Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on NewRetirement.
So, for either financial or personal reasons you think you might want to work after retirement or past the traditional retirement age of 65. Read on to get answers about the best jobs after retirement: Are there many options for work as a retiree? How do you find the right jobs for your goals, income needs and interests?
Jobs for Seniors — What Do You Want?
The good news is that jobs for seniors are numerous and seem to be growing. It’s time for you to embark on a career or search for jobs!
There are many questions you will want to ask first, including:
- What is motivating you to find a retirement job? Money? Boredom? Both?
- How much money do you need to earn?
- What do you want to spend your time on? What kind of activities would you like to engage in at work?
- What kind of work would you find fulfilling?
- How much time do you want to spend on the job? Will you work part time or full time?
- Do you want a lot or very little responsibility?
- How much flexibility do you want?
- Would you consider working for yourself?
- How about working from home?
- What kind of retraining are you willing to engage in?
- Maybe you want to stay in your lifelong job? Maybe you want to pursue something totally different?
Regardless, explore the following ideas for jobs for seniors.
1. Start Your Own Business
From running a bed and breakfast to launching a new product, retirees are starting their own businesses in droves. And entrepreneur-ism makes great sense as a career move for retirees. (In fact, senior entrepreneurs are among the most successful.)
The experiences of a long career can give seniors the knowledge and confidence to successfully launch a business. And, owning your own business means that you can set the schedule and pace of your work.
Examples of seniors starting small businesses:
- Retired teachers might consider a tutoring business or selling lesson plans and curriculum online.
- A retired police officer might consider offering seminars in personal safety.
- If you worked in sales, you could find a product you really love and sell it part-time.
- Someone who loves sports, but worked in construction, could start a private coaching business.
Almost any job or work expertise could be turned into a small-business opportunity in retirement. However, it is important that you understand the dynamics and demands of running your own business and are realistic about your financial prospects and needs.
For more information on running your own business, consult these links:
2. The Best Jobs for Seniors? Work on Something You Love!
You might not have pursued a passion when you were building a life, supporting a family and saving for retirement. Passion jobs don’t always offer adequate income or security.
However, jobs in venues that match your interests can be perfect for supplementing your retirement income while also adding joy to your life in retirement.
The best jobs after retirement can enable you to work in an area that really interests you.
- Think about jobs you can get that are related to your hobbies or childhood dreams.
- Consider jobs that enable you to do what you like to do.
- Contemplate jobs that provide a flexible schedule.
The following are examples that might inspire you to find a job in retirement that you will really love:
- Do you love fishing? Pursue a job as a fishing guide or as a salesperson in a tackle shop.
- Is cooking your passion? A retirement job in a kitchen store would expose you to people who share your interests. And, you might even get discounts on fabulous gadgets. Or, what about being a personal chef – more and more families are looking to purchase prepared foods.
- Do you have grandkids? Do your children need help with their care? Have you considered grand-nannying?
- How much time would you like to spend teeing off? Find a job after retirement at your favorite golf course.
- Have you dreamed of working in law enforcement? Take a training program for answering 911 calls.
- Like kids? Drive a school bus, work as a crossing guard or train to be a teacher’s aide!
- Do you really like meeting people? What about a job at the front desk in a hotel?
- Enjoy having somewhere to go and being around people? What about working in a cafe or as a waitress?
- Are you athletic and do you enjoy being out in the sun? Could you work as a lifeguard?
- Do you like shopping? Can you shop for bargains to be sold on Ebay at a profit? What about opening your own store?
- Have empty rooms at home? Become an Airbnb host and open up your extra space to travelers.
3. Travel Jobs for Seniors
Travel is what most retirees want to do. If you can’t afford it on your own, even with these great travel tips, the travel industry offers so many job opportunities for retirees.
In many cases, you are working to cover travel expenses. But in some cases, you can earn an income as well as reducing your travel costs. It may take some creative thinking, but you should be able to find a job to supplement your travel expenses and maybe even enable you to save money too.
- See the World, Dance the Night Away! Cruise ships often hire men or enable them to travel for free in exchange for acting as a dance partner to other passengers during the tour. Not a dancer? Don’t forget that cruise ships need everything from photographers to people to work in the gift shop.
- Join the Tour: Have you been on any travel tours that you particularly enjoyed? Perhaps you could join the company, and work and travel with them as a guide.
- Room, Please! Could you work for an airline or a hotel chain and get discounts on flights or rooms?
- Snowbirding: The seasonal migration of vacationers means that there needs to be a seasonal migration of workers. As a retiree, you might be able to work and vacation at the same time. CVS Pharmacies offers a program where their employees can migrate with snowbirds — working, for example, in New Jersey during the summer and Florida during the winter.
- Stay a While and Enjoy the View! What about extended vacations in areas that require seasonal workers? You should be able to find short-term/part-time work in most tourist areas in the United States. Try a ski resort for a few months while serving hot chocolate to other travelers, sell souvenirs for a few months at the Grand Canyon, and then bus tables in a restaurant in Hawaii.
- Become a Property Caretaker: There are hundreds of opportunities for people to live in exotic locations and care for or maintain the property of a larger estate. The website for the Caretaker Gazette newsletter profiles many of these jobs from around the world.
The above-mentioned jobs might not be all glamour, but seeing the world can be worth it. These websites might help you find a job if you are interested in travel:
- Teach Abroad: Might you be qualified to teach English abroad? Teaching English is among the retirement jobs that pay well.
- Cool Works — Job listings for working in great places like national parks.
- Summerjobs.com — Find fun seasonal work.
- Carnival Cruise Line — Set sail!
- Workamper — Have you ever considered being a campground host?
- Transitions Abroad — Jobs as a tour guide.
4. Jobs for Seniors — Consulting
As an older person, one of your big advantages is that you have built up a lot of experience. Therefore, consulting can be an ideal job for seniors.
Many people retire from their jobs only to immediately start consulting full- or part-time with their previous employer or another company in their industry.
Consulting can give you a lot of flexibility and, because of your years of experience, a good salary.
Many people find consulting to be an ideal bridge from full-time work to full-time retirement.
5. Return to School and Enter a New Career
According to the U.S. Department of Education, more than a half-million men and women over 50 are part- or full-time students in undergraduate and graduate programs in the United States. Many more seniors are engaged in training programs and other vocational education.
When making a career switch around retirement it is important to consider how much time and money the education will cost. You should ask yourself if the financial outlay is commensurate with the financial or other benefits you will receive.
The Occupational Outlook Handbook, linked below, can educate you about the training, education and earning potential of hundreds of different jobs.
The following links might help you to explore your education options:
6. Volunteer Work for Seniors
There are so many worthy causes in the world and not nearly enough people to serve at them.
Hospitals, schools, libraries, churches, parks, zoos international relief organizations and more all need help.
And, a lot of seniors are already are participating. The Peace Corps reports that 6% of their volunteers are over 50 years of age.
If interesting work and vitality are more important to you than income, volunteering may be the right and most rewarding option.
The following organizations offer special programs for jobs for seniors:
- Americorps Seniors
- Encore
- Volunteer Match
- Volunteers of America
- Experience Corps
- Volunteers in Parks Program, National Park Service
- The Peace Corps
7. Find Jobs for Seniors at a Company That Actively Recruits Seniors
You might be surprised by the range of companies with jobs for seniors. Everyone from McDonald’s to New York Life Insurance wants to employ older Americans.
The AARP developed a program called the AARP’s Featured Employers Program. For this program, AARP partnered with employers who want the experience and leadership of older Americans.
Visit the following links for more information about companies seeking seniors:
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