Can You Earn an Income If You Choose to Foster?

Many people consider the idea of fostering but are put off by the thought of having to quit their job and become full-time foster carers. This could reduce their incomes significantly, which is not always a good thing if they already have a family to take care of. However, just because you will need to re-prioritize to accommodate a foster child, doesn’t mean that you will have to give up having an income altogether as there are ways to have the best of both worlds.

Fostering Income

To become a foster parent, it is important that you love children, of course, but you will also be paid for it too. Fostering is seen as a self-employed job that you will receive payment for, and this can be quite generous, especially if you use a good fostering agency such as orangegrovefostercare.co.uk. Fostering shouldn’t need to cost you money and you will receive a weekly payment in exchange for your time and care.

Flexible Working

There may be times that you have not got a foster child in your care and although this means that you won’t get paid an allowance, it also means that you could take on some work during this time. It can work well if you are a freelancer or run your own business as you could take on more work when you are not fostering to increase your earnings. You can then cut back if a child is placed with you.

Part-Time

Many people find that part-time work suits them very well, especially if they have a good support network. A foster carer must be around for the school runs, school holidays, and periods when a child is ill and can’t attend school. However, if you can work around these issues, you could still foster and earn an income. Again, the more flexible your job can be, the better, but it’s completely possible to work and foster, especially if you have someone such as a partner or an extended family member who can step in and care for your foster child.

Fostering as a Couple

You do not need to be part of a couple if you want to foster a child, but it can help if you want to retain your career too. One parent can take primary responsibility for the child while

the other goes to work. This is perfectly acceptable, and it means that there will still be an income coming into the house while you are fostering. Who earns the most money may have a bearing on which partner goes to work full time and which is a full-time career but that often happens naturally within families so it may not be too much of a change for you.

You should never forget that a foster carer’s primary responsibility is the care of the child. However, you can have the best of both worlds by fostering as well as earning a living if you think outside the box to make it possible.