Just retired from teaching at 55!

[Foxymoxy68]

I've just retired from teaching at the earliest possible opportunity.....55 next month. I thought it would never come as the last few years have been utterly horrendous! But I made it and it's just starting to sink in.

Does anyone have any retirement tips for me? Particularly if you were involved in teaching? I'm keeping a very open mind on what to do going forward. I'd like to earn a little to boost my reduced pension but would rather not have a contract and at the moment feel like I never want to set foot in a classroom ever again! For context, I taught for 31 years and was deputy head and SENCo for the last few years. Thanks.

Has working for 31 years really paid enough into the pension pot for you to retire for the next 31 years?
Mortgage paid off, children grown up, not hard to imagine that people need less money at that point. In my case we saved and invested once we weren't paying for childcare. It's a bit insulting to question people's financial planning ability.

It seems an insane concept that people are able to retire so young.
This is NOT SAHP bashing at all - just a comment that there have been so many posts knocking early retirement on MN, yet it is totally, and rightly, acceptable not to work at all after having children. I have friends who never returned to work after having children, even when they'd grown up - so effectively 'retired' after 10 -15 years of working. And good for them, none of anyone else's business. Why is it then an 'insane concept' that someone who has worked for much longer should want to get out as soon as they can afford it?

Congratulations OP!

I’m following - teacher hoping to retire part-time in a few months!

Well done! I retired last year at 60 and intended to go back on supply, just to the school I'd left. However by the October holidays I knew I couldn't bear the thought of teaching again.
I feel that it's all I've known my whole life - school, uni, teaching so I'd find it very difficult to do any other kind of work - I just wouldn't have a clue. I thought about doing ad hoc caring work at a nursing home or applying to Tesco for Christmas work but was scared of looking like an idiot among parents of kids I'd taught.
As a result I have done absolutely nothing in my first year but as I'm entering my second, I'm getting a bit fed up.

Hopefully you can find something more useful to do with your time,

Become a governor or a clerk/governance professional (paid) if you want to still be involved in education.

Enjoy!
You probably don't want to teach classes again.

But how about, one to one tutoring of keen adult student. It could be, English language. Coaching for British Citizenship test. Cultural acclimatising.
Private tour guide to overseas visitors.
Lecturer on Cruises.
Companion/ PA on cruises. (to the elderly singles who live on cruises, back to back. )
Travel Auntie; escorting rich foreign students home.
Holiday Auntie, cultural enrichment for rich foreign pupils who have nowhere to go in school holidays.

Overseas volunteering.

Has working for 31 years really paid enough into the pension pot for you to retire for the next 31 years?

Mortgage paid off, children grown up, not hard to imagine that people need less money at that point. In my case we saved and invested once we weren't paying for childcare. It's a bit insulting to question people's financial planning ability.

OMG has said what I was going to say.
How careful someone has been with money, is none of your business. Plus, you have no idea if the OP has a high earning partner or may have inherited, or won some money.
As an aside, if the OP is 55, she is likely to have worked 34 years, just to be precise.
However, hardly the point of the thread.

Congratulations OP. I am hoping to go at 60.
My plan is to tell very few people, and do make a conscious decision NOT to take on anything new for a year. My aim is to do all those jobs I always intend to do in the holidays, and never get done. I want to declutter the house thoroughly, and then think about putting it on the market and moving somewhere smaller / less maintenance / cheaper to run.
Then take stock.
One key thing I plan to do is make sure I walk for an hour every day. You don't realise how physical teaching is until you stop.

Congratulations !

Not a teacher but I semi retired 3 years ago and now work just 2 days a week. To be fair, it is in a profession that I love.

Being redeployed to covid ICU at the height of the pandemic was what saw me off. Now I provide some childcare for grandchildren, spend most weekends away and generally take life an awful lot easier. Haven’t made any big changes really.

Congratulations! This is years out of date as my Dad’s now 85, but he also retired from teaching in his 50’s and worked as a tutor for the Probation Service. He found it v. rewarding as many of his clients had poor school attendance records and he could make a real difference to their numeracy/literacy skills.

I’ve no idea how you’d go about finding this type of position, he used to work at a local probation centre.

I retired from teaching with ill health at 50. I was actually very very I'll at 45 but thought I would get well enough to return.
I've not but I look after granddaughter, do art classes and just enjoy my life as I know I'm very lucky to have it.
My best friend also retired from ill health, also at 50 and sadly she is no longer here.
I do spend time every day exercising because as someone said teaching is very physical - I worked at the top of a tower block!
Enjoy. I really think people think we have just been sat on our backsides eating penguins all day!

Appreciate all the advice, thankyou. Some great ideas to top up my teacher pension and just good advice in general. I think it makes sense just to take stock for a while and grow into it before making any big decisions.
Looking forward to joining the gym and actually having time to go!
Part of my decision to go early is because my husband is 10 years older than me and we want to travel and enjoy life while we're fit and well enough to do so (he retires at Christmas). We are in the fortunate financial position to be able to do it and will grab it with both hands!

