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Original poster

Good transitional jobs for semi retirement?

46 replies

BishyBarnyBee · 19/02/2023 08:04

Inspired by the "when do you expect to retire" thread.

A lot of people are not going to be able to afford to stop working at 60, but may not need/be physically able to carry on working full time in a demanding job.

What are the most sustainable jobs to keep you going through your 60s?

Ideally fairly interesting/worthwhile but leaving you some energy for other stuff in the rest of the week?

Anyone found an ideal transitional job when they stopped working full time?

OP posts:
Blowsybabs · 19/02/2023 08:35

I've become self-employed.

I trained for a new venture using redundancy money and use that skill one day a week and then do some ad hoc freelance work from my previous occupation.

I love it - it means complete freedom to do what I want and it keeps my brain active.

It's a different mindset to being employed and I do need to market my services.

I could do more but this is enough to top up my occupational pension.

Seymour5 · 19/02/2023 08:41

I found part time work in different admin roles. If I didn’t like it, I moved on. Temp agencies could be a good place to look.

Original poster
BishyBarnyBee · 19/02/2023 08:42

Blowsybabs · 19/02/2023 08:35

I've become self-employed.

I trained for a new venture using redundancy money and use that skill one day a week and then do some ad hoc freelance work from my previous occupation.

I love it - it means complete freedom to do what I want and it keeps my brain active.

It's a different mindset to being employed and I do need to market my services.

I could do more but this is enough to top up my occupational pension.

Interesting - can you share your new line of work?

OP posts:
Turmerictolly · 19/02/2023 08:44

I think office/ receptionist/admin type roles is the way to go - some are wfh too. Nothing with a long commute or having to stand on your feet all day which can be tiring.

Coffeetree · 19/02/2023 08:49

I've moved into teaching at HE level.. Still full-on but less stress than practising. I'm full-time at the moment but if my health and energy levels decline then I could go free-lance.

ABlindAssassin · 19/02/2023 08:50

I work at a library. A lot of my colleagues are semi-retired women working PT hours!

JamMakingWannaBe · 19/02/2023 08:54

The public sector offers flexi-retirement. Lots of over 60s at my place of work are PT. Managed probably it helps with a transition of knowledge rather than Bob retiring with a cartridge clock on a Friday aged 65.

LookingOldTheseDays · 19/02/2023 08:55

My plan is just to go part time (2.5 or 3 days a wk) in my existing job. It's what I know and am good at, and because of that it will deliver most bang for buck in terms of hourly rate.

I'm fortunate that my career is one where part-time is an option, and it is desk based rather than physical.

LookingOldTheseDays · 19/02/2023 08:57

(It probably helps that I do a job that I enjoy and find interesting/stimulating)

Toddlerteaplease · 19/02/2023 08:59

My friend does exam invigilating. Or scribing for and supporting students who need support during exams. She loves it.

Blowsybabs · 19/02/2023 09:02

@BishyBarnyBee I won't say what it is here as it might be outing, but have sent you a pm.

CaptainMyCaptain · 19/02/2023 09:02

Toddlerteaplease · 19/02/2023 08:59

My friend does exam invigilating. Or scribing for and supporting students who need support during exams. She loves it.

I did invigilating. I was a retired teacher (Early Years) but not all of them had worked in schools. Obviously it's seasonal and mine was a zero hours contract but that suited me as I could pick and choose. If you want to work longer hours with better behaved students then, apparently. University invigilating is good.

Toddlerteaplease · 19/02/2023 09:04

@CaptainMyCaptain she was a nurse so
It is quite a contrast.

Floofydawg · 19/02/2023 09:09

Toddlerteaplease · 19/02/2023 08:59

My friend does exam invigilating. Or scribing for and supporting students who need support during exams. She loves it.

Do you need any qualifications/experience for this?

CaptainMyCaptain · 19/02/2023 09:11

Toddlerteaplease · 19/02/2023 09:04

@CaptainMyCaptain she was a nurse so
It is quite a contrast.

A nurse would be good at dealing with people though and following routines. She would be familiar with safeguarding and already have a DBS. You don't need any academic qualifications related to the exams themselves.

CaptainMyCaptain · 19/02/2023 09:12

Floofydawg · 19/02/2023 09:09

Do you need any qualifications/experience for this?

Show quote history

Nothing specific.

AuntieMarys · 19/02/2023 09:17

Floofydawg · 19/02/2023 09:09

Do you need any qualifications/experience for this?

Show quote history

I do this. No qualifications as such needed...having worked with young people helps, being very calm and empathic.
I love it. Work about 4 months a year

ThroughThickAndThin01 · 19/02/2023 09:18

I work in NHS admin four days a week. I hopefully will drop to 3 days soon. The benefit is that it’s a job I can just walk out of the door each evening and there is nothing demanding to worry about. I totally switch off when not there. I there’s no staying late or weekend working etc. It is secure and stable. The bad thing it is very lowly paid.

LadyGardenersQuestionTime · 19/02/2023 09:23

I semi-retired from highly paid freelance consultancy to doing the same 3 days a week for a local organisation at a lower level (stress free, but it took a couple of false starts to find the right company/role).

I’m fully retiring from that soon and have started making a little pocket money out of my hobbies. For me this is doing first aid training and event cover (you need to have relevant qualifications of course), and a bit of paid gardening for our local Age UK.

lljkk · 19/02/2023 09:30

All the lower paid jobs that young people might do, too.
Cleaning, care work, MSA in schools, receptionist, fast food, hair cutting.

I've also heard of yoga teacher, tutoring, light catering, TA, lab technicians, piano tuning, PT, services that target older adults like personal training or technology for seniors, etc.

Els1e · 19/02/2023 09:31

My friend does bank admin for the NHS. Likes the work and the people. Loves the flexibility.

wheresmymojo · 19/02/2023 09:31

Part time work for a charity?

A lot of people do the tills at Waitrose near use to top up pensions. I don't know why Waitrose specifically but I think they let them stay on the tills (they don't have to rotate to stacking shelves).

Dog walking / cat sitting / baby sitting

Admin roles

Customer service roles, especially ones that let you work from home

What do you do now? I know lots of people who carry on similar work but transition to self employed and part-time or assignment based work so they're not working all year

My DM was a lecturer and she picks up essay / exam marking and some stand-in lecturer work now and then

wheresmymojo · 19/02/2023 09:33

lljkk · 19/02/2023 09:30

All the lower paid jobs that young people might do, too.
Cleaning, care work, MSA in schools, receptionist, fast food, hair cutting.

I've also heard of yoga teacher, tutoring, light catering, TA, lab technicians, piano tuning, PT, services that target older adults like personal training or technology for seniors, etc.

I read the OP as saying that she didn't want to do physically tiring work though...so many of those wouldn't be suitable.

I don't think it's ageist to recognise that as we get older we have less energy than we used to.

I have less energy now and I'm only 40!

bigbluebus · 19/02/2023 09:53

DH has just dropped to 4 days a week in his job as he works towards retirement at 61.

lljkk · 19/02/2023 09:54

Depends how FT they are how tiring they are, I wasn't sure if OP needed FT or indeed if she saw working as a chippy as physically demanding.

Customer service, telephone sales, data entry & other admin.