If you are a senior but still want to try new things and stay in the workforce for a couple more years, you’ve come to the right place! There is a wealth of exciting jobs for seniors, whether you’re seeking self-improvement, financial security, or a significant contribution.
To help you on this quest, our team of experienced HR professionals joined forces to create this article and give you an extensive list of excellent jobs for seniors, so keep reading to find the right one for you!
Key Takeaways
- Working as a senior comes with a lot of benefits, including earning money, socializing, improving mental agility, and learning new skills.
- Some of the best low-effort jobs for seniors include being an administrative assistant, a courier, a phone operator, and a book store assistant.
- If you are looking for remote jobs, try becoming an online teacher, a virtual assistant, a translator, or a tax advisor.
- As a senior who wants to stay active, try your luck with restaurant work, dog walking, or tour guiding.
- Some tips for securing jobs for seniors include optimizing your resume, asking your network for help, and using job boards.
Benefits of Working as a Senior
Working as a senior has its perks, and among the most notable are the following:
- Getting a paycheck. One of the primary motivations for seeking employment is, naturally, financial gain. Some seniors may not be able to afford to stop working because they don’t have enough money saved for retirement. Even if they are comfortable financially, they may still wish to amass additional savings for the future.
- Being surrounded by people. Excessive amounts of time spent alone have been linked to an increase in depressive symptoms, especially in the elderly. If you’re a senior who’s still working, you can take advantage of this to maintain contact and along with it, your vitality.
- Enhanced cognitive agility. Decreased cognitive function, impaired memory, and other age-related difficulties are inevitable. Nevertheless, seniors who keep working have the opportunity to engage in daily mental and cognitive stimulation. Research also suggests that older adults who continue working are less likely to suffer from dementia.
- Learning new skills. People typically aim to increase their financial and professional standing throughout their lives. As a result, they rarely use the opportunity to explore new interests. Yet, for some retirees who have made the decision to reenter the workforce, this presents a wonderful chance to earn money doing something they truly enjoy.
Low-Effort Jobs For Seniors
Here are some of the best low-effort jobs for seniors if they are unable to put much effort into working due to health or other reasons.
#1. Administrative Assistant
A wide variety of activities, from answering phones and filing documents to organizing calendars and setting up meetings, fall within the purview of administrative assistants.
While senior administrative assistants have a lot on their plates, through years of expertise and an in-depth understanding of their responsibilities, they acquire organizational abilities and time management techniques for completing their work in an efficient and responsible manner.
To work as an administrative assistant, you need a high school diploma or GED and an associate’s degree in the field. In addition, it helps to have a diverse set of skills, including the ability to communicate and organize effectively, as well as technical know-how.
The average annual salary for this role is around $44,500.
#2. Courier
Couriers pick up parcels and other deliveries at a central location and deliver them to specified locations.
Now, if you have a wider service area and many different item types to deliver, the work might get very daunting, but as a senior, you can always become the neighborhood messenger if your health allows it.
You can put your navigation, route planning, time management, and customer service skills into practice by delivering mail and periodicals to your neighbors. You can also enjoy a pleasant stroll through your community while getting to know your neighbors better.
Being a courier does not require any specific training or experience. The position pays a salary of $34,000 on average.
#3. Phone Operator
Your primary duty as a phone operator will be to answer incoming calls and direct them to the appropriate extensions utilizing the company’s internal digital system.
Your skill level will determine the tasks you will be handling, such as data entry, scheduling, client relations, etc. If you’re interested in a low-stress position, though, answering phones and diverting callers should be fairly easy.
You only need strong interpersonal skills and a high school diploma or GED to work as a phone operator.
The annual salary is estimated at around $25,000.
#4. Bookstore Assistant
Working in a bookstore is a great option if you enjoy reading and want a low-pressure job.
As a bookstore assistant, you will be sorting books, making suggestions, and possibly even running the whole establishment on your own if the store is small enough.
You won’t have to do a lot of physically demanding work in this position, which makes this one of the best jobs for seniors over 70.
With a love of literature and a diploma or GED, becoming a bookstore assistant is not too difficult. Higher education and work experience are always welcome, though.
The average annual compensation for this role is around $35,500.
Remote Jobs For Seniors
There are also some work-from-home jobs for seniors who want to make some extra money and keep their skills sharp without leaving the house.
#1. Online Teacher
If you’re a senior looking to work from home, consider becoming an online teacher.
