How on earth do people work into their 60's and beyond.

[BG2015]

DP and I were talking earlier (he's now asleep at 7.15pm) and saying how do people work into their 60's and 70's.

My DP is 59, he works in demolition which can be quite an active job. He's out of the house at 6am as they travel all over the country and he often isn't back until 6pm.

I'm a teacher recently dropped to 4 days after ongoing health issues after having breast cancer in 2021. Im 55, 56 in February.

We're both knackered. Neither of us sleep very well at all. We eat healthily and used to go to the gym 2/3 times a week but now only manage walking as our form of exercise.

I'm desperate to change jobs, planing to retire at 58 and get a part time job in an office. I think once I retire DP will reduce his hours and slowly retire.

But how do people have the energy to keep working. A teaching assistant at my school has just retired at 71 and I really don't know how she's kept going.

I am keen to continue working well into my 60's as long as my health is okay
Conversly I think work keeps people young
My In laws retired young and seemed to age very quickly
They seemed to fill their lives with activities they didn't really seem to enjoy
My DPs worked well into their 70s , and were much younger in their outlook

Well if User6874356 doesn't believe it then it must be true! 😂🤣

I applied directly. I’m working in a mental health inpatient hospital in the pharmacy department. There is no dispensary, so I order in the medication both for stock on the wards and for individual patients. I’m going between the wards all the time so I’m busy and interacting with people all day, which after teaching, I really enjoy. At 4pm I leave work and don’t even think about it when I’m at home. It’s a breath of fresh air.

DH is 65 and we have a small construction business. We also still have a mortgage albeit not huge. But with council rates, insurances and general cost of living that all of you know, we couldn’t afford to stop and retire unless we move to Thailand or Vietnam.

we were both in our 30’s when we met. 2nd relationship for both of us.

Working beyond 60 because I have no choice. The state pension age for me is now 67.

How about tutoring OP? I know you said you're sick of teaching but it's a very different vibe. one-on-one with a (hopefully!) nice well behaved child from a wealthy family. You could probably charge £30-40per hour in the home counties.

God knows! I don't want to be working at 45 if I'm honest.

I felt like that at 45 but was in the wrong job. I think the key is finding a job you love - not easy I know !

Oh, I have a job I love and am good at and I get paid well. That being said, I still only do it to get a paycheck. Once I no longer need the money I will quit the job and the plan is to do that by 45.

I loved my teaching job for many years. How I feel now is totally alien to me.

Having cancer and my headteacher changing my role because I was struggling devastated me and totally took the wind out of my sails.

I don't want to teach anymore.

This! Even corporate pensions don't usually kick in till 65, and most people need the state pension on top.

@BG2015 So sorry to hear this. Sending you hugs and 🙏 for the success of your treatment. Is it possible for someone to speak to your Head and get them to change their mind about re-rolling you?

@Fernticket my treatment finished in February 2022 and I've been back at work since May 2022.

I then began with severe breathing problems and had a lot of time off. So my HT took me out of my class and I was a floating teacher.

I've come to terms with this now. I did do a job share last year but that was hard work, so I decided to not have a class anymore and I now cover PPA across school - it suits me.

I'm going to retire anyway in 2027!

Being able to leave at 5 doesn't mean stress free though. Often the stress comes from how you're treated if you're at the bottom of the hierarchy, conflict with colleagues and superiors, etc.
However, it seems that OP doesn't need the money like others do as she says she will change if the job doesn't suit. I presume she can support herself between jobs.

Although all that is true, surely the important point is being able to leave at whatever time and it doesn't enter your thoughts again till you're back at work: that sounds like a proper work life balance.

Yes, and even when the law came in small companies had year la before they had to provide them.
As for private pensions, lots of people don't have the spare money to invest in them, as you say.

Depends if you're worried about how your much younger colleague is going to be teaching you to suck eggs come Monday morning or you can't let go of the humiliation you felt when someone 'kindly' told you to do it differently next time.

I had primary BC only 10 years of teaching. I had planned to return, but due to deciding for reconstructive surgery and it all going horribly wrong, I decided to quit altogether. Now I'm
a TA the pay is shockingly bad. I now also have secondary BC and experiencing a horrific menopause. How things can change eh?

I hope things work out for you. Having cancer really can change your mind, body and soul.

It's just ridiculous to suggest all jobs carry the same level of stress. Lots of people have had several different jobs and know which were stressful to them and which weren't. It also obviously varies from person to person. I know I've had many jobs massively less stressful than teaching and a couple that were much more so. I'd consider one of the less stressful ones, where I'm at the bottom of the hierarchy and can leave at 5, when I'm older.

" I'd consider one of the less stressful ones, where I'm at the bottom of the hierarchy and can leave at 5, when I'm older."

Sure. Might be less stress than teaching, but might not be totally free of stress, especially for someone used to having a career. I don't think the transition would be as easy as OP imagines.

And I never said that all jobs have the same level of stress!

This, people often can’t just give up work.

I'm nearly 67 and am still working, although I have reduced my hours. My husband retired four years ago. I had cancer treatment when I was in my mid fifties, which took me a while to get over physically. I became self employed six years ago and took my local government pension at the same time, and whilst I could afford to retire, this is the first time in my life that I've had enough money to be able to buy clothes, household items etc without having to worry about whether I can afford it, and to not look at prices when I do the food shopping. I'm really enjoying it, and don't want to have to cut back again if I stop working completely just yet. .

No, but it read as an underlying assumption (which was also in similar replies by other posters) that the OP doesn't know what she's getting herself into by getting an office job and she'll be stressed there too. I'm just surprised more people haven't done a wider range of jobs and as such experienced different levels of stress. I've done enough different things I would be very confident I could find a less stressful way to earn money than what I do now, with a pay cut naturally.

You haven't done them at all ages though. I just don't think it would be easy going into a (presumably very junior) admin job after decades of being a teacher and adapting to the way she may be treated by potentially much younger superiors.