Is Fostering a Viable Career Change for You?
What makes fostering an amazing career choice?
Fostering is a career like no other. By choosing to become a foster carer with FCA Scotland, you’ll be doing a world of good for children across Scotland who are in need of a loving family home; changing not only their lives, but also your own for the better.
There are lots of amazing factors which can make fostering a great career move, including:
- The opportunity to engage in life-changing work and make a real difference
- A generous fostering allowance to say thank you for your hard work
- Flexibility thanks to the various different types of fostering
- Plenty of opportunities to build skills and develop your abilities

Who can become a foster carer in Scotland?
Fostering a child takes dedication, hard work and lots of emotional intelligence. In order to become a foster carer in Scotland, you’ll need to meet a few requirements. Ask yourself…
- Am I aged 21+?
- Do I have a suitable spare bedroom?
- Do I have the legal right to work in the UK?
- Am I passionate about helping to change the lives of young people?
If you answered yes to all of those questions, you could be a great candidate to foster!
How much do foster carers get paid?
While finances are not the motivation behind becoming a foster carer, it’s crucial to recognize their significance when considering a big career change. Foster carers with FCA Scotland receive a generous fostering allowance whenever they have a child in their care. The amount you’ll receive depends upon a few different factors, including how many children you’re caring for, the ages of those children and their unique needs.
To get an estimation of how much you could earn as a foster carer, try out fostering allowance calculator below.
Fostering and Finances
Most foster carers are exempt from paying tax on their fostering allowance thanks to a government scheme known as Qualifying Care Relief. You will be classed as self-employed, meaning that you will be required to file a yearly tax return with the HMRC.
In addition to our fostering allowance, we offer our foster carers a variety of additional financial benefits, including:
- Free family days out
- An appreciation bonus which increases each year
- 14 nights of optional paid respite
- Rewards when you reach special fostering milestones
- Access to our exclusive discount scheme

Can I continue working while fostering?
Some people choose to make fostering their full-time career, while others choose to carry on working a regular job alongside fostering a child. If you’re interested in fostering while working, we’ll get to know your work schedule to make sure it aligns with the needs of a child, taking into account factors such as when you work, for how long, and whether you have a flexible and supportive employer.
There are many different types of fostering to suit different lifestyles. These include:
- Emergency fostering, where a child is placed with a foster family for a short period of time, usually ranging from a few days to a few weeks.
- Interim fostering, where a child lives with their foster family temporarily, until they’re able to return home or until longer term plans are put in place for their care.
- Long-term fostering, where it is decided that a child will stay with their foster family until they are ready to live independently or move into new accommodation.
Do I need experience to foster?
If you’ve had previous experience of caring for children, whether your own little ones or in a professional setting such as being a teacher, early years practitioner or youth group mentor, you will no doubt be bringing invaluable experience to your role as a foster carer. Experience in other care professions or looking after a relative is also invaluable.
While previous experience of caring for others will mean you bring lots to the role, we encourage you to become a foster carer regardless of whether or not you have any previous experience. Thanks to the excellent training opportunities we provide to or our foster carers, you’ll receive in-depth guidance on all aspects of parenting a foster child, including health and safety considerations, how to manage a child’s behaviour and how to support a child who has experienced trauma.
Things to think about if you’re considering making fostering your career…
- Is my home suitable for welcoming a young person? You don’t need to own your own home to foster, but you do need to have a welcoming spare room which will always be available for a child to use. Your home must be clean, safe, and harmonious. As part of your fostering assessment we’ll also conduct a health and safety assessment on your home and on your pets, to make sure they’ll be safe around a child.
- Do I have the right personal qualities? In order to be a foster carer, you must be passionate about helping children in need of a loving home. When we seek out new foster carers, we’re looking for people who are resilient, compassionate, hard-working and who, above all, have a genuine desire to help transform the lives of vulnerable young people.
- Do I understand that fostering is a 24/7 commitment? Fostering isn’t a job in the traditional sense; money should never be the primary motivator. Fostering is a lifestyle, and you will need to live and breathe fostering in order to succeed as a foster carer. The children you welcome into your home will become a part of your family. As with any other style of parenting, being a parent to your foster child is a 24/7 responsibility.
- Who can I rely on for support? No one can foster without support from others, and it’s important to identify your support network. If you’re in a relationship, your key support will more than likely come from your partner. Working together as a team allows you to divide up responsibilities, work around one another’s schedules and fulfil all of your parenting responsibilities together.
If you’re a single foster carer, you’ll be able to nominate a trusted family member or friend to help you with babysitting and childcare duties. All foster carers also benefit from our huge range of support, which includes support groups and regular events.
Career progression opportunities for foster carers
If you’re wondering what career opportunities are available for foster carers in Scotland, we here at FCA Scotland ensure that we’re always giving you opportunities to learn more and develop your career.
For example, if you take part in our specialist training, you may be given the opportunity to offer specialist fostering which will allow you to support a child who has complex needs resulting from trauma. Foster carers who offer specialist fostering will receive a higher rate of fostering allowance.
You’ll also have access to a wide library of optional training sessions which we run regularly, both virtual and online, as well as a variety of e-learning courses which can be completed at any time which suits you. Our courses cover a wide range of topics, including understanding eating disorders, parent and child relationships, staying safe while gaming and ensuring that a child’s cultural needs are met, meaning that you can tailor your learning to the individual needs of the children you care for. Our face-to-face and online sessions are also fantastic opportunities to meet and befriend other foster carers.
I’m ready to become a foster carer— what’s next?
If you’re ready to earn a living as a foster carer, a member of our team would love to chat with you about all the ins and outs of becoming a foster carer in Scotland. Simply contact us today by filling in our online enquiry form or giving us a call on 0141 646 4805.
Ready to learn more? Check out our in-depth guidance on how to turn fostering into your career.
