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.

BaroldBalonz · 28/07/2023 03:43
Has working for 31 years really paid enough into the pension pot for you to retire for the next 31 years?

It seems an insane concept that people are able to retire so young.

When the pension was introduced it was paid only at 4 years past average life expectancy. It's no wonder that the whole pension thing is completely buggered now, why on earth hasn't retirement age been raised higher as life expectancy has increased so much?

The NHS is floundering under the weight of all of the treatments for all of the people that are living far longer due to the treatments and everyone wants to stop working earlier. Madness.

Oh what a happy little ray of sunshine you are - bet you're welcome at parties! For heaven's sake, the OP has paid into a pension scheme which she's now fully entitled to take advantage of, and it's up to her whether or not she needs to supplement her income to get by - she's presumably made the decision after careful thought. The OP has worked and contributed for years, would you rather she carried on until she was 95 (I shouldn't joke, that's probably the next thing on Mr Sunak's agenda, probably while he's deciding on the next big salary increase for MP's). Perhaps if teachers were treated better they might not be getting out as soon as they can? Have you considered this aspect, by any chance?

I hope you enjoy your retirement!
You could look at picking up some adhoc work with a safeguarding provider to schools maybe or some tutoring could be an option in your local area. You might even feel able to take on some supply work after a good break away from the classroom.

A retired teacher friend has built an online tutoring business 5-7pm & during holidays before exams

Also look into your nearest U3A to fit around other things. I joined when I retired at 55. I have so many new interests and friendship groups . Those people form my new network as I live on own. It’s like being a kid again. Where people are really open about “do you want to be my friend” , gathering them round knowing this is our protection against loneliness and isolation as we get much older
folks in my age group (early 60s) are pretty busy with U3A, looking after elderly parents (people forget this hits at this point- my own dad was fine till last year and now in a fairly desperate state needing support), voluntary stuff (I do support numeracy with disadvantaged kids ) and seeing family and friends. Our U3A has 80 groups with everything from physical activities like Pilates, yoga, Zumba., to learning languages, crafting groups, walking groups etc. don’t really hear to join gym - I tap dance, tai chi , 3 craft groups , book club , learn Italian and am committee - don’t know how I found time to work 🤣🤣🤣

Just popping in to say if you want to earn some money but don’t want to commit to a proper contract then consider joining the NHS admin bank. I joined last year after taking redundancy from my job at the age of 62 and currently work 3 days a week as a Band 4 administrator. This assignment lasts until the end of August - I’ll take September off for holiday/visiting family and then see what’s on offer. I’m lucky that I have a healthy pension pot but I don’t want to start drawing down until I have to!

Wrong thread?

Oh really sorry I haven’t posted before - how do I delete it?

@PrivateSchoolTeacherParent my friend does this as a volunteer for a stately home and works 2 days per week. Absolutely loves it, he also runs a social tea and chatting group one morning a week.

You have to click on "report post" and then explain in the "other" box for reason of report. Don't worry, MN is pretty confusing and most of us have done similar things!

Thank you

I’m retired -have been for several years am 70 now.
I miss using my brain. I waste hours on my phone but I think it’s because my hobbies-walking, gardening etc don’t stretch my brain.
im going to start share trading with a small amount of money to see if that engages me.

I retired at 55 from nursing. Now do casual work as an exam invigilator. Works really well , as the school uses invigilators for all the mocks and live exams. Most of the invigilators are retired .

Congratulations. This is something I.am considering too. I am.going to watch your post in earnest.

Another retired teacher here - earlyish. I’ve done exam marking, tutoring, invigilation - all easily available. If you have a university nearby, they also need invigilators.

I wouldn’t do supply/PPA as one of the big pleasures of being out of teaching is not being tied to school terms. I can ( and do) get ridiculously cheap trips by being totally flexible ( flights can double or triple in price from one day to the next).

I’d also hold off volunteering for a bit. Apparently some charities won’t take you in the first 6 months of retirement as so many people drop out. It should be a considered decision when you’ve worked out your routine.

I’d also wait and look at your expenses. We spend much less than we imagined we would - we shop in a more savvy way and don’t splurge to cheer ourselves up. No petrol for work, lunches, work clothes, impulse buys - they all add up.

