The Afterword

Musings on the byways of popular culture

Menu

Navigation

You are here: Home / Forum / I have retired aged 60

I have retired aged 60

by 102 Comments

I would love to volunteer and do part time work.

Please share your experiences.

0

Comments

  2. Congratulations, I’m hoping to do the same next year. I’ve been sort of semi retired for a couple of years but I’m looking forward to ditching the work responsibilities completely. Not sure I really want to do anything but I’ll be watching this thread with interest.

  3. Hurrah to you … I’m 55 and considering it.
    See very few downsides (apart from fear of not working!) – those I know who retired around now and at 60 are loving it.
    No more early morning alarm calls for you now … and, relax

  4. Good for you.

    I am almost 64 and would be happy to retire, as mentioned in another thread, more likely to reduce to part time work in a year and fully retire at 67, I effectively had a 5 year mid career retirement in my 40s after I moved to Canada, then a marriage breakup meaning investments are not at the level they could have been at this time, so am relying quite a bit on 3 state pensions, UK (at 67), Switzerland and Canada (both at 65) none of them are full ones, but UK is close as I kept up with my N.I. payments.

  5. Congrats.

    As posted elsewhere, I’m 56 and going to 3-day weeks in April. But I have this Friday off as TOIL, so next week is my last ever 5-day working week.

    I would not be suprised if I pack it in altogether next year or the year after.

    Those records are not going to play themselves!

  6. I started winding down, as in 4/7 rather than 5, aged 60, gradually easing out of management and eventually moving to another place, to become a mere worker bee. 4/7 became 3 and I stopped it all 2 years ago, at 67. Initially I had plans to remain associated with health, as a non-exec but it seemed too much like the day job, so I ditched that.
    Do what thou wilt, @uncle-wheaty or, at least, what makes you happy.

  7. Retired at 60, I was no longer enjoying the work. Have no regrets it’s just great.

    I volunteer half a day a week, driving a van for the local food bank moving boxes from the warehouse around and occasionally standing in supermarket entrances shaking a tin. It makes me feel virtuous, and gives some structure to the week, I’d recommend it.

    Fun fact: there are more food bank distribution points in England than branches of McDonalds. Food for thought (pun intended).

  8. 10 years ago this month I took voluntary redundancy at 61 (loved the job, hated my line mangler,* but someone had to go so I thought that it might as well be me). Had a year with a few holidays pottered on the allotment, lived off my work pension. Still a few years to my state pension so I got a job as a wedding registrar (equivalent to four hours a week over the year) I’d planned to finish in 2020 have some more holidays before I’d get my state pension at the end of the year. That strangely enough didn’t go according to plan.

    Moved last year to a more rural area plenty to do cinema during the day, plenty of concerts to go to plenty of hospital appointments too alas. Keep active, we’ve had so much to do other house but I shall rejoin a gym here.

  9. Congratulations! I describe myself as “semi-retired” having left my full time Head of Dept job in a college in November 2024 at the age of 57 and in January 2025 set up a small business selling vintage clothes. It’s going OK…I rent a space in a big antiques store (which I visit once a week for restocking and tidying) and do vintage fairs within a 50 mile or so radius on some weekends, which are a great way to meet customers and chat. However…there is no way I’d be able to do this if we hadn’t paid off the mortgage, had considerable amounts of savings, or still had dependent kids. My wife (5 years younger) is still content working 4 days a week in her NHS role, although she has just put in for voluntary redundancy under Labour’s plans to make considerable cuts to some areas of the NHS.
    I don’t need to take up my Teacher’s pension yet, although I might do when I turn 59 in September.
    I don’t really work full-time, it varies, depending on what is coming up, but it gives me an interest. I don’t miss anything whatsoever about my previous career. Ideally though I need to start thinking about doing something to get me a bit more physically active.
    Good luck!

  10. I’m 60 next birthday. I stopped having a proper job two years ago. I was working in an environment that was both high pressured and had a toxic and bullying culture and I simple had enough.
    Since then I have been contracting and currently am working about 3 to 4 days a week. I am enjoying the lack of long term pressure and I am definitely on a glide path to retirement.
    I am currently enjoying the work I have been doing and, so far, I have managed to keep busy without having to resort to posting laughably positive bollocks on LinkedIn. If it carries on, I will probably do the same for a couple of years. If it stops, I will retire.

