Everything is changing rapidly worldwide in the working and moneymaking scene. Retirement savings are up and down, and the aging population is looking (some desperately) at ways to earn additional income. This presents work opportunities for older people, on a more even playing field that values skills over office chit-chat.
As a senior and/or retiree, you have experience and insight, and there are now many jobs you can do completely online. You can supplement your income, help out your family, and keep your mind active no matter where you are.
So if you’re a senior or retiree looking to work from home, set up a comfortable workspace, take account of your abilities and what you’d enjoy doing, then consider the type of jobs available and the websites where you can find them. It takes some effort to get going, but you likely have much more to contribute than you realize.
First, get set up.
Setting up for a work-at-home job as a senior/retiree
Set aside an office space at home where you get good lighting; natural is best. If it’s a separate room, all the better so you can shut the door and keep out distractions. If you don’t have that much space, be sure to set up a space where you keep your posture healthy and you won’t add extra stress to your mind or body.
Let your family know that it is your workspace and that when you’re busy, you must not be disturbed. You can do this with a sign and by setting aside certain times in the day.
And make sure you reward those around you with love for respecting it. Now it’s time to find what you can do and what you want to do, and make sure you tick both boxes.
Start looking for work at home jobs for seniors
About 40% of people aged 55 and above were working or actively looking for work in 2014. And that number is expected to increase fastest for people aged 65 and older through 2024, while there’s not expected to be much change in the other age groups, o
lder people are seeking work, and even in these strangely changing times, there are ample jobs out there.
So where do you start?
Let’s answer a few questions first. What experience do you have? This could include volunteer work or maybe you’ve been a caretaker and you learned invaluable information on certain health issues to write about.
What’s your educational background?
Do you have a degree?
This may be required for professional work, though if you’re completing tasks or your personality is really what matters, a high school diploma and good English may be fine.
What have you always wanted to do but never had time for?
Do you have a talent for art, singing, making people laugh?
Fiverr lets you post all kinds of gigs, such as voiceover, drawing, or recording a video message. Be creative and be willing to try some silly things.
The site used to charge $5 for everything (thus the name), but now you set a price. Start low, get some reviews, and slowly raise your rates as you get faster and better. Is there a hobby you have that you could teach others or that you could use from wherever in the world you are?
Your love of flowers could be used to make a course on gardening. Knitters can teach, yep, all about knitting. And older fishing enthusiasts have volumes to teach about techniques, the right equipment, etc.
Younger folks may be book-smart, but older people not raised as digital natives hold unmatched wisdom. You probably do, too! So, take out a pen and paper or open up a Word .doc and start listing what you might do. Since you’re looking to work from home, and you’re online reading this article, we’ll focus mainly on online jobs.
Best online jobs and work at home for seniors
This list is by no means comprehensive, but here are some jobs to consider, and you can look into them to see what fits your experience, talents, schedule requirements, and pay needs:
Consulting
If you’ve had a successful career, you’re fully equipped to advise others on what steps to take with their business, and the pay can be great.
Translator (for anyone who can speak, read, and write in multiple languages)
Welocalize offers a wide range of remote translation services globally. Since much of this is on audio, you need good hearing. Pay is according to the difficulty of the assignment.
Virtual assistant
This job is perfect for those of you who have admin assistant experience, are good at time management and multitasking, and are well-organized. You can go through Upwork, Indeed, Guru, or set up your own online business, whatever you’re most comfortable with.
Call center agent
If you don’t mind spending your day or part of your day on the phone helping customers, Liveops will hire you for work part-time or full-time that ranges from travel and hospitality to roadside assistance to retail to healthcare.
All you need is to be a people person with excellent communication and organizational skills.
Virtual travel agent
Just go through Indeed. Or Google, “Remote Travel Agent or Consultant.” This fits those who have worked in the travel business nicely. And it’s full or part-time. (There are lots of perks for this job, especially if you still want to travel.)
Writer or editor
Have you always wanted to write, even been a writer, or worked in journalism? LinkedIn, Indeed, Fiverr, and Upwork offer abundant jobs for writers and editors, as do “content mills” like iWriter. The pay starts low and you may find yourself in competition with people from developing countries.
You can build up your reputation, though. And if you’re serious, seek out training from Copy Hackers or another reputable training school (beware, some can be expensive, and you can find many basic courses for free on YouTube).
Vlogger
Film and post how-to videos or just post about your life and thoughts. Many popular channels are little more than someone talking into a simple phone camera about their thoughts.
This won’t be an immediate source of income, but when you reach a certain level of subscribers and traffic, you can monetize your YouTube account.
You can also create e-books and promote other products as you build a following and show that you have some influence. It helps if you have a plan, study a bit about video production, and have something to offer. But really all you need is a phone camera.
Transcriptionist
These jobs are found through Transcribe Anywhere and Transcribe Me. They offer entry-level jobs in case you’re worried you don’t have experience; but if you do, it’s a plus.
The jobs require good listening and accurate typing skills. If you’ve had a career in admin, this might be a breeze for you.
Website tester
Try User Testing, IntelliZoomPanel, or Userlytics. If you register with multiple companies, you get more opportunities to test as many websites as possible. Companies want to know if their sites are intuitive and easy to navigate. You just follow the instructions you’re given. Tests usually take around 15 minutes.
