Retirement life

[BG2015]

So I retired in the summer from my teaching job after 29 years. I'm nearly 57 so I've retired, early but my love for the job just wasn't there anymore and after recovering from a cancer diagnosis in 2021 I just decided life was too short.

Im waiting to start my very flexible part time freelance job delivering speed awareness courses which I plan on doing for about 12 hours a week.

But I am loving having a slower pace each day. I can't say I've been bored at all.

I've enjoyed swimming three times a week, walking with a local Nordic walking group, meeting a couple of friends for coffee, reading, cooking new things from scratch for our evening meal ( I live with my DP, adult son and his gf), watching TV and just pleasing myself.

Anyone else newly retired? How are you finding it?

I have continued to tutor about 4 students a week, It doesn’t take many sessions to go over £1k trading alllowance so it’s all subject to tax. Not sure if I want to continue with it as A Level students can be flaky and there are now so many uni students charging £20 per hour. I stopped exam board marking because the pay is so low.

@TheMJFairy I know what you mean about tutoring. Its really demoralising isnt it, all those years honing your teaching skills and some students says, yeah I did A level I can teach it for 20 quid. Just reminds me how little society thinks of us.
Having said that, I have said to parents, pay for an hour as a taster and see what your child thinks.. and they always say I am better, but its a question of cost. People happy to pay more for their piano or tennis coach that a professional teacher 😒thats why I refuse to do supply, everyone taking advantage!!

ok rant over, lie in time 😁

I do supply and the pay isn't great, but it works for me. I only do 2-3 days a week and refuse schools that are too far or I don't like. Keeps me busy.

My current plan is to finish with the four students I have currently in April/May. I didn’t promote anywhere this year and picked up these ones through word of mouth. I got a few 2hour revision sessions only through a parent who contacted me via LinkedIn last year - student thought papers 1 and 2 hadn’t gone well and needed steerage for paper 3. I charged extra for those but still have to prepare etc.

Parents will happily pay £30 per hour for gardener, tennis etc. @Anotheremptynester you are right in that we are undervalued and quite frankly I don’t need the hassle of having to prove my worth iyswim. Even the latest tik-tok ads are saying have useful the platform is for revision 🙄.

I might look for a part time role - 2 days a week but nothing in education. @BG2015 There are a huge number of those about at the moment (thanks Rachel). Luckily I have my teacher pension which I did pay extra into.

I agree re the ridiculously low pay for tutors. Same with health care professionals. I was earning less than £25 an hour as a senior HCP and paying my hairdresser £60 an hour. Not criticising hairdressers and she's very skilled but she isn't going to go be struck off or go to prison for a mistake, she isn't overstressed because the salons overbooked her. She doesn't get complaints about things that are out of her control (lack of basic equipment and long waiting lists).
I've thought about doing something part time and privately but caring pays £12-£15 an hour so no one is going to pay me more even though I'd be able to add a lot of value and can prescribe exercise plans etc.
I'm glad I'm out of it to be honest. I'm spending today watching the wildlife in my snowy back garden, drinking hot choc and reading. Can't really put a price on that.

Absolutely @LancashireButterPie . The people making money are the agencies. One agency was going to pay me £35 per hour but was billing the client £15 and on top of that was expecting me to use particular kit to tutor. I did query it and it was a couple (wife husband) combo building up a business, they told me I was at the top end as they had young teachers, uni students and even A level students who got paid a lot less..

Now just seen local Facebook moaning about traffic building because of roadworks etc. Most schools on an INSET today around here and chaos for some begins tomorrow.

I did exam invigilating last year and earned £800 after tax which I use as my girlie meet up fund eg coffees, meals out etc

Those retired from teaching, OFSTED calls today (local school) …inspection tomorrow!

So much for teacher health and wellbeing.

@Asyousay oh goodness me, it's just awful isn't it. We had the same after the Easter hols last year. So glad I'm out of it.

For anyone interested in supply rates, if you're in primary and happy to do day to day work then the going rate is £140-160 a day regardless of experience. If you're secondary and teach/taught a specialist subject you can ask for £220+.

paying my hairdresser £60 an hour

Do they earn £60 per hour?

I pay my hairdresser £30 for a cut and blow & £60 for a colour - I'm there for about 3 hours but she does squeeze other people in, in between. They also don't get the benefits that people get who work for local government and NHS.

Oh God, they have my sympathies. They turned up at my school on 13th December last year when we were mainly doing practising and preparing for our Xmas Show. Our children are traumatised SEN children in care. The lead inspector was awful and it was so difficult suddenly switching the children back to their normal lessons as they became upset and challenging. The second inspector had worked in a similar setting and just “got us”. We did get a Good rating but it was that inspection that cemented my mind that it was time to go!

my hairdresser is the Rush chain and they charge £200 for 2 hr cut and blow dry. thats in Surrey! I dont charge that much and I teach Science A level!!