  11. I retired at 62.
    I was interested in volunteering for Victim Support as it related to my working life and I thought I had something to offer.
    The application process was so onerous that I decided I couldn’t be bothered.
    Instead I’ve joined our local University Of The Third Age group. That’s very enjoyable and fulfilling.

  12. I never really retired in the carriage clock and leaving party sense. I carried on working for the Eden Project 3 days a week after we moved to Oz, by which time I was 67, and did so until I was made redundant during COVID. I still do freelance work for them.

    I’ve never volunteered, sorry to say. There’s a very active flood relief organisation hereabouts, and if we have another bad one like 2022 I’ll offer my services, as long as it involves sitting in front of a computer rather than wading about in mud and hauling furniture out of flooded houses.

    Playing music in care homes and busking to raise funds for the Community Centre shows a certain community spirit, I guess – without involving anything that looks like work.

  13. I retired on Dec 31st of last year, age 66. I spent the first month thinking I’d made a monumental mistake, forgoing a a substantial wedge of cash each month and interaction with a bunch of people who it turns out were actually genuinely sorry to see me go (well, some of them). I did my last work call on Dec 19th and had a truly shite Xmas.

    At first it was odd and disconcerting. No mails to check first thing each morning, no calls to jump on, no trips to book the flights for. But slowly, I’m getting used to the change in pace, and more at ease with it. I’ve lunched with a couple of ex colleagues (one today in fact) and still check in once a month with some of my ex team in the US, which has helped me remember how little of the work I actually found of any interest. There are still days where the lack of structure can be an issue, but I’m getting more used to the new normal.

    I’m still trying to get my various pensions into payment, with Crapita managing to fall below my already very low expectations (complaint raised today after 6 weeks of nothing happening). Amazingly my state pension turned up on time without any fuss or prompting. I have a vague anxiety about money, but on paper I should be just fine.

    As a world class introvert I know I need to get out and about. I’m helping a local community transport charity, and have an interview next month for a trustee role at a local arts center where I’m now a solid regular at their Monday morning film screenings. I’m also volunteering at the local Parkrun (having come up lame at my first attempt to run one) – looking ahead there’s a fair amount in the diary which has helped create a bit of structure and shape. It’s not work as I’m used to, but it has a lot more practical benefit than anything I’ve done in a long time. And when I can’t find anything much else to do, I’m watching re-runs of Minder from Episode 1.

      • I highly recommend watching Minder. It’s properly well written, funny and gripping. I think it’s underrated. The episode of the first series written by Murray Smith is outstanding.

        • It’s pretty much all great isn’t it? Some fantastic regular (if more minor) characters alongside the main ones and some great little cameos too…a young Robbie Coltrane as the owner of a wig shop springs to mind. The Police characters are brilliantly cynical, world-weary and you suspect wouldn’t last five minutes in a more modern force!

    • @fortuneight

      Myself and Fräu Steady are looking to jack work in this summer. I work in a school and I think I will miss the interaction with my colleagues. They’re not my best best friends but I get on very well with them and I’m concerned slightly that if it’s just me and my wife we’ll soon run out of conversation!

  14. You’re all retiring so young! I’m 72 and I still use quotation marks around the word “retirement “ because I can’t quite believe I’m going to do it at the end of the year

  15. I am by no means an “active relaxer” but even a long weekend with nothing planned makes me a bit antsy by the end of it. Even if I could afford to retire (I’m 59) – I’m not sure if I’d like it very much. Current plan is to keep working to 67 and then pack it all in. The children will be long gone by then. Or – there might be grandkids – who knows.

  16. Redundant at 58. Big pay out pretty much retired since then. People ask what do you do and I say “ whatever I feel like “. I have had no trouble occupying myself. Since moving to the country and getting involved in the local radio station I am more engaged in the community and may take on chairmanship. I do sleep in longer than a lot of people 8.30 to mine but I’ma night person. Each to their own.
    if you do volunteering,make sure it is something you can relate to and if you don’t click with the people there try something else.

