How can I carry on working until I'm 67?

[hulmegirl1]

I work in the NHS and it's a physically and mentally demanding job that although vital is not well paid.
I am in my mid 50s and am definitely a lot more tired than I used to be.
Quite often I get home (my job means I'm standing most of my shift) and I'm exhausted physically and mentally.
I can't see that I can carry this on until I'm 67. My husband is five years older than me and self employed and doesn't earn much so we rely on my meagre salary to ensure the bills are paid.
Does anyone have any ideas how we are all going to cope with this new reality?
I know if I'd been advised a lot sooner I'd have made very different decisions.
I still have never had a letter advising me of my retirement date and really was not aware until well into my 40s.

I'm 36. I'm not expecting there to be a state pension by the time I retire. Its likely to be means tested rather than universal because of costs I think. So I'm making my own plans.

As I understand it, women's pensionable age was reduced to 60 as "recompense" for their contribution to the war effort, or something like that.

When OAPs were first introduced the qualifying age was 70.

I think the idea is that you should try and make yourself somewhat financially stable by old age; I don't think old age pensions were meant to be much more than basic.

Of course its rather been chucked at the current generation in their late 50s/early 60s. But I just don't think the state/economy can afford educating people till their early or mid-20s (most student loans not paid back) and then people packing up work at 60.

But I do sympathise with the OP's general feelings - by late 50s most men and women do not have the physical energy to do long hours and especially physical jobs. But there are other ways hopefully.

Of course there will be a state pension. Otherwise people would starve in the streets. And putting enough by to replace the state pension, rather than top it up, is beyond the financial reach of the average person.

When OAPs were first introduced the qualifying age was 70

^ I should have added it was the same for men and women then (Lloyd George)

Exit International! That's my plan.

@clairemcnam Nothing is certain about the future, people are already going hungry :(

I think that it is taken for granted that we will all live longer and longer. I lost both parents who were in their fifties and a close family member unexpectedly died late sixties.
YANBU in my opinion

Yes I know how badly many people are being affected. But without ny state pension at all you would have 80 year olds homeless and begging on the streets. I don't think we are anywhere near that.

I think it’s bloody outrageous that we are expected to work till we are 67

Much fairer to expect young people who have massive student debts (or poor prospects as a non grad) and huge difficulties getting on the property ladder to pay for the pensions and NHS cost for 20+ years for an increasingly aged population, eh?

I sympathise and don't think that the generation reaching retirement has it hugely easy, but expecting struggling younger people to pay isn't going to be the answer either.

Indeed I am not saying it shouldn't be equal for both sexes. It is just the way the whole thing was introduced so rapidly and not gradually and sooner. My husband is also affected since instead of retiring at 65 he will retire at 66 and 3 months after working since the age of 16.
It's all such a mess and the fact that we won't be available to provide free care for elderly parents and grandchildren will surely lead to the state having to take up the slack, even more pressure on the NHS and some people not being able to work and pay tax since they cannot afford childcare.

I want to work until I am at least 75. My dad is 76 finally being forced into retirement (phased, though). He went PT at age 65. He's going to miss work a lot.

(as a female) I got new job/related industry at age 51. I strongly suspect I was the only viable applicant they had, I suppose. My old boss is trying to poach me back.

It's not being taken for granted that we'll all live longer. Of course not everyone will. But it's going off the average life expectancy, which has risen and is in the lower 80s.

hulmegirl The reality is unless we are happy for our parents to have 3 10 to 15 minutes care a day, then we do need to provide care. I do.

lljkk You are very fortunate. And that is not the average experience of trying to get a job in your 50s.

My dad is 69 and still doing a fairly physical job, he finds it tiring but doesn't want to retire yet as he can't imagine filling the hours. My friend works with exam invigilators over 80 who are topping up their teaching pensions and are not up to the job and the kids know it!

I'm about to hit 50, lots of my colleagues have changed jobs recently. Quite easily. I was talking to a lady from the Job Centre at a job fair about the fact that I need to change jobs in the next couple of years and she said not to worry, I might not earn quite as much, but with my (customer service) experience I'd never be short of work.

Me too OP I'm to and some mornings I just don't know how I can go on. I was fine until the menopause then it all went to hell.

My father and my husband's parents paid in until they were in their late 50s from their teens and then all died and never collected a penny of their pension.
If they had increased my retirement age to 65 I'd have understood it better but goodness me speaking to friends and colleagues we are all dreading having to deal with the physical demands of our jobs as we get older but have no choice to be honest.
Thanks for the positive input of some of you which is what I was hoping for.
I have children of my own and of course worry about them too and have supported them financially and by having them and their spouses/children living with me when necessary.
What an absolute mess!

I think it depends on the person. My dad still works full-time time at 67 and my mum part-time at 66. My husband's aunty works part-time at 72. I know others who've retired in their 50s.

@insancerre how does expecting to retire at 60 make it worse? Those of us who've always had the older pension age suddenly grow the ability to work for longer?

Amen to that madcatladyforever! I'm knackered and that's putting it politely!

exactly clash, that's why the op needs to find out her exact numbers at 67, and earlier years to see what she's entitled too.

If you started work at 16 and have to keep working til 67 you'd have worked 51 years! Long enough to say you've paid your way.

I don't see how it benefits young people to keep so many older people 'job-blocking' against their will. (Those that want to stay working or are in an unchallenging job for their physical and mental capabilities can crack on if they want).

I'm mid 40s and I don't have a pension of any description because I don't earn enough to pay for one (13k). I don't have a partner or anyone to fall back on. My plan is just to keep working until I can't anymore.

You might feel hard done by OP, but most people in this country are in a much worse position than you.

@Haffiana just looking at your ridiculous response of 19:35 copying in a previous post and saying 'wtf are you talking about '

If you actually read the post you are responding to instead of leaping on to your high horse you would see that the poster was talking to insancerre and not you.