If you’re an active senior and/or a grandparent, you may enjoy working part-time to supplement your income. And in today’s economy many employers welcome healthy, hard-working seniors on their role of part-time employees. You may enjoy continuing to work in the field where you spent your younger years, or you may want to spread your wings and do something entirely different. Here are some ideas to kick-start your re-entry into the work force––on your own terms, of course.
Bookkeeper
If numbers is your thing, you might enjoy keeping accounts receivable and accounts payable records for a business. Your duties might include maintaining inventory databases, producing financial reports, following up on delinquent accounts and other office procedures. Some bookkeepers are allowed to work from home which may appeal to your retired lifestyle.
Personal and Home-care Aide
There are many opportunities to receive minimal training with certification and then work in assisted living situations or in private homes to help the elderly, ill or disabled. Chores may include helping the individual in bathing, dressing, mealtimes, running errands, and giving medications. In the private homes there may be the need to prepare meals and do light housekeeping. This is a real opportunity to reach out in friendship to an elder who needs support. While nursing backgrounds may help in certain cases, most don’t require medical knowledge.
Home Repair
If you are handy around your own home, you may want to branch out and earn a little extra cash by working for others. Small jobs can include any type of home repair such as woodworking, plumbing, electrical work, small appliance repair, painting, dry wall work and the like. Often older homeowners don’t want to tackle the jobs that need doing to maintain their homes. If you enjoy the work, it’s a perfect opportunity to serve your community while earning extra income.
Restaurant Greeter
Believe it or not, most family restaurants hire someone to do nothing more than greet guests upon their arrival and seat them or turn them over to another worker. Sounds silly I know, but if you’re a friendly person and enjoy meeting and greeting, this is the job for you. Sell that smile and earn some extra money.
Call Center Work
If you enjoy talking on the telephone this job is for you. There are many reputable businesses who engage call centers to do surveys, fund-raising or other sales-related promotions. You will need good listening and verbal skills. Some jobs may require typing, spelling and grammar skills and all of them will want a pleasant speaking voice. This may be the perfect job for you.
Library Worker
You don’t need a library certificate to be hired to shelve books, check out books, answer questions or send out overdue notices. If you enjoy the ambiance of a beautiful room full of books, and you enjoy meeting the public, you may love library work.
Medical Assistant
There are thousands of jobs in medical-related fields. There are doctor and dentist offices, hospitals, emergency rooms, chiropractors and more. Each of these offices need non-professional staff to help with front desk jobs. These tasks will include scheduling appointments, taking phone calls, typing, verifying insurance coverage, maintaining files and supplies and more.
Holiday-related jobs
As a senior citizen, you may prefer to work only part of the year. If so, the holiday markets are perfect for you. Go to your local malls and specialty stores and sign up to work in the pre-holiday shopping season. You’ll find retail jobs throughout the stores and also in the kiosks that set up seasonally. If you’re a male with a tummy and a great “Ho ho ho” you can make serious money being Santa for the season. Or try your hand at the gift-wrap stations set up during the holidays.
Sell Your Own Wares
Whether in the holiday season or at summer fairs and markets, you can earn extra income by selling various handcrafted wares. There are opportunities to sell jewelry, canned and baked food items, ceramics and art of all kinds, crafted items in knit, crochet, stitchery and anything else you enjoy creating. Maybe you enjoy woodworking, metal work, or tying fishing lures. Whatever you enjoy creating can be sold for a profit.
Writing
If you enjoy using words you may want to try your hand at writing as a part-time job. You might be able to draw on your work experience to determine the kind of writing you’re best suited to do. You may want to review books for online or print magazines. There are opportunities to write blogposts for businesses and other agencies. Or how about writing advertising copy for websites? You won’t get rich, but you’ll enjoy your work.
For more information and guidance in getting your part-time career off the ground go to www.retirementliving.com and click on Jobs for Seniors.