  17. I retired a few months before my 60th after 30 odd years of teaching. Me and my son moved south to be with my gf and her son. I love it, though my partner, who still works, can be a little resentful. I started running – was doing about 5 miles a day but bad knees mean I walk the route now. It’s blissful – podcasts, audiobooks, birdsong.
    Some days I deliver leaflets for pocket money which has led me to parts of the area I never knew existed. I’m never bored – it’s like school holidays without the impending doom of returning to work!

  18. I retired at 60 back in 2017. For the first year I did bugger all and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I walked both dogs for miles, and just became expert at pottering around the house.
    We then moved to Norfolk and the lady of the house we purchased from, said her sister was a manager of the local Dogs Trust Shop and she was after a driver, who could go out and collect donation’s from people who were unable to reach the shop.
    I did this for four years, driving around in a vivid yellow Skoda collecting all sorts of treasure and bric a brac. One of the best perks is that I had first dibs on all the CDs I collected. 99% of which were the usual suspects of Take That, Robbie, Rod Stewart etc but many gems did appear and I was allowed to purchase these, at a discount as well.
    We then moved again to a much more rural location, still in Norfolk, and the vendor was the chairman of the Parish Council. He was after someone who could cut the grass at the Village Recreation Ground. So that was early 2020 just before lockdown and I’m still doing it.
    I get to drive an orange Kubota tractor twice a week in the sunshine. It’s the best job I’ve ever had, and my grandson thinks it’s so cool that his grandad drives a tractor 🚜

  19. I retired 3 years ago at 65 and I love it. I just drifted for 6 months to decompress. Since then I’ve started a voluntary roles which generally occupies around 6 days a month and is very personally rewarding though talking about it on social media is frowned upon. I’ve learned a guitar style I could always do a bit (ragtime) but couldn’t do well. I’ve got a newish motorbike and have ridden to various destinations in the UK and Europe with more planned this year. I formed a folk rock band with gigs in the diary throughout the summer. Otherwise I chill out, read a lot, walk in the country and look forward to July to celebrate 30 years married to the lovely Mrs. T. I worry about money of course. We’re planning to downsize at some point but currently it’s limited to window shopping on Rightmove.

  20. This all very encouraging. Due to local government reorganisation my job will, at the very least, move to a new organisation in 2028. It’s all up in the air at the moment, but if my post was made redundant I would, at 61, be in the lowest age group eligible for the maximum redundancy payment. My guess is that all concerned will do their best to minimise redundancies for reasons of cost and continuity, and I would be under TUPE in the more likely event of being slotted into the new organisation, but maybe … just maybe … I could retire then.

    The ideal might be to move from FT to 3 days a week for the remainder of my working life (The Light will reduce from 4 to 3 days a week next year when she will be 60 and her first pension kicks in). I can see the appeal of leaving work altogether, despite the hit my pension would take, so I can devote my time to exercising my natural talent for indolence.

  21. As mentioned on the other thread, I retired a lot earlier at 52. I basically had the opportunity to take a very good package (2 years salary on a pretty good salary) as they were trying to reduce senior staff.

    I initially took a year off to see where things lie and see what I wanted do. Seven years later, I’m still in that same position with no inclination to go back – I’m not completely against the idea, but it would need to be something really interesting (and short term) to tempt me back.

    We are in the very lucky position that we are financially secure – we had a good financial advisor that developed us a good investment portfolio from which I now live off the dividends (the nice thing is that as long as the dividends hold up, I don’t have to touch the capital and so are somewhat immune to the market craziness). Amazingly my net worth is higher today than when I stopped working, and that’s with no employment income in the intervening 7 years. Like I said, we are in a lucky position.

    It still continues amaze me that I have never been bored, although most days I couldn’t tell you what I’ve done all day (aside from the morning swims and hang out at the pool with fellow retirees).

    Highly recommended.

    • There’s restructuring around but I asked and I’d only get about 6 months worth. If it was two years, I would have bitten their arm off!

      I don’t really mind working 3 days a week as long as Mrs F doesn’t expect me to do DIY on the other 4 days. I want to learn to swim properly, for a start – I do a kind of ‘controlled not sinking with minimal forward motion’ manoeuvre.

