Retirement doesn’t mean you have to scale back on how active you are. If anything, you can be busier than ever, thanks to the wealth of opportunities that are out there.
Part-time jobs and volunteering are great for helping you stay busy if you’re retired. Not all retirees want to just put their feet up and relax. They don’t necessarily just want to spend their retirement pursuing their hobbies or pastimes either. There are many more activities out there to help keep them busy and give them more of a purpose.
What’s more, not everybody who retires can afford to live off their savings and pensions. Part-time jobs are ideal for providing the additional income that’s needed to supplement savings and pensions.
Believe it or not, there are numerous opportunities - paid and voluntary - available to retired people these days. In fact, some retirees even go on to start a brand new career! Retirement doesn’t have to be restrictive. Focus on how you want to spend it and what you need to do in order to achieve your goals within the next chapter of your life.
Types of part-time work
Self-employment
If you’re considering working for yourself, but aren’t sure what to do, then start by considering your hobbies. Whether it’s needlework, knitting, furniture restoration, gardening, or DIY, lots of people set up small businesses and start new part-time or self-employed careers when they retire.
Given the digital era in which we now live, the internet has opened up so many doors. This means that if you used to be a secretary, you could provide remote typing or bookkeeping services to companies who don’t have the resources to employ a full-time member of staff to carry out this work. Alternatively, you may enjoy car boot sales and have an eye for a bargain that you can easily resell online, making yourself some extra money in the process. The options, and opportunities, are endless!
If you quite like the idea of working for yourself, make a list of all of your skills, personal qualities and interests. This will enable you to see if there’s a gap in the market you can tap into. The additional income you make will also help with your financial budgeting and retirement planning.
Staff employment
By law, older workers, who may have retired or be close to retirement, should not be categorised into doing certain types of work. Anti-discrimination legislation means that retired people, or those nearing retirement, can continue in the jobs they have done for most of their working life way beyond conventional retirement age.
Because it’s unlawful to discriminate on the grounds of age, you should have the same chance of gaining employment as everybody else.
What about ex-work colleagues? Networking provides you with possibly the best chance of finding work if you want to continue working part-time within your chosen field.
Most people are familiar with the likes of B&Q and Tesco, who have long maintained a policy of actively encouraging retired people to work. However, all companies now need to also take a proactive approach to considering older applicants when it comes to their recruitment processes.
Voluntary work
Sometimes, people who have retired, simply want to give something back and help others, so get involved with voluntary work. They can do this by themselves or with their partner if they’re retired too.
There are many benefits to volunteering for all involved. For retirees, it’s a chance to make new friends and learn new skills. It can also be incredibly rewarding, as well as provide you with some purpose and structure to your day. Taking part in voluntary work is both mentally and physically rewarding. It has been recognised for helping combat depression, boosting self-confidence, staying fit and healthy and cultivating happiness, among numerous other things.
Many charities and volunteer groups actively encourage retirees to get involved due to their maturity; wealth of experience and enthusiasm for the cause:
- charity shops are always on the look-out for staff, or perhaps a voluntary organisation can make use of any administration skills you may have
- if you enjoy physical labour and working outdoors, there are countless voluntary projects related to conservation out there
- you may want to take on an active role within your local community, so you could become a local councillor
- if you’re a good communicator and ‘people person’, helping out with disadvantaged young people or providing telephone support via the Samaritans might be just the thing for you
- if you drive, you may be able to find work collecting the clothes bags that are left out for charities or by taking people to and from hospital
Your local council, local newspaper and library are good places to start enquiring about voluntary work. There are also plenty of online resources too. Simply type into a search engine (e.g. Google) 'voluntary work' in your local region.
Volunteering is an opportunity for you to be involved in something you really enjoy doing. Whether it’s a hobby or continuing your previous role or existing voluntary work.
A final few words about staying busy during retirement…
Retirement doesn’t have to mean staying in and having minimal interaction with people. There are numerous different avenues you can explore, from starting a self-employed business based on your hobbies and interests and taking part in voluntary work, to still working for an employer on a part-time or job share basis. The more you search for ways to spend your retirement, the more we guarantee you’ll find….
For advice, wellness coaching or counselling, contact the team by email at: thrive@charteredaccountants.ie or by phone: (+353) 86 0243294.
Article reproduced with the kind permission of CABA, the organisation providing lifelong support to ICAEW members, ACA students and their close family around the world.
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