What happens then if it's refused but not fit to work? Claim Esa and PIP?

I live in North Staffordshire. Not many people can afford to pay £200 for a haircut where I live.

@Orangesandlemons77she just applied for early retirement last June when she reached 55. She hadn't got the mental capacity to challenge it. She's had some intense therapy through the cancer team at our local hospital and her mental health has improved massively. Her DH is a retired policeman and working, plus they have a rental too that they get income off.

my hairdresser is the Rush chain and they charge £200 for 2 hr cut and blow dry. thats in Surrey! I dont charge that much and I teach Science A level!!

You do know that the hairdresser doesn't get £200 (which is an insane amount to pay for a cut&blow dry)? Nor do those who charge £60. Salons have high overheads plus a chunk will go to the owner, pension, NIC so you're comparing apples with oranges.

Coming back to read more later. I have to get up for work now!

The joys of semi-retirement!

I had a phone call last night at 8pm (which I ignored) from the supply agency I'm with. They then text me offering me a day supply work today in a school not far away. I politely declined.

My car is covered in ice and snow, it's parked in our little parking area at the bottom of a small hill to the road that leads out onto our estate. I don't need the money. I can stay inside and not have the hassle and stress of going outside at 7.30am to defrost my car and then have the trauma of getting OFF our estate, dodging parked cars into rush hour traffic.

It's heaven having that choice.

NB: I also wasn't impressed with the 8pm phone call

It really is a joy isn’t it @BG2015I didn’t set foot outside the door apart from a very quick drive to Tesco as DH let me down when his golf committee meeting went on so long I gave up waiting for him to bring in the stuff for our dinner!

Another joy was booking our first holiday that was not in the school holidays! I had seen a hotel I liked but they didn’t have availability for the 10 days I wanted so I just fitted in with their dates without a worry. Oh the luxury!

Oh holiday booking is a joy, I had to fit in with rosters and give 6 weeks notice for any time off. However we also weren't able to give too much notice either. Ideally they liked a window of between 6 weeks and 12 weeks, no more no less!
Dec 2025 was the first Christmas I've had off for decades. Priceless!
Where are you off to on holiday? @Icequeen01

We are off to Lake Garda at the end of June @LancashireButterPieand really looking forward to it. The last 3 years we have been to Crete for a much needed beach holiday as both DH and I were burnt out by the end of the school year. This year we felt we could have a holiday where we will have the energy to be a bit more active! We will be visiting Venice whilst we are there as we’ve never been. It really does feel like a luxury to be going out of term time and I shall savour every minute!

Have you got any holidays planned?

Oh how fabulous. I hope you have a marvellous time. We have booked a med cruise in May, Cornwall in Sept, Greece in Oct. I too will savour every moment!

We have a couple of holidays already booked, we are off on Douro river cruise at end of April and then the Kenya end Aug 😁

Wet day today so just meeting friends for a coffee later this morning. Starting to love being retired the thought of being anywhere for work at 8/8.30 seems dreadful

I went out at 7.30 this morning and bumped into a flow of people , all in office attire, heading for the station for the commute to work.

A feeling of utter calm and bliss came over me. Never have to do that again. <blissful sigh>

Love retirement

I sopped work at 50, ten years ago. It wasn’t my plan: I had begun a new job in the civil service 18 months previously after ten years outside the civil service working in think tanks and charity sector., and I was honestly excited about it and thought this would be the start of another decade of interesting roles.

didn’t work out that way, and after 18 months I took a look at my income(I had other sources of income besides my job , but it still meant a cut of two thirds), my retirement statements, household income and expenses and decided to jack it in.

its been brilliant. I’ve done all the health stuff- lost fat, gained muscle, sorted out all the various pain and stiffness and insomnia. I’ve had the time to shop and cook frugally and really well, so we’re all healthier. The house and garden look great, much better cared for and decorated, and I have developed a lot of DIY skills. We got a dog, because I was able to be around a lot, and that has made everyone more cheerful (except during fireworks). I ve volunteered at libraries and charity shops, I blog about books and stuff, I have joined two book groups and read a lot, I have passed exams in French and I keep studying. I have time to organise interesting outings and holidays for me and mine. Lockdown was relatively easy for us because we weren’t all fighting for WFH space.

Im also Gen X and very much the sandwich generation- our spawn living through a bit of an employment shitstorm and taking longer to launch, elderly parents needing a lot of help. This is the less fun and indulgent part but at least I’m on hand to help.

I turned 60 a few months ago and so now have the first of my pensions coming in. After a decade of a tight personal budget, the extra income each month makes me feel rich! And I have my TFL Oyster card, so free travel- I go to more lectures and exhibitions now. I plan to have a really good’golden decade’ and I am very happy not to be working.