As an online teacher, you might have the opportunity to teach everything from high school to university-level courses. What you teach is entirely up to you.
You have the option of either joining an established online education provider or starting your own. In either instance, you will need to have both teaching experience and a degree in the subject you plan to teach.
The typical salary for this position is $40,000 per year.
#2. Virtual Assistant
Online virtual assistants offer a variety of services, including administrative help, technical assistance, and, in some instances, creative work.
As a virtual assistant, you have the flexibility to specialize in an area that interests you. Of course, you’ll need skill sets and related experience to pull that off successfully. You don’t need any qualifications or degrees, but you’ll most likely need certain digital skill sets and related experience.
The average annual compensation for this role is $47,000.
#3. Translator
You could try your hand at being a translator if you know more than one language.
If you’re a translator, you can do some of your work from the comfort of your own home or another location of your choice. It’s possible to either market your translation services to specific clients or individuals or look for ongoing projects that could use your assistance.
There are no compulsory academic prerequisites for becoming a translator, but that still depends on the company. All you really need is fluency in the languages you’ll be using, along with solid writing and grammar skills.
The median income for this occupation is $61,000 per year.
#4. Tax Advisor
When tax season arrives, you can become a tax advisor if you have experience in tax preparation and accounting.
Tax preparation assistance is in high demand, and those who offer it can expect to earn a healthy sum from the many people who need it.
The best part about this position is that you can hold virtual meetings and complete the rest of the duties using only your laptop in the comfort of your own home.
To work as a tax advisor, you must have a degree in accounting or a closely related field. It helps a lot if you have relevant work experience. However, the $93,000 salary makes it all worthwhile.
Active Jobs For Seniors
Let’s take a close look at some jobs for seniors over 60. These will be a great fit if you are looking for ways to stay active as well.
#1. Restaurant Worker
Why not get a job in the food service industry, as it usually demands that you stay active?
You can apply for a variety of jobs at the restaurant. If you enjoy preparing and cooking food, you can work in the kitchen, while those who love serving customers can be hosts or waiters.
A variety of skills and experiences might be required for each job. A chef, for instance, is expected to have attended and graduated from culinary school. Yet, if you’re interested in being a server, you may get started with just a few lessons in serving and communication.
A restaurant worker can expect an annual salary of $22,000 on average.
#2. Dog Walker
If you’re looking for a way to stay active all day, walking dogs is a terrific option.
This is an ideal career for someone who enjoys being with animals and in outdoor settings. You’ll be able to exercise your body and mind by walking the dogs and playing with them.
You’ll have the chance to mingle with the dog owners and make some new friends. Walking the dogs is also a great way to discover new locations around the town you’ve never visited before.
Dog walkers earn an average of $33,000 a year. You don’t need any special training or experience, but a dog-walking license will set you apart from the competition.
#3. Tour Guide
Are you keen on exploring some new places? Then why not work as a tour guide?
This position can lead you to destinations that can become your new favorites. If you decide to offer a tour of an area you know well, you will be able to see it with fresh eyes and appreciate it all over again.
Being a tour guide requires you to be on your feet for a good chunk of the day, so if you’re looking to stay fit, this is a great profession for you. What’s more, it can be a good opportunity to meet new people and build professional connections.
A high school diploma is usually required, and additional training or education about the area of the tours you wish to lead is helpful. The average compensation for this position is $34,000.
Jobs For Seniors With Professional Careers
If you’re a senior with a lot of work experience, you might want to think about going into one of these fields.
#1. Consultant
Consulting work implies various kinds of responsibilities. Ranging from administrative tasks to organizational ones, there is a lot a consultant can help with.
There is a growing trend of businesses employing retirees to work on short-term consulting projects. Instead of committing to full-time employment, companies are seeing the value of enlisting the help of retired experts for limited-duration projects that require their unique set of talents.
Of course, you’ll need the proper education and experience to become a consultant, but your efforts will be well rewarded with a hefty annual salary of $107,000.
#2. Teacher
Teaching is another sphere you can enter as a professional with vast experience in a particular field.
For instance, if you have worked as a translator before, you can become a language teacher. Or, if you’ve been an accountant your whole life, you could easily teach accounting or a related field such as mathematics, management, etc.
Whatever you have professional experience in, you can use that knowledge to turn it into a subject you can teach. For that, you can expect to be paid $50,000.
#3. Bookkeeper
If you have previously worked as an accountant or bookkeeper, you can fairly easily continue working in this field as a senior as well.
