Seasonal Work in Retirement?

barnstar2077

I have this idea that if things got a bit tight financially after retiring early that I could do some seasonal work of some kind, or at least work for an agency for just two or three months a year to give me extra spending money (not as a model, I mean as a temp worker :  )

Does anyone have any experience of doing seasonal work in their late fifties or early sixties?

Do agencies let you do a few a months here and there?

Interested in peoples thoughts on the subject and to hear if anyone has done something similar? (that isn't related to their former career, eg marking papers as a former teacher etc.)    

Brie

My plan when I was made redundant was to apply to a certain smelly bathroom product company that has a very active recruitment programme starting every year in about July/August and being with them until Christmas.  Problem was that they wanted full time people and/or hours that I didn't fancy working (6-2 Sat & Sunday).   (& then I got offered an ongoing p/t job instead)

But I suspect there are a number of retail places or other support to retail that would love to have people who were happy to work in the Autumn and then quit.  A friend of mine (early 60s) does this in an Amazon warehouse.  Hard work but good (ish) money. 

Sarahspangles

barnstar2077 said:

Does anyone have any experience of doing seasonal work in their late fifties or early sixties?

Among my friends there are people who invigilate, deliver mail at Christmas and do relief bar work.

I also bumped into a former colleague who was working as a relief guard at a job centre. He was quite burly. Apparently doing some shifts meant he was considered for paid steward duties at big music festivals, but I think ‘has own camper van’ was also a prerequisite. He was certainly a lot more cheerful/tanned than I remember.

pterri

I don’t think I’ll need the money but my local artisan bakery, literally 10 mins walk from my house, does e-cargo bike deliveries and recruits students and those who want a few hours of work a week. I may give that a go when I finally pull the plug. 

Cobbler_tone

Royal Mail need people to sort mail every year from Oct. They pay £16 per hour. 

There is plenty of low skilled temp work in the run up to Xmas. 

Nebulous2

I didn't want to continue where I was, but took a related lower level job, so I have avoided the minimum wage roles, and get a somewhere in-between pay. It means I'm committed regularly however, albeit on a low number of hours. 

Seasonal work is everywhere. Supermarkets take on temporary workers, delivery driving ramps up, royal mail as already mentioned, all recruit for several months in the run up to Christmas. 

In rural areas fruit picking etc is labour intensive. We had friends that used to pick apples to help fund their lengthy winter motorhome trips to Europe.

For people with a sports background who are good with children there are summer sports / activities camps during school holidays. 

Lots of places need admin / reception / security staff and once registered with an agency there will be opportunities to cover vacancies, sickness and holidays. 

If you have a care background, like me, care services have an insatiable demand for workers. Bank / relief staff often find the biggest problem is saying no, rather than finding hours. Even if you haven't a care background, but feel you could make a difference, companies would be interested in giving you an opportunity. 

jim8888

I took a job as a relief driver for a car parts firm. It's zero hours contract and I average one or two days a week - the downside is that you don't get much notice over when they want you in to cover, but the upside is that you're under no obligation to do it if it doesn't suit. I like the job, driving around the Yorkshire countryside, listening to my podcasts and feeling as if I'm doing something constructive with the day, as opposed to another round on the golf course or in the gym! 

flaneurs_lobster

jim8888 said:

I took a job as a relief driver for a car parts firm. It's zero hours contract and I average one or two days a week - the downside is that you don't get much notice over when they want you in to cover, but the upside is that you're under no obligation to do it if it doesn't suit. I like the job, driving around the Yorkshire countryside, listening to my podcasts and feeling as if I'm doing something constructive with the day, as opposed to another round on the golf course or in the gym! 

Their vehicle or your own?

Thought about this kind of work (basically low-volume, high urgency courier) but the upgrades needed to insurance cover (to do it and still be covered) plus wear'n'tear on my car made the extra cash pretty minimal.

jim8888

flaneurs_lobster said:

jim8888 said:

I took a job as a relief driver for a car parts firm. It's zero hours contract and I average one or two days a week - the downside is that you don't get much notice over when they want you in to cover, but the upside is that you're under no obligation to do it if it doesn't suit. I like the job, driving around the Yorkshire countryside, listening to my podcasts and feeling as if I'm doing something constructive with the day, as opposed to another round on the golf course or in the gym! 

Their vehicle or your own?

Thought about this kind of work (basically low-volume, high urgency courier) but the upgrades needed to insurance cover (to do it and still be covered) plus wear'n'tear on my car made the extra cash pretty minimal.

They (GSF) supply the van. We deliver to roughly a ten mile radius from York. There are at least four other companies providing the same service as the car industry is all "Just In Time" deliveries. You soon get to know the garages, so the stress of trying to find addresses is minimal. Talking to other drivers, they've worked for many delivery companies, Tesco, DHL, NHS, Amazon etc., but find this job as one of the better ones in the sector. 

Marcon

barnstar2077 said:

I have this idea that if things got a bit tight financially after retiring early that I could do some seasonal work of some kind, or at least work for an agency for just two or three months a year to give me extra spending money (not as a model, I mean as a temp worker :  )

Does anyone have any experience of doing seasonal work in their late fifties or early sixties?

Do agencies let you do a few a months here and there?

Interested in peoples thoughts on the subject and to hear if anyone has done something similar? (that isn't related to their former career, eg marking papers as a former teacher etc.)    

The options will vary quite considerably depending on where you live, unless you are looking at WFH opportunities.

It isn't so much a case of agencies 'letting you do a few months here and there', as what their client base requires. You've headed your thread 'seasonal work' which suggests fruit picking, Christmas temp work or whatever, but there are short-term vacancies throughout the year, particularly to cover where someone has resigned and a replacement has yet to be appointed, sickness absence and so on.

True 'seasonal work' is likely to be fairly low skilled, so age shouldn't be a barrier if you are fit and reliable.

Alternatively, if you wanted to use skills you already have, maybe look at something like https://www.peopleperhour.com/

Altior

Something worth considering is a permanent PT job. Up to the last few weeks I was always planning to quit as soon as I got pension access, but due to a recent health issue I realised just how valuable private health cover is. Ours is a corporate deal so everyone pays the same with no personal checks or interviews ( just a nominal P11D cost ) which is the top version of cover and includes pre-existing illnesses and other bells & whistles. We also get income protection, critical illness cover and death in service benefits. 

It's still several years away for me, but if all the variables are similar when the time comes, I'm definitely going to try and negotiate a very small contract, say one or one and half days a week equivalent so that I can retain all of those in work benefits in kind.  

Even if someone has left their primary career, most definitely worth considering taking up a PT position with similar BiKs. The drawback is a commitment to regular work still, but the way universal healthcare is currently, and looks very likely to be for the foreseeable future, seems like a worthwhile concession. I spent nearly a year 'battling' with the NHS to get the issue recognised and diagnosed, finally resorted to my private cover with work as I wasn't getting anywhere, and within a couple of weeks I have gotten much further forward (ie seen a consultant who has a plan of action for me) than I got with the 12 month 'battle' with the NHS.