Worried about job security? Fostering offers stability in uncertain times
With people across England facing bleak employment prospects as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, a mother from County Durham believes that more people should consider fostering in this time of uncertainty.
Claire and her husband Dave both worked in retail for a large supermarket chain, Claire in a managerial role looking after health and safety regulations across numerous stores and Dave as a HGV driver and risk assessor, a role he still does today. The couple first considered fostering when Claire saw an advert on TV and having been considered for redundancy for a fourth time, thought it was time for a career change.
In October 2015, Claire and Dave were approved as foster carers with us and they are now foster parents to 15-year-old Sam*, and 13-year-old twins, Lila* and Archie*. Claire and Dave are fostering the three youngsters on a long-term basis, meaning they will stay with the family until they are able to live independently as adults.
Speaking about her decision to change her career and become a foster carer, Claire said: “I began working at Sainsbury’s when I was 25-years-old and I worked my way up the ladder until I became a convenience risk manager – I had a lot of responsibility and covered over 120 stores at any one time. I had been up for redundancy three times as a result of restructuring within the organisation. Each time the job role changed so much and became so much more diverse, that the job I originally applied for and loved, wasn’t really what I was doing anymore.”
While working for the retail giant, Claire used to work long hours and found that at times trying to balance family life and work was challenging. While fostering is not a typical nine to five job, it can give you more time to spend with your family, something which was important for Claire.
Claire said: “Fostering has given me the flexibility and a real work-life balance that I never had with my previous job, and even though I would say I probably work more hours as a foster carer, it never feels like work, it just feels like family life. Being a foster carer has also given me the job security I didn’t have before, which I appreciate now more than ever with all the uncertainty around coronavirus. I’d really urge anyone who’s possibly facing redundancy or is unsure of their job prospects in the future to consider fostering. I love this job more than any other job I’ve had, so I’d encourage anyone to give it a go.”
For more information on fostering, book a call with us or you can apply to foster here.