What Kind of Work Would You Do during Retirement?

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What Kind of Work Would You Do during Retirement?

This question is best asked during your preretirement years, so that you can determine how much you’ll need and expect to earn, and what skills, training, education you might need to stay employed. The answer can be a challenge because we tend to get locked into the career we’ve pursued over many years.

How much money will you need?

But remember, besides retirement employment, you’ll have Social Security and retirement savings to rely on. So many folks feel they’ll need and want to supplement their retirement income with about 25% of what their preretirement income was. Of course, that’s a ballpark figure. The point is, you’ll need less income from employment in retirement than you did before retirement. That lower employment income requirement opens up a lot of "outside the box" possibilities that can be quite rewarding.

So start by asking yourself what you are good at and what you like doing. If you enjoyed the position at which you ended your full-time career, might there be a role for you with that employer or in that industry as a consultant or part-timer? Did you acquire special knowledge or skills that would allow you to teach at a local community college or vocational school?

Places for retirees to work

AARP has identified several areas that are tailor-made for retirees who want to supplement their income:

• Athletic official. Check out your local city, school or adult sports leagues. They all need umpires, referees and scorekeepers, and you can figure on $30–50 per game, two or three times a week. The National Association of Sports Officials has a state resource guide here.
• Teacher’s aide. This will likely involve some grunt work—clerical duties such as grading papers, recording grades, setting up equipment, and entering computer data. But there may be more rewarding aspects to the job, such as one-on-one tutoring for a student who needs special help or has a disability that requires individual attention. A college degree, coursework in child development, and previous experience can open up job opportunities.
• Tour jobs. Tour guide jobs are available in all sorts of places that attract visitors, from major art galleries to smaller museums to factories to wineries and breweries. Many of these venues will also have positions for ticket-takers, program sellers or cashiers. It helps if you have a mind for remembering facts and details, and of course, you must be a "people person," able to interact easily with everyone in the general public.
• Convention center jobs. There are generally convention centers in cities of even moderate size, hosting trade shows, conventions, consumer shows, concerts, athletic events and meetings. You might stop by at an event and ask booth operators about future openings. The possibilities are a wide range of part-time jobs with various skill requirements. Some of these include parking lot attendants, cashiers, setup worker/cleaners, ushers, and information booth attendants. Often, there are also food service opportunities for banquets and special dining events.

Additionally, you should check the AARP National Employer Team program. This is a list of companies that have joined with AARP, recognizing the value of older workers in the workforce.