      • Citibank Singapore – although the one that set it all up has gone on to better things (she was good) in the bank. That said we have hardly touched the structure since she moved on – it’s a mix of Asia / US / Europe funds, some bonds and some equity funds. Most of them pay dividends, with a number of the funds giving 6-7% dividends.

        Their modelling suggested that if the economy crashed like last time, it would “only” drop by 15-20% (although as I mentioned, it’s the dividend I’m mainly concerned about).

        The other factor is that here in Singapore out “equivalent” of National Insurance, CPF, has both employee and employer contributions and is an individual pot rather then a shared pot. As such, we can invest in various approved funds. As I reached retirement, this pot was moved to “insurance” type funds that pay out from 60-65 for 15 years and guarantee 100% capital with hopefully bonuses on top.

  23. I retired at the end of last year, a few months short of the state pension but with a decent private pot built up. I’ve had intentions around voluntary work but my mum has recently had serious health problems so a lot of time has gone into hospital visits and dealing with the uncertainties over her future needs. Hoping that things change soon, but I have found time for regular exercise, a few more gallery/museum visits, and my fiction writing, so enjoying being free of the shackles of work.

  24. From a financial point of view, we’ll be ok although I’m amazed at what we spend on a relatively modest lifestyle. This can be reduced by downsizing: less council tax and energy bills plus my daughter finishes uni this summer so the monthly top ups will stop or at least reduce.
    As to what I’ll do with my time: I’d like to spend a couple of winter months somewhere warm and cheap, Panama or Costa Rica maybe and I’d like to be a bit more creative: lino cut printing and maybe some woodworking. There’s still the possibility of some freelance work but I won’t be chasing it. I’m looking forward to it as my heart hasn’t been in my work for a couple of years.

    • Sorry to be the bearer of bad news @davebigpicture but we have two recent graduates. One back at home now training to be a primary school teacher, one in their uni city with a good degree but very much in the middle of the graduate job famine. No option but to continue with the monthly top ups in the short-term here!
      We are lucky enough, unlike many of their peers, to be able to continue to support them while they transition from students to work. But it all seems so much harder than it was event at the height of eighties unemployment, which in retrospect was very much focused on those working class communities that relied on industry. As a graduate in the mid-eighties I had housing benefit and signing on, and as much casual work as I wanted before making any career decisions…

      • I keep seeing news items about how tough it is and my daughter’s degree is in animation so she probably won’t fall into a job but she’s confident and likeable with some part time work behind her so she’ll probably get work of some kind or do several things. Not concerned yet……

        • I have no kids of my own, but my sister’s second son left uni with a degree in Film Studies and, after working as an office drone for BUPA for a few years*, did a horticulture course and now has his own successful gardening business up in the Lake District.
          Neither of his 2 brothers or his sister went to uni. Elder brother manages a tool-hire and building supplies shop for Travis Perkins, Younger brother drives a truck for TP, having previously driven for Ocado. Their sister is a single mum, formerly a school cook and now an office manager for a small company.

          *Courtesy of his older brother’s graduate partner, who works in patient safety and compliance for BUPA and earns a very good salary.

          • My daughter may well have a “portfolio” career, at least to start with. She’s produced prints and stickers which she’s sold at craft markets and I’m going to introduce her to a few people in the conference world. PowerPoint graphics is dull but lucrative. She’s also climbing mad so could get work at the local climbing wall. At least she has options. However, her main hope is the international animation festival in Annecey in the summer. She’s volunteering and hoping to network.

            • That sounds like some good starting points. Eldest has I think found their metier after a false start and is loving primary school training. Youngest wants to work in environmental consulting so getting into that is taking a lot longer to get started in. I think the cost of rent is again one of the things that’s the most different from my day.

  25. I left university when I was 59; that was 6 years ago this August. I couldn’t tolerate the marking, politics, bureaucracy and managerialism, or the money grubbing any longer, though loved the research, students, and teaching. I am now in private practice, and doing absolutely fine, and even have time to read “The Times” most mornings, piss around on the Internet, and not get up early unless I want to. Wish I’d done it 5 years before – though at the time kids and mortgages meant I felt I needed to stay at the chalkface.

