SerpApi.Org
Gone are the days when you got a job, stuck at it for 50 years, then retired with a gold carriage clock. These days, many of us juggle multiple careers, work from home as well as the office, and increasingly, that flexibility is reshaping how we think about retirement too.
For many of us, that means semi-retirement. Data from the Office for National Statistics shows that 3.6 million people aged 50 and over now work part-time – 32.4 per cent of all workers in that age group.
“Part-time roles are particularly attractive to people aged 50 to 70 who want a gradual transition into retirement rather than a hard-stop, or who are looking to boost their pension for a few more years so they have a higher income later on,” says Stuart Lewis, founder of Rest Less, a digital community and jobs platform for over 50s.
“They also suit those looking for a better work-life balance after years of full-time work, or who want to stay socially connected.”
There are two broad routes into semi-retirement. You can stay in your current field but reduce your hours, or retrain into a new career that offers the lifestyle you want. Here are the options worth considering.
Looking for flexibility? Consider becoming a coach
Coaching or consultancy are among the most naturally flexible careers you can move into. You are largely in control of your diary, clients and hours.
“The people who tend to make going part-time work best are those who move into roles where they’ve got proper control over their time,” says Lewis. “That often means freelance or contract work, where you can scale up or down depending on the time you have available, rather than being constrained by a strict rota.”
Victoria Pile, 57, left her role as a vice-president at a consultancy firm when she was 53 and retrained as an executive coach.
“When I originally left, I didn’t really have a clear plan. Like many of the people I now coach, I rushed to fill the vacuum with writing courses, the idea of menopause coaching, corporate consulting and many more ideas,” says Pile.
After a year, she chose to focus on executive coaching and has no regrets. She spent several years gaining qualifications, including a Professional Certificate in Executive Coaching and the first year of a Master’s in Coaching for Behavioural Change, spending around £15,000 in total.
“I am earning far less than I ever did before but am much happier, and can’t believe I have been lucky enough to find work which is an absolute joy,” she says. “I can take time off on a whim and I have some weeks where I don’t work at all. I am 100 per cent in control of when and how I work, and 80 per cent less stressed than I was.”
The main financial stress, she says, is the irregular income. “It’s not like a job where you get paid every month. If you want to get paid, you have to be out there drumming up business.”
Her advice: make sure you have at least a year’s worth of savings before you make the leap and cut your expenditure in the final year or two of employment to build that buffer.
Coaching isn’t the only route for those wanting flexibility. Tutoring, bookkeeping or even hypnotherapy offer similar control over your own time. Tim Maude, 70, left a career as an IT consultant to retrain as a hypnotherapist, specifically because he could design it around his life.
“I decided I needed a job I could do from home, part-time, and where I could increase or decrease my hours over time depending on how I felt,” says Maude. He trained for over 10 months at a cost of around £3,000 and now works only Tuesday to Thursday.
“I now have a 10-second commute across the back garden to my office. The stress levels are very low,” he adds.
Looking for something meaningful? Teaching could be the answer
For those who want their working hours to count for something beyond a pay cheque, teaching offers a sense of purpose that is hard to match.
“Teaching is a purposeful career change for anybody considering a new chapter in their work and life, particularly for older professionals looking for something totally different,” says Graihagh Crawshaw-Sadler, CEO of Now Teach.
To qualify for teacher training, you need a bachelor’s degree and certain GCSEs, depending on what you want to teach. You can earn while you learn through a school-based training route, with a starting salary of £22,601.
Training full-time takes nine to 12 months; part-time takes 18 months to two years. Once qualified, the minimum salary rises to £32,916. There are bursaries of up to £30,000 available depending on subject, and a generous workplace pension scheme.
Charles Allen, 60, from Suffolk, spent his career as a marketing director at Arsenal football club before retraining as a Spanish teacher through Now Teach.
“I had reached the point where I was spending all my time coaching and mentoring young marketing talent. It felt a lot like teaching but without the real sense of purpose,” says Allen. “One of the things I love is being surrounded by youthful energy, from the students and also the staff. It keeps me relevant.”
His salary is less than 20 per cent of what he previously earned. “You certainly don’t make the move for money,” he says. “I planned carefully and accepted that the first five-year chunk will eat into savings until my various pensions kick in.”
Want low stress and extra cash? Driving and retail are worth considering
Not everyone wants to retrain for a new profession. For those who simply want to earn a bit extra without the stress, retail and driving are among the most popular choices for over-50s.
“Retail is often a popular choice because it typically doesn’t require lengthy retraining, can offer flexible hours and may also offer the opportunity to work closer to home,” says Lewis. “Many retailers want to recruit older workers because they value their experience, reliability and customer service skills.”
The physical side is worth thinking about though. “Working in a shop can often involve long periods of standing, lifting stock and working busy shifts,” Lewis warns. “It’s also worth checking whether the job involves evening, weekend or seasonal work, as these hours can be less predictable than some retirees expect.”
Driving jobs — whether delivering parcels, transporting passengers or working as a driving instructor — offer a different kind of flexibility. “They can be quite social roles in your local community and usually appeal to those who enjoy being out and about rather than spending their day behind a desk,” says Lewis.
But the costs can eat into earnings. If you’re using your own vehicle, you’ll need additional insurance cover and with fuel, maintenance and depreciation, your take-home pay after expenses may be lower than the headline rate suggests. Traffic and tight delivery schedules can also make some driving roles more demanding than they first appear.
