Part time jobs for senior citizens in my area

Retirement age officially is 60 but with a healthy disposition, people are now able to work until a much later age and employers also now actively look to hire seniors as they recognize that experienced workers often have strengths that some younger workers lack. The society also benefits from utilizing their skills and experience. According to an AARP survey of HR managers, senior employees exhibit loyalty, strong work ethic and high levels of positive engagement on the job. Finding a job for seniors would have been difficult in the past but nowadays many avenues are available which connect employers with seniors looking to rejoin the workforce. Employment portals like Monster, Naukri, Shine etc have several job postings for seniors. 

HUM,an online community-based job platform was started in 2017 in Delhi by Mr.Kritarth Malhotra, Mr. Vipul Vij and his 77-year-old uncle Mr. Ramesh Vij, aretired technocrat, where they connect senior citizens with employers seekingexperienced people via Facebook & Whatsapp. Nightingale EmpowermentFoundation in Bangalore organises a job fair, Jobs 60+ every year for seniorcitizens who are physically active and wish to earn a living. Working afterretirement is a good idea as it helps in staying physically and mentally healthyand provides an additional source of income. If one wishes to rejoin theworkforce, one can find a job in their specialised field with more flexibilityor explore a passion or interest as an occupation.

But first, one should answer these questions before embarking onJob 2.0:

• What is the motivating factor? Money? Boredom? Both?
• How much money do you need to earn?
• What kind of work would you find fulfilling?
• Will you work part time or full time?
• Would you consider working for yourself or working from home?
• What kind of retraining are you willing to engage in?

Following are some of the jobsthat seniors above 55 years can explore after retirement:

1. Becoming a Real EstateInvestor: Investingin properties as an option by seniors have become a sweeter deal lately. Theyplan to invest in real estate to effectively become self-employed with variousinvesting strategies from flipping houses to rental investment to commercialinvesting. With these strategies, they generate monthly income from the rentals,rising in the property prices while they hold their properties with them actsas an added benefit. Rental property assets make up a large source of income inone’s retirement planning these days. Although investing in the right propertyis your shot to take to make profits or losses.

Choosea genuine real estate developer and the property whose demand is higher infuture

2. Working as a Consultant: Retired individuals with advanceddegrees or specialized experience in programming, website development, finance,and litigation can consider a career in consulting as its highly sought after.The pay is also pretty handsome in consulting.

3. Start a Retail Business: Many retirees opt to opentheir own retail business. From running a bed and breakfast to launching a newproduct, retirees are starting their own businesses in droves. If you have alarge collection of any kind, the internet makes it easy to start a new onlinebusiness because of the relatively low overhead costs of selling andadvertising online through sites like eBay, ulX, Facebook Market, FlipkartSeller Hub and Quikr. You can also sell your personalised handmade goods on Etsy.Success in career gives seniors the knowledge and confidence to launch abusiness where you can set the schedule and pace of your work. Putting up avacant room or house on Airbnb or Couchsurfing is also a good idea to earn goodmoney and interact with people from different cultures.

4. Teaching Assistants andTutors: Retireeswho enjoy working with students might enjoy being a teaching assistant or atutor. Universities sometimes hire teaching assistants for a nominal pay.Tutors, on the other hand, can be self-employed or work with a largerorganization. You can teach from the comfort of your home as well byregistering with online learning platforms like Coursera, Unacademy, KhanAcademy, Byju’s etc. Uploading teaching videos on YouTube is also quite a trendthese days.

5. Work as a Temp or Intern: Temporary jobs or paidinternships can be an opportunity for you to alternate work with leisure. Thesejobs vary, but might include general labor or office jobs, includingbookkeeping, customer service, and data processing positions. Assignmentduration can vary. Moreover, many temporary jobs and internships don’t requirea specific skill set, significant work experience, or an advanced degree.

6. Volunteering: Retirees with an empatheticdisposition can enjoy volunteering positions like working with animal sheltersor charitable organisations. Volunteering India accepts healthy olderindividuals, who are valued for their skills and life experience. Volunteeringwork includes teaching under-privileged children, working for the upliftment ofwomen, rescuing animals, medical internships etc. One can also donate one’stime and money to charitable organisations nearby; it only takes a good heartto help another human being.

7. Earning through Social Media Platforms: Do you have any skills or contentwhich will connect with the masses and a unique personality to match it? Thensocial media is the place for you. Online platforms like YouTube, TikTok,Facebook etc. have made celebrities out of regular citizens and if you thoughtsenior citizens were not in on the trend then you couldn’t be more wrong. 58year old Milikuri Gangavva regularly features in the Youtube channel My VillageShow (MVS) which has 1.02 million subscribers and is popular for its unusual comedyand raw portrayal of everyday life in a Telangana village. ‘Dancing Uncle’became viral on Facebook because of his Govinda-like dancing moves. Manygrandparents upload recipes of their delicious food, some review shows onNetflix while others enjoy making videos on TikTok. Social media is one placewhere good content rules irrespective of age, language, gender or religion.Being constructively active on social media gives you purpose and keeps you onyour toes as you compete with younger influencers and if the channel ismonetised, then one can earn good money also.

8. Blogging: Blogging is the ultimatework from home job which requires no specific educational requirements ortraining; you just need a way with words and enough comfort with technology tolearn how to use various content management systems. With most content beingread online, blogging or content writing for online sites is in huge demandnowadays and can be done from the comfort of one’s home and pays well also. Youjust need a computer, good internet speed and just let your creative juicesflow.

9. Athletic Coach: Sports coaching can help youshare your love of sports with a new generation of budding athletes and stayphysically active at the same time. Pay is nominal but one gets to interactwith the new generation which keeps you mentally agile and relevant and the joyof seeing someone excel because of your guidance is priceless.

10. Become a professionalBabysitter/Pet Sitter: If you love spending time with kids or animals then youcould become a babysitter or pet sitter in your free time. Sites likeUrbanclap, Sulekha, Justdial, Petbacker, Trustedhousesitters provide amarketplace for finding relevant jobs. All you need to do is create a profileand start searching for families looking for a child or pet careprovider. 

11. Become a Driver: If you’re a people person and loveto drive, a great side job after retirement could be driving for transportationnetwork companies like ula, Uber etc. One will have the chance to chooseworking hours and type of transportation.

Final Word

At the end of the day, it’s amatter of personal choice; some would like to continue working after retirementand some would like to enjoy the peaceful phase. However, working afterretirement can provide a wonderful opportunity to work on your own terms. Manycompanies appreciate older workers’ experience and hence provide flexible andrewarding jobs to encourage and retain them. There are several ways to leverageyour passion and experience into a rewarding career after retirement. It alsoprovides for the opportunity to train for a new, exciting job or volunteerposition with optimum time investment. One doesn’t need to dread the R word-Retirement, as it doesn’t imply the end of one’s productive years anymore. Itis just the end of one chapter and the beginning of another beautiful chapterin one’s life. One just needs to set the terms and conditions according tooverall abilities, so that the golden years can be enjoyed to the fullest.

What is best job for seniors?

What is a good job for someone over 60?

Where can I find a job after age 65?

What job can I get at 64?