One strategy that many people in retirement opt for is to turn
something they like doing or a hobby into paid work – in other
words, ‘unpaid like’ into ‘paid like’.
So if you like, for example: DIY, Gardening, ironing, Cleaning,
needlework, Restoring Furniture, Wood Turning or Creating
Stained Glass, why not thinking about turning it into a paid
enterprise? You can get employment with a firm in your area or
you can go it alone: advertise in your local paper or in the
local shop and set yourself up as the local odd job man, someone
who can make curtains and alter clothes for people, a craftsman
who can make stained glass windows for people’s houses or
whatever.
Or you can restore your furniture or make your wood pieces and
then advertise in the appropriate papers and magazines.
People who like wheeling and dealing make money by buying and
selling things on eBay. Car boot sales offer another outlet for
people’s entrepreneurial skills.
One other outlet is taking up a franchise. This will involve
some capital outlay and can be very demanding. However, it can
also be very rewarding. To find out more, look at our article on
franchising.
So there are lots of ways in which you can earn some money by
doing what you like doing. There are advantages to going on your
own:
- You can do as much or as little as you like
- You can choose your own geographic area
- You are your own boss
- Flexibility in terms of holidays
On the other hand, some people like the security of working for
someone else. It’s another choice you have to make.
Strategies for Finding Work
If you definitely want to work for someone else, you need to
then think about how to go about getting a part-time job, always
remembering what you want from work. Some strategies are as
follows:
Maybe the place to start is with your existing employer. Ask
them if they would be willing to let you go part time, maybe
through a job share. Alternatively, have a look at
www.jobsharepartners.com , where you might find
someone who would like to share a job with you. There are also
links on the site to organisations that have job share policies
and who welcome job sharing.
- Speak to the employment agencies in your area. The
larger ones usually have someone dedicated to part-time
jobs and/or temporary vacancies and they are usually very
helpful. Since the Age Discrimination legislation came into
force at the start of October 2006, the agencies have to be
very careful to treat people of all ages exactly the same so
you have the same chance of gaining employment (whichever
route you take) as anyone else.
- Use your own network. More retired people get back into
work through people they know than through any other single
method.
- Go to your local
Jobcentre Plus and look there.
- Look in the local papers.
- Approach organisations that you know employ older
workers. B&Q and Tesco have done for some time and now that
there is Age Discrimination legislation in place, all
companies will have to treat everyone equally.
- Go to websites that specifically cater for older workers
and/or part time jobs. Some examples are:
www.dinosaursunlimited.co.uk,
www.wrinklies.org
,
www.parttimejobsnet.co.uk,
www.jobsite.co.uk/channels/part_time.html and
www.exec-appointments.com/index/part-time-jobs.asp
- Contact employers advertising full time positions and
ask them if they would consider part time instead.
- If you have senior management experience, one route may
be that of non-executive director. There are some websites
that will be of help to you if you do consider this route.
Try
www.nedexchange.co.uk and
www.executivesonline.co.uk/executive_recruitment
and click on Non Executive Director Recruitment, where you
can register as a candidate. Alternatively, joining a
business start-up may be the ideal thing for you. If you
contact your local Chamber of Commerce or Business Link,
they may be able to help you with this.
- Consider working from home doing something such as tale-sales. There are many organisations that employ tele-sales
people both in offices and at home. By typing ‘tele sales’
into Google, you will be able to access them. Try
www.applegate.co.uk/recruitment and type in ‘tele
sales recruitment' in the search bar.
- At the opposite end of the scale, many people like to
get out and about. So a courier job may appeal, where you
drive and deliver things around the country. Look at
www.redgoldfish.co.uk/courier-jobs.html You might
also contact some of the airlines to ask about couriering
packets around the globe!
- Look at our own Job Search and Working in Later Life
page where there is some good information and links to other
pages and recruitment organisations.
You might want to write yourself an Action Plan and then
follow it. Think about:
· Organisations to cold contact
· Papers and magazines to buy
· Your network
· Local employment agencies to register Internet sites to look
at
· Other local avenues to explore
Whatever your plans are, write them down and then work through
them within set timescales. You are much more likely to get your
dream job if you have a plan and work to it.
Retirement does not necessarily mean giving up work for good.
Indeed, work provides a necessary ingredient of many people’s
retirement because they do not feel ready to put their feet up
for good just because they leave their job at 60, 65 or
whatever.
There are a huge number of options for you. You can choose full
time or part time work, paid or voluntary. You can work for
someone else or you can work for yourself. The good thing is
that you can choose, so choose something that you feel will suit
you best. Before you rush headlong into it, stop, think and do
some planning so that you make the right choice.
Work can be stimulating an rewarding; if and when you come to
choose work in retirement, make sure that you pick something
that will enhance your retirement and make it the most
satisfying time of your life.
Go to the links in the box to get further information on part
time work in retirement.
For further information on part
time jobs and work in retirement click on the links below:
Part
Time Voluntary Work
This month why not visit our
New Retirement Courses site
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