The best flexible and part-time jobs for retirees
With 401(k) balances plunging and the cost of things such as gasoline, food, housing and healthcare soaring, millions of recent retirees have gone back to work. However, after leaving the working world behind, these “unretirees” are not looking for just any work. Retirees are looking for jobs that are flexible and part time, experts say.
Ideally, jobs for retirees should also play on the retiree’s experience, talents or resources to earn the most money in the shortest time.
There are a handful of online platforms that specifically look for retirees and near-retirees for flexible, part-time and, sometimes, remote work. Their goal is to capitalize on the retiree’s experience, while accommodating his or her need for flexibility. By and large, these sites work with small businesses that need experts in fields such as law, human resources, marketing, logistics, project management and accounting. Few of these jobs offer benefits, but many pay professional hourly rates. Here are good sites to find this type of work.
Capitalize on experience
FlexJobs curates telecommuting and part-time job opportunities in nearly all fields, screening both companies and jobs to filter out scams. The site charges a modest annual fee but takes no commissions or other fees from worker wages.
FlexProfessionals specializes in finding jobs in most professional fields, including finance, law, communications and project management. There is no fee for job seekers. The site charges companies to fill positions. The only catch is that the bulk of FlexProfessionals’ in-person work is on the East Coast.
FreeUp is a freelance marketplace for content creators, sales and marketing professionals, accountants, administrators, translators and tech workers. Applicants are screened heavily, but if they’re accepted, they say they find plenty of well-paid work. Jobs are available nationwide.
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WAHVE, which stands for Work at Home Vintage Experts, finds jobs in insurance, accounting and human resources for people in their 50s and 60s who want flexible schedules. WAHVE is primarily interested in people with contemporary experience, who won’t mind taking a pay cut for additional flexibility. Workers are screened for qualifications and notified when a position fits their skills.
Consult
Experience is the name of the game for consulting platforms that enlist experts in almost any field. These consulting companies — which include Maven, Zintro and GLG — provide occasional work advising companies on matters such as manufacturing, logistics, retail and security.
Each platform asks potential consultants to fill out an extensive form explaining their background and areas of expertise. The more detailed your answers, the more likely you are to be matched to a consulting opportunity. You generally set your own rates. However, some sites will also offer you set-rate gigs that match your expertise.
Be a mock juror
Mock jurors are also sometimes needed to consult with lawyers on how effectively the legal team has presented their case. These assignments usually involve reading, or listening to, a case summary online.
You don’t need any specific professional background to be a mock juror. However, mock juror sites generally exclude people with law enforcement and legal backgrounds from opining on cases. Everyone else can sign up for mock juror assignments through eJury, Online Verdict, Jury Test and SignUpDirect.
Use your assets
If you bought an RV, camper, boat, jet skis or similar recreational equipment to keep you occupied during retirement, you can put those assets to work when you’re not using them. A wide array of websites list rentals of virtually anything of value, from cameras to paddleboards. The right site will depend on what you’ve got to rent.
If you have an RV, the best site on which to rent it out to others — or to find an RV to rent — is Outdoorsy. What makes Outdoorsy a shade better than its competitors RVShare and RVnGo is that it doesn’t charge fees on ancillary services such as cleaning and it gets heavy web traffic, making it likely that you’ll connect with a customer.
That said, there is no cost to list an RV on any of these sites. You pay commissions only when your RV is rented. So there’s no downside to signing up with RVShare and RVnGo too. Signing up with all three sites gives you access to the most potential customers. But be sure to keep your calendar up to date to avoid overlapping bookings.
If you have watercraft of any type, you can rent it out through Boatsetter or GetMyBoat.
Those with excess storage space can rent it out through Neighbor.
Consider a roomie
Need regular income but don’t want to work? If you have extra room in your home, consider taking in a renter.
Naturally, you can list your home for overnight visitors through Airbnb. But a better bet for retirees is Silvernest, a site that connects vetted roommates with empty-nesters willing to take in long-term renters.
Kristof is the editor of SideHusl.com, an independent website that reviews moneymaking opportunities in the gig economy.
