retirement jobs

Parent Cafe
1

<p>There have been many prior posts on visions of retirement, or places to retire, so I don’t want to repeat the same information. I’m looking more for specific employment alternatives for seniors, (but prior to age 65). Currently ANY job alternatives might be scarce, but assume the economy was working.</p>

<p>As empty nesters, dh and I are becoming restless. Neither of us envision a time without work, primarily because we don’t golf :wink: I’m sure I could find other things to fill the time, including travel, volunteer activities, and classes, but a more flexible, even seasonal work schedule would be ideal. Unfortunately both our jobs are currently hard hit by the economy, and seasonal work is unlikely in our fields. So, if we want something more seasonal, we’d have to seek alternatives that require little experience other than maturity and life skills. Reduced income is okay, but there is also the problem of health insurance.</p>

<p>One idea I once favored, was to spend part of every year working in National Parks. I read of a retired couple who would work part time, and live at a National Park during their peak periods. I"ve heard of similar summer programs for college students, but could never find anything for retirees. </p>

<p>Another idea was to house-sit 6 months of the year in various locations. It would solve our wanderlust problem, while offering a place to live free of charge. However, it still requires maintaining some type of homestead location. Plus, how does one find these opportunities?</p>

<p>We’re also asking if we really need our house. It is the “average” American house size (about 2200 SF), palatial by world standards, but large for just two of us. Some say we’ll probably need it for an ever increasing family (if we are so lucky). That seems silly, if they only visit several times a year. I’d rather spend the saved money and apply it toward a mutual fun location (cabin in the woods, villa near the ocean, etc.), but at least for now, the children seem to want to come “home”.</p>

<p>Ideas?</p>

2

<p>Given what has happened to my 401K, I plan to stay at my current job until they totally stop paying me. I will be like the poor guy in *Office Space *- they’ll move me to a cublicle, then start using the cubicle for storage, then move me to the basement, and I’ll still be coming in.</p>

3

<p>I LOVE your idea of working in the National Parks! Kind of hard to believe there is pay involved amidst all of that splendor!!! What a dream. Your family will be booking all weeks you have available. RV?? Can I come visit?</p>

4

<p>Hmm. Not sure I have any great answers. I live in a touristy town and the seasonal work is very low paying and without health insurance. Unfortunately for an employer to hire anyone in your age bracket with health insurance the insurance will cost (in our area) at least $600. per month. That is for a single person with minimal coverage between the ages of 59 and 65. It’s just awful. For that reason, the work that is seasonal here has no health insurance. The only real benefit is for those who might have retired from a career where they need more social security quarters before they can collect.<br>
I have a single friend who does a lot of housesitting. She has primarly found work in the area where she works through word of mouth. The people who own second homes or who travel a lot all seem to know each other. She got a job working for one family and they have referred her to all their friends.
That doesn’t solve the wanderlust issue though and as you pointed out you still need a place to go when there is no housesitting position available. “between jobs”. That type of work definitely doesn’t offer health insurance and generally offers no benefits as it is mostly word of mouth under the table type stuff.</p>

5

<p>We were at Glen Canyon Dam recently and our boat operator/tour guide was a retired guy in his late 50s. LOVED his job…and he was a terrific and enthusiastic guide. His wife was a forest ranger in a nearby park. Both left professional careers in CA - retired…and relocated to a place that they could find good “outdoorsy” jobs. He said they were loving it.</p>

6

<p>The census bureau is hiring - seasonal and temporary. Also IRS hires seasonally, as does the test scoring services that score essays for the state mandated achievement tests.</p>

7

<p>Try becoming a real estate appraiser. It’s tough right now, but long term it’s a good job.</p>

8

<p>What about working with the elderly? I wonder if larger assisted living or nursing homes offer decent benefits.</p>

9

<p>“Neither of us envision a time without work, primarily because we don’t golf :wink: I’m sure I could find other things to fill the time…”</p>

<p>I can’t imagine living for work and not having any other meaningful interests. I have endless numbers of interests and am looking forward to the day when I don’t have to go to work and can enjoy some of them to a greater extent. If your life is defined by work, then I really hope you have a job which is very enjoyable and rewarding. If not, maybe it is time to re-examine your life and rethink your priorities.</p>

<p>“Given what has happened to my 401K, I plan to stay at my current job until they totally stop paying me. I will be like the poor guy in Office Space - they’ll move me to a cublicle, then start using the cubicle for storage, then move me to the basement, and I’ll still be coming in.” I hope this is mainly spoken in jest. If not, this is even more depressing the the OP who has no significant interests outside of working. Missypie, unless you believe in reincarnation, you only have one life. There are better ways to live than spending your golden years working in a basement cubicle.</p>

