More seniors than ever are working jobs post-retirement: As a matter of fact, The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the number of 75-year-olds and older in the workforce will almost double (96.5 percent) by 2030. You may be a senior who’s looking for gainful employment yourself. To make your search easier, Submit Companies lists these seven jobs below that both pay a reasonable amount and, being low-intensity, offer good work-life balance.
1. Teacher or tutor
Does grooming minds, imparting knowledge, making lesson plans, and grading papers sound like fun? If the answer is yes, you may enjoy being a tutor or teacher. Depending on your education, experience, and preferences, you could teach or tutor kids or adults, part-time or full-time. For extra convenience and work-life balance, you could also tutor people from your home via the internet.
2. Pet sitter
If you love animals, you may enjoy taking care of people’s pets. The work involves playing with the animals, cleaning up after them, making dinner, basic training, grooming, and similar activities. You can do it at your home or the client’s house, depending on your (and their) preferences. The pay can be significant and the work enjoyable.
3. Writer
Fancy yourself a bit of a wordsmith? You may have a future in writing. There are several specializations to choose from – copywriting, blogging, journalism, academic writing, technical writing, and similar. The pay can be good, the work fun, and, more importantly, it’s something you should be able to do remotely.
4. Cashier
A role as a cashier may be for you if you’re reasonably good with numbers and like to be around people. You could work with a bank or a business (like a local restaurant). Besides ringing up purchases and handling money, you will answer people’s questions and offer similar assistance. The work can be enjoyable and low-stress.
5. Clerk
Clerks assist with, perform, and sometimes oversee clerical and administrative tasks. To be a clerk, you need to have an eye for detail, a solid sense of logic, and basic business knowledge. In return, you can expect excellent job security and a steady paycheck.
6. Sales associate
If you’re sociable and have strong people skills, you may enjoy being a sales associate. The work involves answering questions and matching people to products in a store or similar setting. This an entry-level job that’s usually low-intensity (although there may be sales targets for you to meet in some settings).
7. Customer care
Being a customer care representative involves talking to people on the phone or live chat and, sometimes, doing basic data entry work. You will need excellent communication skills. Knowing how to keep a cool head and troubleshoot problems can also help. Customer care reps are, often, allowed to work remotely, part-time, and have reasonable pay and benefits.
Finding work
Have an idea of what you can do? It’s time to take the bull by the horns and get employed. Here are some suggestions:
- Leverage your existing strengths: Professional experience and life experience can help you secure high-paying jobs.
- Go through the usual channels: You can find work through networking, references, online listings sites, social media groups, job advertisements, and job fairs.
- Check senior-specific resources: Programs like the Senior Community Service Employment Program are worth checking out. You should also look at sites that help older people find work.
- Watch out for red flags: Employers aren’t allowed to discriminate by age, but it happens anyway. Look for companies that have a track record of hiring older people, specifically mention older people in their listings, and feature older people in their media.
Start your own business (and make a business plan)
Why not put all that wherewithal and experience to good use by launching your own company? You could be your own boss and work your own hours. Contrary to what you might be thinking, you don’t need a lot of money or experience to start your own business. All you need is an idea, the will, and a solid business plan.
The quality of your business plan will heavily influence the success of your business. This document contains key details about your business and acts as a roadmap toward your goals. It describes your company, your monetization strategy, the business structure, your funding, financial projections, and more. Learn everything critical about how to start a company with ZenBusiness here.
Conclusion
Whether you’re looking for work out of passion or necessity (or a bit of both), it’s important that you believe in yourself. You bring a lot to the table as a senior in terms of your life experience (and professional experience, if applicable). Play to your strengths, be confident and know your worth.
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