Families In Global Transition (FIGT) is a great organisation connecting international individuals and families around the world. I attended their annual conference in the Netherlands in 2017. I had an amazing time! Given the craziness of my 2018 it’s unsurprising I couldn’t make the trip there this year, but I am super crazy excited that the 2019 conference will be in Bangkok, Thailand!!!

If you are an international anywhere in the world, the FIGT conference is hugely valuable. If you live in Asia or Australia, however, this is an amazing opportunity! Previously the conference has been held in North America or Europe. The fact that it will be happening on this side of the globe is incredibly exciting! I highly recommend it, and I would love to see lots of my international connections in Australia and Asia make the trip to attend their first FIGT conference!

Who should go?

• Anyone who has moved around the world
• Anyone raising their children outside their passport countries (TCKs)
• Anyone working in an international school
• Anyone teaching or working to support TCKs
• Anyone supporting international families (counsellors, for example)
• Anyone working in HR for companies that move workers (and families) internationally

Why should you go?

• Fantastic resources – great speakers, great books in the bookstore, and lots of great brains to pick.
• Solid research – there are always researchers presenting fascinating recent work on expatriates and Third Culture Kids.
• Relational opportunities – there are so many wonderful people at FIGT. It is one of the warmest groups I have ever walked into. It’s so intimidating to walk into a conference knowing no one, but FIGT makes it so much easier!! There are big sessions and very small sessions, so there are ample opportunities to meet different people throughout the three days.
• Real answers – if you have a question about global mobility and international life, how it affects you, your family, your organisation – this is the place to come.
• Inspiration – when a group of people like this gets together, there is a sense of energy and momentum, lots of new ideas and new projects sparked. (This was very true for me in 2017!)

So, am I getting paid to say all this??

Hahaha the short answer is definitely not! I am someone who went to the conference and was blown away by how great it was. I know that taking the conference to Asia is a risk for the organisers and I really want to see a huge response from all the international families on this side of the world. I know there are a lot of people who have felt the lack of resources for international families here, especially those working for (and moved around by) multinational companies.

I’m hoping to be a bit more involved myself this time around, and I’ll be sure to update you with more information, especially when registration opens.