  26. Think I might be semi-retired. I work 2 days a week on a freelance basis for a branding agency and spend the rest of my time pottering about, listening to music, going to the cinema, exhibitions etc, writing fiction and publishing it on Substack. I might just be enjoying my 60s more than any other time.

  27. Like @retropath2 I retired at the age of 67. Went headlong into retired life and enjoyed it immensely and still do. However 14 months after retiring I was approached to act in a consultancy capacity 2 days per work from home. I could choose the days. Initially I dismissed it out of hand but then decided that I would at least speak to the company that made the approach rather than just walk away. I liked the MD and thought I would give it ago – the money was very attractive.
    Truth be told the work is not onerous although being honest I still on balance prefer to do nothing at all. I think I will continue until the summer and then review what direction I may take.
    To be honest I love the days of indolence intertwined with pastimes I enjoy – Creative writing classes, Gospel choir and Nordic pole walking. I am also about to start Pickleball – there are no shortage of things to do in retirement and even two days of consultancy may be too much of distraction interfering with my life. Time will tell.

  28. Sure I’ve mentioned this before on here – due to bad financial advice I “gave away” too much of my pension to Wife No1. Wife No2 , a magnificent woman, was once a very highly paid designer, went into business on her own, went bankrupt, using up all her pension pot. Was really worried my now relatively meagre pension wouldn’t support us properly. Turns out that debt-free means we are more than comfortable. Ok , our car is ancient and we’d struggle to justify spending thousands on a round-the world-trip but we live well, eat and drink well, have at least 6 holidays a year (Europe & UK) and generally are happy little bunnies
    Like most people, I found the first year or so of retirement somewhat of a challenge (“It’s only Wednesday?”) but 13 years later I can’t believe I used to work 60-70 hours a week. How did I do that?
    I remember phoning up my parents early into their retirement. “What you doing today, Mum?”
    “Busy, busy day – got to go to the railway station and get tickets for our trip to London and then after that a big shop in M&S.” How this international executive laughed.
    Today, we are my parents…

  29. I am 65 next month with – I hope – two years of work left in me. I’m an academic and always enjoyed pottering about on my interests, which seems to have produced a successful career. However, I say “hope” as, after 2 rounds of voluntary severance, we are now going into restructuring. So, I may be retired in the passive verb sense. That said, I’d like to get have more time to read, go to museums, see films, actually go on holiday,etc. But, as I find it difficult to meet new genuine friends, I am also toying with the idea of getting involved in local politics just at a community volunteer level, probably the Greens. Given these circs, most of the post here are informative and cheering.

  30. My wife and I are now both retired – I’ll be 55 in September.

    We are eyeing volunteer opportunities, but not committing quite yet until we know where we’ll be living. Right now the leading contenders would be the library, or the local animal shelter. I do kinda volunteer already by refereeing rugby, but I’m not sure that counts.

    In the meantime we’re roadtripping, either sleeping in the car at State or National Parks, and the odd night in an Air B’nB. It’s a great way to see the country and meet “ordinary” Americans.

  31. Retired in October 2023 at the age of 62 after working the last 20 years in a Special School. After taking a few months weighing up my options and realising I needed to do something purposeful I was offered a couple of days a week working with adults with learning difficulties. Basically, I’m a glorified Classroom Assistant and am working with many of the guys I once taught. Enjoy the relative lack of responsibility after a teaching career and after an initial bit of adjusting to my new role I now love it.

  32. I’m semi-retired. I’m taking my local government pension now, but still doing some paid work. I have the luxury of being able to say ‘no, sorry’. I also do a lot of design work for myself, which I sell as finished products.

    It feels rather odd to be even partly retired, though on a lovely day today, I didn’t feel remotely guilty about doing half a day in the garden, after an early bike ride.