10

<p>The rental car companies need part timers to move cars. My dad got bored so he went back to work but did not want to get permission to take days off. Hertz allows him to work any 9 days out of 100. He can work more if he wants. They also have 3 different shifts. He drives brand new cars to various locations. It helps that he is by the airport and the port.</p>

11

<p>RE: seasonal employment in National Parks…my D is working in Yellowstone this summer and there are indeed two types of people who tend to work in the parks over the summer: college students and retirees. (NOTE: D has friends working at Yosemite and Denali…same is true there.)</p>

<p>At Yellowstone, ALL seasonal employees receive at least minimum wage, plus health insurance, and subsidized housing and meals. (D has a single “dorm room” with her own bath for $2/day; she can eat in the employee cafeteria for $9.25/day–includes three full meals/day.) All seasonals get 2 days back-to-back days off per week. Employees also have access to gym facilities, a canteen (with subsidized alcohol for employees over 21), discounted equipment rentals and other perks. As her boss told her, “we know you aren’t working here for money”.</p>

<p>While most of the seasonal jobs are service jobs ( food service, hotel), not all of them are. I interviewed for a seasonal job as an archivist, for example. (But didn’t get it. Damn!)</p>

<p>AFAIK, there is no special “program” for retiree employment. Those employees I talked to (students & retirees) applied through the vendors’ regular application process–and did so early in the year. Hiring was completed by D’s employer by mid-February, for example. There are lots of Park “gypsies” among the retiree crowd–they work a different Park each year.</p>

12

<p>Lots of the folks who work at Disneyworld have retired from some other job. Working at Disneyworld would probably be the dream job for some and the nightmare job for others.</p>

13

<p>Do you know how to play bridge? Would you be willing to learn to be a “director” – those are the employees who work at tournaments and resolve questions as to duplicate bridge law and application? There are tournaments every week around the country, most people start work at local club level and work up.</p>

14

<p>I have a friend that looks at houses for an insurance company as a part-time job. It’s not for damage claims - I think that they just want to get the basics of the properties - general condition, any existing damage, size, bedrooms, bathrooms, garage, etc.</p>

<p>I’d like to do open source software in retirement - preferably paid. There are benefits to doing it unpaid in that companies that use the OSS will often ask developers if they will do paid work. I wouldn’t mind operating a computer repair shop, teaching math or cs courses or doing general consulting.</p>

15

<p>If you can drive and have a good driving record, you can consider being a part time courier. Medical labs have large numbers of couriers and need part time employees. Most work is in the evenings.</p>

16

<p>Forgot about driving jobs. That’s a good thought. Around here our car dealerships have drive back service. For years a semi retired guy who knew just about everybody did it. You would drop your car at the dealership and he would drive you back to your office or home. Another retiree I knew was doing the driving cars from dealer to dealer thing similar to the rental car companies.</p>

17

<p>Some great suggestions!</p>

<p>edad…
I could certainly retire and be happy with outside interests – if that were possible. While I like my job, it is not everything. However, it has been hit hard by the economy. Plus, given retirement plans,like many other posters, we foresee that we will need to continue to work past the “typical” retirement age. I would normally stay with my job for the next 10 years or so, and try to re-build the savings, but currently my work load is only about 25% of what it has been in the past. So, it is time to look either at supplemental employment, or think about preparing for a later-life career change. I assume it is not too early to start.</p>

18

<p>I’d like to teach watercolor classes or while I’m still energetic, I think it would be fun to show at outdoor art festivals.</p>

19

<p>Hey kids, I like that “subsidized alcohol” part. I believe there are web sites for house sitting both domestic and international locations. Also web sites for domestic help, i.e, like a couple living on an estate where the H is a caretaker, the W is maybe a gardener, etc. That may be something worth looking into-if you have no ties, like your own house, your precious pets, and then of course grandchildren on the way.</p>

20

<p>I have been fortunate to be able to translate what I have done professionally for the past 30+ years into a consulting and teaching stint. I am on contract with one of the professional development training companies and do short term classes anywhere from 2-5 days at a time. They ask if I am interested. If I am busy I say no. Sometimes they are out of town in places we want to visit and DH goes with me. The consulting fills in the rest. I am on contract with a couple of consulting companies. I only take the number of clients to keep income where I want it. Love the life of a “1099” :slight_smile: I can do as much or as little as I want.</p>