Join a temping agency?
Part time shop work?
Friend has started an events organising business -

Ot really builds in her teaching and planning - ballon’s banners photo displays instructions food etc

Paper work in the week and events at the weekend

My friend took early retirement from teaching and did online tutoring to help struggling pupils. It can be voluntary or paid. She weaned her self away from teaching this way.

First of all, happy retirement. Second, I’m surprised that you feel you need to supplement what you call your reduced pension as you say you have been teaching for 31 years. This equates to a very healthy pension which most people would be more than happy with. And definitely more than enough to live on!

I'm guessing that by "reduced," OP is referring to the actuarial reduction for leaving before normal pensionable age. That's roughly 4% per year, so roughly 20% for her. Still pretty good, obviously.

I'm a 54 year old teacher. Been teaching 27 years and looking to retire at 58. My pension will be about £16k with a lump sum, so not an amazing amount. If I stayed until 60 it would be about £19k. Luckily teachers pensions are index linked so this is a guaranteed pension for life. Once I get to 67 I'll get another £9k state pension.

I'm planning on downsizing my 4 bed house & be mortgage free.

I had breast cancer in 2021 so life has a different meaning now.

If I need to boost my income I'll get a part time job, but maybe not in teaching.

Have a great retirement OP

My husband works in a sector where they retire at 55 on full pension. He is currently fit & healthy. He will be VERY bored if he doesn’t work for the next 30 years. BUT my advice to him has been to see the first 3-5 years as a sabbatical to travel whilst he’s fit and do things he’s always wanted but never really had the time - hill walking, car mechanics - then when he’s 60 he can think about some part time, seasonal or consultancy roles. Reframe it, take time now with your husband and enjoy your health and happiness. Congratulations OP you’ve worked hard, you deserve it.

@RaraRachael I can understand you not wanting to do something so public facing, like retail, but working in a care home or as a private carer would be massively appreciated. How about something like a carer/respite/'Aunty' to children with SEN/illness/recovery after an accident.

we really struggled to find people to help when my godson came home after a life changing accident.

@Foxymoxy68

personally I could happily retire at 55 (next year), sadly I can't afford to. 🥹so congratulations!!

i don't teach, but do work with children. I have less than a year in this job & I need to figure out 'what next' & my health isn't the best, so I'm dreading it...

it would be great if the euro lottery came good!!

I hope you enjoy it!!

Well done to the OP for surviving 30+ years as a teacher, and congratulations to her on her retirement.

However, as a public sector worker myself, I think it's naive to assume that what is true now about public sector pensions will be true in 40 years' time. Teaching and NHS pensions don't have a pension pot, but that's a bad thing, not a good one, because it means there is no money set aside for them. They rely on annual tax income, and on the government of the day having enough cash to pay them from tax revenues. With the population aging and the number of working people falling, it is not at all clear how that it is going to keep happening.

Personally, I am trying to build non-pension savings as much as possible before I retire.

Nail on the head there.

Look at Adventures After Teaching on Facebook for some ideas

Teacher here who retired at a similar age to you 5 years ago. Since then I moved house and have been busy renovating and sorting out an overgrown garden. I also provide childcare two days a week for my grandson and help run a kids group on a voluntary basis. To make a bit of extra (tax free) cash, I host foreign teachers and group leaders from a local language school a couple of weeks a month. They are out all day so I still have plenty of time free to do my own thing and we can schedule hosting around holidays etc.
Off to France in the camper van tomorrow! There definitely is life after teaching. Good luck.

The hospitality industry is crying out for workers and it would be quite a swerve from your usual responsibilities. May be zero hours in which case you can decline any events you don’t wish to attend.

Congratulations! I went on a retirement course before retiring, the best advice given was to tell every one who asks what your plans are that you are taking a GAP year. This prevents all the other people who have been preparing for your retirement from slipping in and filling your time with their needs.

Agree with keeping your NI payments up even if you’re not working, it makes a huge difference to your state pension if you have gaps.

I retired from teaching at 55 ( now 58). My husband is 61 and also retired. It's fabulous, absolutely fabulous. We look after our grandson ( 16 months old) one day a week . When my own children were his age I was about to be a single parent. I had to return to full time teaching to keep us going. I am making the most of every second with him because I have time. Time to do whatever I want on the other six days and time with him to read the same book a hundred times, to blow bubbles,to look at flowers and watch a beetle. We travel . I meet friends who are also retired. My husband plays golf 3 days a week. He has never been fitter and looks fabulous. We are part of a walking group and go out with them twice a week to walk several miles on our local, famous hills. I am part of a group of artists. I sold several pieces at our last exhibition. We like travel ( have bought a VW camper van) art exhibitions, music of all sorts, theatre. You can go to things midweek after retirement. Fewer people, less crowded, time to take it all in.

You now have the freedom to do sometimes you love to earn a few pennies in your free time, ie if you enjoy gardening get a few freelance local jobs which will prob only be seasonal, you can choose your customers and hours and will help keep you fit. If the money isn't important then there will be plenty of charities that would appreciate your time, whether it is walking dogs for an animal charity or visiting and providing company for a lonely elderly neighbour, or even helping out in a charity shop a few hours a week.