  33. Congratulations! I’m sure you’ll really enjoy it.

    Like, it would seem, many here, I retired at 67. That was just under a year ago. I was fortunate to still be enjoying my job, but I was ready for a change and for the freedom of not having to spend a large part of my time working. So far, I’ve loved it. I haven’t taken any new activities up but have kept myself occupied doing the things I enjoy doing and don’t have enough time for before. I can honestly say I haven’t had a day when I’ve been at a loss about what to do. If in doubt, there are a lot of books to read, films to see, and music to listen to. In truth I thought I’d have far more time to do all the above than has turned out to be the case. Of course the change in financial circs takes a bit of adjustment but I have a decent pension so we’re amongst the lucky ones. The point about structure is right though; I still have certain things I do, like my running club. which are on specific days and that’s useful to avoid that ‘what day is it?’ syndrome.

    I deliberately avoiding making any new commitments for the first six months and I think that was the right thing to do; in fact a year might actually be better. It gave me time to decompress, to get used to what retirement is actually like, and to decide what I did want to do. The upshot is I have recently got involved as a non- paid board member of a couple of organisations working in the field I used to. Early days but so far I am enjoying keeping some connection without having all the responsibility of a full time job.

    Good luck!

  34. I took early retirement at 59 and I’ll be 65 this year. Financially it’s meant my disposable income has significantly diminished, but working longer wouldn’t have made much difference, and to be honest I’d had a gut full. I missed work for about 10 minutes, but now after 5 years I feel as if my working life never existed. I take life at a leisurely pace and feel much happier for it. I’ve been plagued with a multitude of minor health issues, but that goes with the territory I guess. Sitting in the sun watching the grass grow beats sitting in traffic after a stressful day dealing with other people’s problems hands down.

  35. One thing I do which is useful is keep a diary – I wrote a diary all though my teens and in a tricky non-work period during the Brexit talks when the contract market died in 2019 I started again. I have an app on the tablet and I’ve kept it up – I like being able to see where the time has gone.

  36. I ‘retired’ from the career that paid for our home when I was 50. Partly to help care for my dying father, but mainly because after 30 plus years what had once been exhilarating and intellectually challenging was bow a drag. Whereas I had once been one-off best among my contempories, I was now just getting by.

    So may wife and spent the next decade in a rural county doing lots of walking and cycling whilst we were still healthy. She worked full-time then 4 days and I worked full and then part-time in jobs that were useful, and helped me make contacts in a new community. We lived in a county where over 35% of people were retired. Eventually we concluded that we would prefer to live somewhere with a bit more energy and verve, so we moved to work in a university town.

    We still work part-time. I am 64 and my wife was 65 earlier this week. We both like doing something that seems to be adding value. And as my father said, when you are working, you aren’t spending money. My wife works 4 days. I work anywhere between 2 and 6 days a week, averaging three to four. The main thing we both enjoyed continued contact with a range of people. My wife’s colleagues are mostly half her age. I have two part-time jobs. Colleagues in one ( retail) are even younger – students and school leavers. People I would probably seldom see, let alone talk to if not for the job. The work requires physical movement and energy, something I enjoy after a lifetime of largely sedentary jobs.

    I also do exam invigilation at the local school, which helps give a feeling that I am directly contributing to immediate community. As a consequence, I have made new friends with a far more cosmopolitan group of people than I would ever probably encounter otherwise. They include Indian, Turkish, Hong Kong Chinese and Ukrainians.

    I did volunteer for a time after I first left my job. I found it very helpful in terms of getting part-time jobs later on, with potential employers less likely to consider me as overqualified and /or not serious. One other thing I found, both in the rural county and university town, was that some organisations were awash with volunteers, to the point that there wasn’t enough work to go around in arts organisations, theatres, museums etc. Plenty of opportunities in hospitals and food banks, but that required different levels of commitment and challenge,

  37. One thing I do enjoy now that I’m retired is staying up late.
    Having spent the majority of my working life getting up for work at 5am and not returning home until 7pm, late nights for me were a rare event.
    Now I stay up till 1am most nights and dont get up till 7am. This is especially satisfying on a Monday morning, when I can hear the busy traffic outside and I’m just sat there, drinking tea and watching Sally Nugent.

  38. I retired last September aged 57. A few things sparked this decision, including health problems that may or may not have been triggered by work burnout. I lost both of my parents in fairly rapid succession and that knocked me about (I am still dealing with Dad’s affairs after 14 months). The upside of that is that I have inherited just enough money to support me not working. Given that both of my parents worried about my overwork, I take some comfort that they are sort of helping me out.