English teacher
You can work with students in other countries through Skype and other videoconferencing platforms and you have a flexible schedule. It’s usually paid by the class (anywhere from a half-hour to multiple hours), and you have to factor in time differences.
The biggest demand comes from countries like China and you’ll need lots of smiles and patience. If you like kids, it can be quite fun. In many cases, you’ll also need a teaching qualification such as a CELTA, TEFL, or TESOL. This is one of the steadiest and most reliable jobs for retirees, especially those living abroad.
You won’t get rich off of it, but it’s flexible and in-demand.
Search engine evaluator
This can be great if you’re an English speaker and are up on movies and music or other cultures. Many companies hire through Appen.
Companies like Google and Yahoo give you information to search for and you tell them how closely their results match what you’re looking for
Customer service representative
This is for a person with patience to spare who is good at talking on the phone while on the computer. It’s a part-time or full-time job. Fill out an application with staffing companies like VIPdesk, LiveOps, and Concentrix, all of which vet the companies that are hirings.
Telephone nurse
Telemedicine is growing rapidly, and if you have nursing experience, even if you’re retired, you might find yourself in very high demand. Use medicaljobsonline.com and you could land this one.
Health insurers or health management companies like Humana, Aetna, and United Health Group hire nurses remotely to perform various duties like case management, treatment authorization, and patient education.
Stock photography
For shutterbugs, stock photography done in and around your home with nothing but a small camera or your cellphone can be sold online. Naturally, better equipment and skills, as well as models and locations can help, but if you’re inventive, you can build your own studio and use friends and family as your models.
This is a competitive industry and you’ll also need to train up on a package like Lightroom or Photoshop to enhance your photos before sending putting them up for sale on a site like Shutterstock or Fotolia, or starting a store on Etsy.
Online tutor
You’ll need a background check, and then head to sites like Tutor.com, VIPKid, Tutorzilla, and Sylvan Learning. They all offer remote-based tutoring and have great reputations with students and teachers. Great for those who have pockets of time and are fluent in a foreign language or have expertise on certain subjects.
Reliable online work sites for work-at-home jobs for seniors
These are mostly general hiring sites, and naturally many of the jobs are full-time, professional work. But that shouldn’t keep you away from them. There are many remote, part-time, and contract jobs on there. A few of these are also “gig” sites that typically hire you on a job-by-job basis, starting with Upwork.
Upwork (formerly Elance) works well for writers, virtual assistants, internet research, and much more. To turn off the US only button, just use the word remote before your search item. Use the filter for payment verified to be sure you’ll get paid.
You can work up to an award badge and lower the amount you pay. Be aware that these jobs can be competitive, and many buyers simply go with the cheapest option. However, most bidders just copy–paste, so a little personalization goes a long way.
LinkedIn is where the business and professional people hang out. The focus is on professional networking and you need to create your own profile if you don’t have one. It’s free and most all professionals have one these days, so even if you’re retired, set up yours with your basic work background.
You need to interact.
Reach out to contacts old and new, contribute value to appropriate groups, and rely on the networking effect. Set up your resume here and you don’t need a website until you pick up speed on your work. The site’s now one of the leading job search engines as well, including part-time and contract jobs, though leaning more toward corporate-type, full-time jobs.
Remote.co is the remote specialist job site. Most jobs are professional and full-time, however. The best part, though, is that the site is specifically for remote work and it’s not a race-to-the-bottom bidding site – these are real jobs.
Glassdoor is as much of a review site as it is a job-hunt site. This lets you learn about who you’ll be working for. Read the reviews carefully – many are brutally honest. growing fast expanding internationally. It offers company history and reviews. Sign in to unlock the door for job offers.
Guru has been a source of freelance jobs for over 20 years. You’ll be bidding on jobs, as you would on a site like Upwork. What sets Guru apart is the jobs are very diverse and some pay quite well. If you don’t know what you want to do, just scroll through the openings for some inspiration.
Behance is a platform for web design careers in graphic design, fashion, illustration, photography, etc. You will need a portfolio of samples.
Indeed, already mentioned above, is US-based but is localized for 60 different countries. Keep your resume private in the settings and have it ready to send to an employer as needed. This low-key site has become the leading job site in the world. Most jobs, however, are professional and full-time. And if you’ve been in sales, you might want to join Team Bezos and Amazon. Click on “Remote Career Opportunities.”
Offline remote work jobs for seniors can also include…
Teaching guitar, piano, or singing if you love music, or pet sitting if you love animals.
Busy neighbors might need a dog walker. Just be sure the dog is not too big for you to handle. Dogs are known to dart suddenly. Picture an older person being dragged by a dog on a leash. Not good.
If you love to sew, there are those looking for a seamstress, and there are always parents who need babysitters or nannies. Grandmothering is sorely needed these days. Just post ads around your neighborhood, and tell your family and friends.
Once social distancing is less of a factor, you’ll be in high demand. Tutoring can also be done from home, your local library, or a community center. There are endless opportunities for you as a senior or retiree to work from home wherever in the world you live. It will take some research, and that process, as well, can inspire you and open your eyes to new possibilities.
