Although you’ve spent the better part of your working life looking forward to and planning for retirement, once you’ve reached retirement age, you can’t imagine why you thought it would be those ‘golden years’ everyone always talks about. Whether you’ve planned well for your financial future during retirement or are needing an income to maintain your lifestyle, you may be wondering what you can do to make these years a real golden experience. Here are some ideas you might want to explore when seeking full or part-time work as a retiree.
Become a Mentor
This is especially well-suited for professionals who spent the entirety of their professional life in a given career. Young people just entering the job market are often overwhelmed by all there is to learn, even though they may have a degree, diploma or certificate. It’s always nice to watch those you are mentoring grow in their profession and not only can you earn a suitable income, but you can also help others learn from your experiences, good and bad. You can help them find their own way at the same time.
Offer Your Services as a Consultant
You wouldn’t believe just how many companies are in need of experienced consultants. Whether you were an interior decorator or a marketing pro, your services are in great demand in literally every industry. Many companies find that consultants are useful when training new hires so that they can handle their duties efficiently. Consultants are also in great demand by startups and entrepreneurs. Just because they have a solid and innovative idea doesn’t mean they have what it takes to bring their product or service to market.
Work from Home
This is perhaps one of the best ideas for retirees seeking to supplement their pensions with the least amount of stress. You can set your own hours, work as much or as little as you are able, and you can take the clients you want at your own discretion. Work from home jobs are available in almost every sector and if you have a lot of experience in your profession, you can take on clients as you would at ‘the office.’ However, you are not limited to working in your profession. Have you ever thought of blogging or becoming an online merchant? These are also perfect full or part-time jobs for retirees because you can set your own hours and as a blogger, you can share a wealth of knowledge based on your own life experiences.
Teacher’s Aides
Most school districts are overcrowded with students and the high student-teacher ratio prevents educators from doing their job up to their potential. Many schools have a budget for teaching aides but not enough to hire full-time teachers who also require a benefits package. You are not limited to teaching in subjects within your profession, but it does help to have professional knowledge of the classes you will be helping with. Teacher’s aides can help with study groups and independent study while teachers are busy with the class at large.
Call Centre Operators
A growing number of seniors are working as call centre operators, especially within industries they’ve spent their lives working in. From customer support to tech support, seniors find that they are equipped to deal with issues because they have often faced them as well. Many companies find that older people who are more settled in their ways make better operators simply because they are not as inclined to need a great deal of physical activity and they are more patient. Simply put, many young people quickly become bored sitting by a phone waiting for it to ring!
A Few Words on the Legal Aspect of Working as a Retiree
If you are afraid of being discriminated against because you are a senior, understand that the Age Discrimination Act of 2011 was recently amended the office of Age Discrimination Commissioner. The Australian government also offers incentives for retirement age pensioners to continue on in the workforce and income thresholds have risen in an effort to keep Australians working longer.
If you are considering going back to work or continuing on after pension age, the government offers a wide range of information, such as that from:
- The Treasury
- The Australian Taxation Office
- Department of Employment
- The Australian Human Rights Commission
The point to remember is that employers are forbidden under the law to discriminate against seniors based on age. The Human Rights Commission takes these matters very seriously and if you feel you have been unfairly discriminated against, this is the authority to lodge your complaint with. Any company, large or small, should be grateful for the knowledge and experience you bring along with you. Are you looking for work as a senior? These ideas are just the beginning of what you can pursue. Don’t let age deter you from being an active member of Australia’s workforce.
Author’s Bio
Kym Wallis, the founding director of Higher Ranking has over 15 years of advertising sales, digital strategy, and business development experience. He is currently working as Digital Adviser
for iChoose.