    Anyway, I decided to fully retire from my career in the IT industry, where I started as a programmer and got endlessly promoted until I ended up in a couple of jobs that were so senior, it was actually completely pointless and out of my ability to actually do anything. I was also working in a company that provided marketing technology, which started to feel a bit grubby. So I just jacked the job in, and made a resolution to not have anything to do with that world any longer. If anyone asks me any question even vaguely related to that stuff, including basic computing stuff, I won’t answer. I’m retired from the subject!

    I’ve taken up music composition again, and I am learning the piano. I am taking the guitar more seriously now and play at least a couple of hours a day. This is purely for my own amusement, as my health limits my energy for playing in bands and stuff. I really enjoy fully engaging with music and creating stuff.

    Otherwise I walk the dog, pet the cats, and drink tea whilst reading. I very occasionally see old friends and would like to do more of that.

    Honestly, I am still recovering from career burnout, and it’s going to take a while to have proper energy.

  39. I’m seriously contemplating retirement later this year when I’ll be 68. I’d fairly randomly chosen the date a couple of years ago and I was hoping that I’d be fed up and wanting to retire but I still really enjoy what I do. Its a very social place and we mostly get on. The job is very interesting and there are very few stresses, the bosses know that the only real hold they have on me is to threaten to fire me if I mess up but if they do then so what! As it is, they can’t recruit fast enough (it the defence industry) so I’m not sure exactly what I would have to do to get sacked!
    I’ve been looking at the possibility of moving to 3 days a week and see how 4 day weekends suit me rather than have the cliff edge of full retirement.

    • That’s an important thing, to use your retired years well.
      I retired a bit too early for comfort with no plan (work became toxic but I should have stuck it out for a little longer) and wasted some of mine.

      • I read that article and it really resonated with me, but then I lose two or three work acquaintances prematurely every year and my dad is bedridden, reminders that I won’t always be able to do certain things so I want to do them while I’m able. The point about declining physically is, I think, well made. Besides, if I don’t spend my money, the government will take it eventually or I’ll be like my dad, who is currently paying £80k a year to lie in a bed and have someone clean up after him, being incontinent and having a catheter. Hope I die before I get old indeed.

  41. I gave up work in February 2020 prompted by a prostate cancer diagnosis and the fact that I really couldn’t handle my fairly high pressure job for a single second more.
    Shortly afterwards Covid hit and it seemed that everyone had suddenly given up work. It was very odd.
    I don’t feel as if i have retired exactly although i suppose i have.
    Although money is a bit of a worry, I have basically done fuck all for six years.
    Is that allowed?

  42. Retirement looks a no brainer from a distance but close up its challenging. My senior public sector job was restructured away three years ago when I was 64. Financially I was OK but I had no hobbies or pastimes big enough to fill the time void and I feared being “out of the world” The finality that your working years are behind you and old age beckons was sobering for me. Fortunately I have been able to pick up some part time consultancy work which keeps me involved but free of the responsibilities and pressures of my old role. I have leaned into the retirement lifestyle ( several holidays per year, grandparenthood etc and I am fitter than I have been for a long time with bike rides, exercise classes etc) but still have the structure of a part time job. Works for me. You need to take a long hard look at how you live and want to live and not assume that a life without work is going to be idyllic.

  43. @wiggy I think that lack of purpose (of work) and the interaction/bantz (yuk) with colleagues will be troublesome to start with certainly. I am excellent at pottering around at the weekend and filling my time but a whole lifetime??

    • I don’t know when interaction becomes banter, but I think the reduced sense of inclusion and involvement is very definitely an issue in retirement, as well as the change in ones own sense of what you are / were.

      I’d been a remote worker for about 10 years. When I’d visit my US team I was struck by – and a touch envious of – the obvious sense of camaraderie. Indeed there was banter, some causal leg pulling and teasing. I miss it already although I’m still included in the fantasy leagues and the occasional online quiz.

