What did you do before you fostered?

[slipperandpjsmum]

Just wondered what people's background was prior to fostering? Where a lot of people working in childcare? Why did you decide to become a fc?

We lived abroad in 5 acres of olive, fruit & almond groves. Nearest neighbour was 2 miles away.

We bred goats and chickens - had a donkey - rescued 4 dogs from a life of misery - grew all our own vegetables and watered it from a natural spring..

Made own jam from our own harvested apricots, made my own goats cheese & mozzerella from our own goats milk, own icecream with goats milk and our eggs..

Ahhh - sounds idyllic... it was and it wasn't......

Do you know, it felt like something was missing in our lives... we are were still young and had more to give back to the world... we missed our family and people tried killing our dogs (v long story).

Don't regret any of it, not for a single minute.. even found a fab foster home for the donkey.

Do we feel fulfilled now - YES - do we love fostering - YES - are we happy - YES.

I was a nursery nurse at a pre school la nursery and I absolutely loved it but we had always thought about fostering and when my youngest was 4 we just decided to go for it and see what happend....

My job was held open for the first 6 months of my fostering but I never went back because although I loved my job I love fostering even more!

Same as threeand counting I worked in a preschool x

I had been a childrens nanny and a care assistant, previously an insurance clerk, telesales Clerk, Sales assistant,

I was a youth worker for young carers

loads of different things mainly nursing but also working with children with disabilities and working with children in homes who are considered too difficult to foster.

My ! My ! 35 years ago Forgotten.
Was a National Union Banking Rep. Would not change a bit Fostering that
is . Banking hated it. still salary subbed our fostering.
Still going strong full house of happy children.

Worked in European finance, dh in the military.
Now we attempt to work from home when foster children are asleep/out etc.!
It's a much more rewarding combination!

I worked in residential childcare for 10 years ( children's home, then residential school), then I worked for a rights and advocacy service for accommodated children and young people. Then we moved abroad and I worked for a short period of time in an international school as a classroom asistant before giving up work to look after my own son who was born with LOTS of complex medical difficulties. Returned to the UK, little boy's health improved about 2 years ago ( but still has ongoing issues), and now we are a fostering family. xx

I trained as a paediatric nurse, haven't nursed in years tho. Been a SAHM with my own 3 kids :)

worked in a bank for 14 years and insurance for 6, felt something was missing in my life,, wanted to do something more worthwhile.. only doing this for 6 months and on 3rd placement 7th child... good so far although the middle one had me in tears of fustration when she wouldn't get up in the morning and would wish us dead all the time,, ( get plenty of i love yous as well so it balances out)

(hope its ok to join in, im not no where near thru application as yet).

Had seven children, worked, studied and been a stay home mum.
Ran my own pub n restaurante till 2010, built a computer business before that. Years ago studied A level law n psychology plus a few others..

Last year worked as a nursery asst for 8m covering maternity leave.
Recently studied O.U management skills, then safeguarding Children 1+2, keeping children safe, 0-19's differcult behaviour. Plus drugs awareness 1+2 (just completing).

My youngest is 9 (almost ten) but is more like a 11/12 year old lol. Miss having young'uns around the place and the silliest of things like 'daft questions' and looking at the world thru their eyes, its fascinates me lol.

Like being a stay home mum but miss being 'needed' i think lol. Considered fostering for 2-3 years, but only just applied several weeks ago. Needed time to prep the children and talk it thru, once i was sure - we applied.