No regrets here and, although I do have moments of boredom, I had those at work too ( meetings anyone, year 8 on a wet Wednesday teaching punctuation for the 20th year …). And now I’m not boring anyone else by moaning about work!

Huge congrats! What a great feeling that must be! What about a couple of days a week in an office or school office rather than teaching? Even a gp survey. I reckon have a rest for a few months then try pick something up to keep the brain active

Btw I’m almost 45 (not a teacher) and really would love to retire but I doubt it will be possible until 60 as my youngest will only just turn 18 then(!)

but I really want to go early (DH 5 years younger than me) as my parents are now early 70’s and in such bad health they can’t travel or do much. Have told DH I want st least 10 years of being able to go away so I’m not going past 60!

The thing with volunteering is that you are committing to being somewhere certain days a week - would be the same if you were childminding DGCs though not as fixed, so you are then not so free to travel.

I am so envious but also pleased for you. This is the age they said we'd all be able to retire at when I joined the workforce as at the time many people were retiring, on very comfortable workplace pensions indeed, since the early 1990s some of them have never had to worry.

I'd retire now if I could (12 more years to go, assuming the government doesn't move the goalposts again of course), by the time I get there I don't know if I'll have enough energy to do the travelling I'd like to do.

As it's a major life event, wouldn't the general advice be to take a year off to recover? There have been some great ideas on the thread so far, though my sister and her husband seem to have ended up being (very willing) unpaid full time carers for the grandkids as the actual parents have to work every minute just to keep their heads above water..

Enjoy your freedom, whatever you decide.

I'm 62. Technically I retired at 60 from banking so I got my FS pension then. I don't get my state pension until 67.
I'm still working 2 days a week for the aforementioned NHS admin. I don't feel that I'm quite ready to stop work altogether and the extra money is useful. Plus DH is only 57 so has a few years to go yet.
NHS pension age is 67 now also, so I'll eventually get a tiny amount from them.
I'd like to get into Extra work. Can anyone recommend an agency?

The green-eyed monster strikes again!

You may want to re-read the OP, as you seem to have missed several key points.

Firstly the poster points out this will be a reduced pension as she is retiring early, secondly she refers to the need to top it up with some sort of additional work. Lastly your 31 years calculation seems to ignore the state pension which the OP will also be entitled to.

Congratulations

Given your experience you may find that EOTAS is something to explore. In our area we’re crying out for good tutors/mentors who can engage with SEND children/ young people and facilitate their education while the LA cannot find an appropriate place in an educational establishment. Opportunities are available through agencies but also with families themselves, with some overlap with EHE families who are in the position to pay privately (though I don’t suggest pursuing the latter if your mindset is that all children should be in school as too many are EHE due to schools failing them).

Congrats on your retirement!
Were you in primary or Secondary ?
I’d suggest:

• exam invigilation
• tutoring online/face to face - perhaps specialise in something specific like reading for students with dyslexia or maths skills for those with dyscalcula?
• perhaps do some training to become a counsellor ?

If OP wants to volunteer at 55 on a reduced teacher’s pension that she has paid into for the last 31 years then more power to her. Teaching is an incredibly time consuming and stressful job and she will have had little free time over the last 31 years to do things for herself. She won’t get her state pension til she is 68. I volunteer at Citizen’s Advice, filling out claim forms for PIP and those unfit for work and and we are seeing more and more people not fit for work well before the retirement age as it is now. They are usually those in manual work, low paid work or people who used to be well paid like teachers and nurses but the physical and/or mental stress of their job and the reduction in their standard of living cause their physical and/or mental health to break down. Raising the pension age is just not possible.

Well done you for getting out before it broke you mentally and physically. 31 yrs is amazing, given how many are leaving the profession these days and you will have given so much of yourself in those 31 years so the next period of your life is for you.
I’m in my late 50s, not retired as such because I am a carer for my VI husband but he is fiercely independent so I have a lot of free time too. I volunteer for Citizen’s Advice two sessions a week and do Zumba a couple of times a week and I’m a member of a choir. CA will give you a bit of work experience that is not teaching if you want to look for a part time job to supplement your pension. Don’t be afraid to join things for the over 50s. There may not be many your age there but lots of pension age people are so young at heart. One of my new friends at Zumba is 80 this year and she is so much fun.