      I still talk to a couple of my former team once a month. It’s great to chat and our weekly calls in the past were as much about family and TV and Bills games as they were work, but it’s evident that as time goes on, as things get less tethered to work, it might all become a bit less relevant. I hope not but I could see it might.

      Once you step outside of the thing that was central to your life for over 40 weeks of each year it’s obviously going to shake things up. I feel a bit more at ease with retirement every day but there’s still al lot about the people I worked with that I miss, and as a world class introverted remote worker that has surprised me. I’m expanding my voluntary activities but I’m not sure that will fill in any of the gaps. Have to wait and see I suppose.

    • Thanks, yes. My advice to anyone approaching retirement is to understand the space work takes in their life and how they will fill that space. Not simply in terms of earnings and time but social interaction, self worth, intellectual stimulation etc. What works for friends and family may not work for you.

  46. I’m another who went into part-time consultancy at 60 after staying too long in a full-time job that was making me unhappy. I’m two years into it now and the work keeps flowing, which means I can pick and choose a bit. I expect it’ll slowly dwindle and I’ll be fine with that, but perhaps it’s better to call time myself, so it’s retirement rather than redundancy. Nice problem to have either way.

    • I think I will go back into community pharmacy practice a couple of days a week.

      I did a return to practice course 18 months ago so should be able to be useful after a couple of weeks of voluntary work to relearn the ropes.

      It will mean interacting with real people again rather than constant online meetings.

      This is my way forward.

    • I’d always fancied doing a bit of volunteer medical electronics to help the disabled patients at the local hospital. Fixing electric wheelchairs and that. But the hospital moved from the end of my road to the Addenbrookes campus a few years back, and I’m not commuting there!

  47. I’d love to retire (I’m almost 57), but it just isn’t possible for me. Local Authority pensions aren’t always that great. Think I’ll be working for quite a while yet, so that pile of records and books will have to wait.

  48. Monday was my last working Monday, and today was my last working Friday.

    I have the next two weeks off, back on Tuesday 14th. I think I’m going to enjoy working three-day weeks but, now that I’ve decided to go PT, I slightly wish for the next couple of years to hurry up so that I can retire properly.

    Thank goodness Mrs F can keep me in the style to which I have become accustomed

    • One has to be careful with reducing one’s days per week. My wife went down to 3 a week but what with paperwork and admin she found herself effectively doing 4 but only getting paid for 3.

      • Yes that was my point for his first when he mentioned this. I worked 50 hours at least a week for a long time so I don’t want to reduce to 4 days a week and be paid 80% for working 40 hours. One way around this is to set your work hours in Teams, Outlook or whatever stating you cannot be contacted or be available for meetings outside those.

      • To start work, I have to leave my house, cross the garden, go into my garage, and pass by my records, and through a door, before I go into the tiny office. I don’t have my work phone or laptop in the house. So not starting won’t be a problem.

        Stopping something in the middle, rather than finishing it off, could be trickier.

        I have an arrangement where any overtime required will be taken as time off in lieu at the first opportunity. So if I work a Friday, I will take the following Tuesday off.

        I have two weeks off for Easter. I won’t be looking at my work phone or laptop.

      • I went down to 4 days for 90% of salary so a busybody in HR worked out exactly how many hours that was and asked me to keep a note week on week. This I was happy to do as it was significantly less than the hours I’d actually been doing. So I clock watched for the last 9 months and everyone was pleased. Rather than finish things off and working to 6.30 or whatever I logged off at 5.15 on the dot.

  49. Three weeks in.

    Have been to the tip a couple of times and watched loads of great TV. Just been watching The Capture on BBC iPlayer catch-up. Final episode tonight. It is awesome and well worth a watch.

    DIY now beckons.

    • “Have been to the tip a couple of times”
      A friend recently retired (recently? about 6 months ago) – when I met up with him after retiring and asked what he’d been up to, apart a couple of holidays, going to the tip was about the most common event.
      And fair play to ’em – my trips to the tip are confined to days off or weekends. Which is just annoying

      • I have a large enough back garden to not need one luckily.

        Just need to work out how to divide it up. Growing my own veg and fruit appeals. My paternal grandfather was an expert at this so maybe I can also do it.

Leave a Reply