnout compared with the general expat population. 

Considering the lower commitment to public service in their own country, it seems reasonable that they would thrive less in this line of work. While their contributions are always important, they don’t distinguish themselves here from most others living in a foreign country. 

Last, and certainly not least, some diplomats displayed both home- and host-country identification. These people experienced not only a reduction in burnout, but also displayed the correlation between burnout and career satisfaction, meaning this is the only group that definitively displayed an increase in career satisfaction due to reduced burnout!

Identity Building in the Hague

We’ve seen that identifying with host countries as well as our homes can improve burnout and career satisfaction among diplomats, so learning about and understanding your host country is a critical step in caring for your mental health in a posting abroad. 

Nvoye can offer human connection with others in the diplomatic community as well as services to help identify with The Hague and The Netherlands, including news summaries, cultural and professional events, and join groups according to your interests. 

To take ownership of your posting and identify more closely with the Netherlands, connect with us so we can help.