This time, though, rather than working for a corporation, you can provide one-on-one assistance to clients. In this manner, you will be able to create your own schedule, work at your own pace, and work from home or any other preferred location.
Of course, you need to have a degree in accounting and relevant experience in the industry, but if you have that secured, you can expect to get paid $43,000 on average.
Flexible & Part-Time Jobs For Seniors
Let’s take a look at some of the best part-time jobs for seniors that are not only lucrative but also enjoyable.
#1. Retail
As a retail store worker, you will be responsible for organizing merchandise, giving customer service, and keeping track of all sales.
This is a fantastic part-time job for those who enjoy organizing and engaging with people. It’s a low-stress job, as the tasks at hand don’t require much time or energy to perform.
Retail work is also rewarding, as you get to meet new people and see the satisfied faces of customers after you help them out.
Having a degree in business or a similar profession is considered an advantage, but as long as you have the necessary retail management skills, you will be able to have a career in the retail industry.
As for the salary, you can expect to earn $30,000 a year on average.
#2. Craft Seller
Become a craft vendor if you want a job that allows you to express your creativity while moving at a leisurely pace.
This is the perfect job to make money and have fun at the same time. You can do a variety of things, including knitting, woodworking, pottery, and so on. And the best part is that you can be your own boss and work as you please.
As you might have guessed, you don’t need any qualifications; just a passion for craft-making will do. With that, you can expect to earn, on average, $31,000 a year.
#3. Painter
Painting is a great profession for those who thrive on creativity and aren’t scared of getting their hands dirty.
If you’re a skilled painter, you can get many different requests. You could be asked to paint a straightforward landscape scene or go completely abstract. You’re also free to conduct freelance work by painting whatever you like and selling it.
Naturally, formal education is not a prerequisite. But a background in the arts won’t hurt your chances of success.
The typical yearly salary for this position is $45,000.
Jobs For Seniors With a Disability
Here are some fantastic careers worth considering if you happen to be dealing with a mental or physical disability.
#1. Telemarketer
As a telemarketer, your responsibility will be to sell products to potential customers over the phone. The job is pretty straightforward, and the skill you require the most is communication.
Having a background in the sales industry will help, but it is not a necessity. This position also gives you the freedom to work from home if you struggle with any sort of physical disability.
Although it involves considerable effort, telemarketing has the potential to pay off well, with an average annual income of about $28,000.
#2. Chat Moderator
Chat moderators are responsible for running chat rooms within certain companies. The chat rooms cover a wide range of topics, such as health, fashion, and so on. And it is the moderator’s obligation to enforce the chat rules and regulations that participants should follow.
Thus, as you can see, the task is quite straightforward, and it can be done remotely at different times of the day. No degrees are required if you have prior experience managing and moderating large groups of people.
In terms of pay, the average annual salary is $38,000.
#3. Voiceover Artist
If you are looking for a fun retirement job, then becoming a voiceover artist is a great idea.
This position requires a senior to record their voice for various media formats, including ads, TV shows, movies, documentaries, and so on.
You can work either full-time or part-time from the comfort of your home. You have the opportunity to select your own working hours, too.
To become a voiceover artist, you don’t need formal education, but having completed an acting or related degree will help you in the process of obtaining all the necessary skills.
In terms of pay, people in this position make, on average, $67,000.
How to Get a Job as a Senior
Now that we’ve gone over the list of relevant jobs, let’s talk about some tips that can help you get a job.
- Optimize your resume. With a long history of professional experience, you may have a resume that is 20 pages long. But it is important to pick and choose only the most relevant experiences. So, make sure to go over your resume and modify it depending on the type of position you are applying for.
- Network. You may already have a large network of people you have worked with or collaborated with in the past. So, if you decide to re-enter the job market, you can contact people in your network and ask them to recommend you for a specific position or simply inform you about any openings they may be aware of.
- Make use of job boards. When looking for work, job boards and platforms such as LinkedIn are invaluable resources. You can narrow down exactly what you want in terms of profession, salary expectations, and other details.
Final Thoughts
After reading this article, you should be aware of the numerous types of work prospects that are available for seniors.
No matter the level of expertise and availability, we are sure that one of these jobs will be more than great for seniors who are looking to socialize, exercise their bodies and minds, and make some money on the side.
Therefore, be sure to look through the list once more and take your pick on the type of occupation your gut tells you to proceed with!
