Employment Options for the Retired

Retirement was once a fixed point in a person's working life, but now with age discrimination laws in place and financial issues to consider, more and more people are working well past retirement age. Retirement does not mean that you need to give up working completely and there are a number of employment options for the retired that are well worth considering.

Staying in Your Present Employment

Many employers do not relish the idea of training new employees from scratch or losing a valuable member of their staff. Basically, if you are fit and able you can carry on working for as long as you like. However, if you are an employee, an employer does have the right to dismiss you after the age of 65 or at the company's own retirement ages without giving a reason.

This said, many employees who have a long standing service record with a company and who are seen as assets do have their own particular benefits. Older workers are seen by some employers as more reliable, willing to take on extra duties, and are thought to take less sick time than younger employees. There is also the older employee's skills and experience to consider, skills that can be used to train younger members of staff.

Cutting Back on Work

When you reach retirement age the thought of stopping work completely and losing a regular wage may seem like a daunting prospect. At present one in ten people over the state retirement age is in employment, and a great many are working part-time hours or in job-sharing schemes. The amount of retirement aged workers in the UK represents a large and important part of the working population. If you are nearing retirement age and want to continue working but with less hours then previously then you should discuss more flexible working hours with your employer.

Recruitment Agencies

Recruitment or "temp" agencies have excellent employment options for the retired. Every city and town will usually have scores of employment agencies; each with a variety of posts to be filled. Depending on your skills, recruitment agencies will usually have some form of work that many be suitable for you, and with hours to suit.

If you have worked your whole life in administration or secretarial services, and are actively looking for work then there are agencies dedicated to this employment sector. There are recruitment agencies dedicated to bar work, driving jobs, accountancy work, domestic services, and even gardening jobs. If you are retired and looking for some part time work, then going to your nearest recruitment agency and registering could be a beneficial choice.

Government Job Centres

Local job centres are an excellent place to find part time work. They have departments dedicated to finding work for older people. They will be able to give information and advice on filling out your CV and applying for employment that will best suit your needs. If you have access to the Internet then you can search for jobs within their website and apply online or by telephone.

Teaching Employment

Many retired people have used their employment experience to teach and help others. Depending on your work experience you can teach classes on a diversity of subjects such as Information Technology, administration, secretarial and construction work. Many of these classes are held for a few hours each week in the evening or during the day.

No teaching experience is necessary, although you can take a short teaching course through colleges and universities that will give you the confidence and skills to teach. If you are interested you should contact your local college and ask for details on teaching vacancies on their part time courses.

Voluntary Work

Voluntary work is a great way of helping the people who need it most. Employment can range from driving jobs for people in care to giving advice at Citizens Advice offices. You will not usually be paid for these jobs but you can claim expenses and travelling fees.

Advertise Your Skills

If you want to make some extra cash then why not assess your employment skills and advertise in your local paper or on the Internet. If you are a trained accountant, have secretarial skills or can speak a foreign language you can always hire yourself out privately for a few hours each week. Don't let your skills go to waste, offer your services as a part time accountant or book-keeper if this has been your previous employment. You may end up making more money privately than you did as an employee.

There are plenty of options for the retired if you keep your eyes and ears open. Remember, you will no doubt be in receipt of a pension so your earnings will not need to be as much as when you were fully employed; a few hours per week may be all that is needed to top up your pension.