Entering your golden years means you can finally stop working and enjoy other interests. But with so many expenses in your life, sometimes it might feel like you need a part-time job in order to afford the lifestyle you want to live.
That’s why more and more retired seniors are picking up part-time jobs – in fact, it’s becoming so common that more people over age 65 are expected to be working over the next five years than any other age group. If you’re looking to stay active and make extra money while you’re enjoying your retirement, here are five fantastic part-time jobs perfect for seniors.
1. Consultant
Average Pay: $50 to $100 per hour
If you’ve spent decades in the workforce, you’ve likely become an expert in your chosen field. With years and years of experience under your belt, you’re in the perfect position to become a part-time consultant. Consultants work on individual projects, helping companies in need of expertise in specific areas for a set length of time. You can become a consultant for a law firm, a human resources department, or even a business in need of a project manager.
Consulting is a fantastic job choice for seniors. There’s tons of flexibility available as a consultant, and the pay is great. You can work on short- or long-term projects, taking breaks to travel and enjoy your life in between picking up new projects. And as a consultant, you’ll build new connections while sharing your wealth of experience and advice with new companies.
2. Accountant or Bookkeeper
Average Pay: $17 per hour
Did you spend your career in the world of finance and accounting? If so, you’re in the perfect position to pick up a part-time job as an accountant or bookkeeper once you’re retired from full-time work. Seniors with a wealth of accounting and business finance experience can work part-time for local small businesses, or even remotely at home as freelancers, helping companies of all kinds manage their books and finances.
As a part-time account, seniors can oversee all of a business’s transactions and ensure proper reporting. This straightforward position will give you scheduling flexibility – plenty of businesses only need bookkeepers part-time – and allow you to keep honing your strong mental skills, keeping you feeling young.
3. Librarian Assistant or Aide
Average Pay: $11.77 per hour
If you’re looking for a part-time job that allows you to fulfill your desire to stay active and lets you give back to your community, consider working as a librarian assistant or aide. Libraries of all sizes, including those on college campuses and in your local neighborhood, always need additional volunteers and workers to help handle the day-to-day operations of tracking and storing their collections of books and other materials. As an assistant or aide, you’ll work only certain days or limited hours, giving you flexibility.
Assistants and aides spend their days at the library helping visitors with questions, shelving books, checking out and returning books, and doing a bit of organizing. While having library experience is a great benefit, many libraries will hire seniors without experience. As long as you enjoy books and helping others with questions, you’ll be perfectly suited for the job.
4. Handyman
Average Pay: $18.14 per hour
Here’s another way seniors can put their years of life experience to work in a great way: become a part-time handyman. If you enjoying fixing things around the house or have a wealth of experience working in woodworking, plumbing, electrical, or painting, you can find work as a handyman and offer your services in your hometown. Whether you choose to work for yourself or join forces with a maintenance team or handyman company, you’ll enjoy a part-time schedule and active work in all kinds of areas.
Seniors are perfect for the position of handyman: you can use your experience to take on as many jobs as you’d like, and you can set your own rates or work with a local business. You’ll need to have some stamina and strength to get the typical handyman’s job done, but if you’re in good health this should be no problem.
5. Medical Assistant
Average Pay: $14.71 per hour
Did you spend your career working in a doctors’ office, or perhaps in the front of a business office? If so, you likely have all the experience you need to pick up a part-time job as a medical assistant during your golden years. As a medical assistant you’ll handle the administrative work: checking patients in, collecting insurance information, scheduling appointments, answering the phone, and helping organize medical records.
And you may not need any extra training to become a medical assistant. Plenty of employers will teach you any extra skills on the job. Some employers may want a medical assistant who’s certified or formally trained, so pursuing that may be necessary for some doctors’ offices.