Top 15 Best Part Time Jobs for Retirees

The late business guru, Zig Ziglar, was fond of reminding us that “all that retirement bologna” got started with a historical chancellor of Germany. His goal was to put the wisest, most capable of his political opponents out to pasture so they wouldn’t be a threat to him. For some reason, retirement has been promoted as a fulfilling part of the American life cycle, and yet, most retirees find themselves miserable and seeking both companionship and usefulness when they’re perfectly capable and willing to do meaningful work! Well, fear not, retiree! We’ve got the best part time jobs for retirees just for you.

Best Part Time Jobs for Retirees FAQ

We keep records of all the questions we get from you, our devoted readers, which includes many retirees. And here, we want to answer some of your most common questions about the best part time jobs for retirees so that you can get up to speed on what you need to know before taking on any of the great opportunities on this list!

Believe it or not, most retirees report feeling bored, lonely, and, above all, completely useless after a maximum of one year of life as a retiree. All humans have an innate desire to give back to society in a way that’s useful. Now, sure, you can volunteer at your local church or non-profit charity, but many retirees are on a fixed income, which makes the prospect of doing meaningful work that actually pays cash even more enticing. With these part-time jobs, you’ll never get the short end of the stick, and you’ll be making a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

We highly suggest consulting your accountant or tax attorney before committing to any job in your retirement. However, the good news is that, in most cases, you can work part-time in your retirement and continue to receive the same benefits you’re already getting. Again, consult your legal counsel and your accountant before taking on a part-time job. Namely, you’ll want to make sure that the income you’ll be receiving won’t put you over any government-set limits for what is acceptable in order to keep the social security checks rolling in. That said, our social security system is in jeopardy, so it’s good to have more than one stream of income just in case the almost inevitable happens.

The great thing about the best part time jobs for retirees list that we’ve compiled for you is that we will help steer you clear of jobs that will destroy the very reason you decided to retire—to sit back and enjoy life a little more than was possible when you worked full-time. While many retirees may be vulnerable to fall into certain awful employment prospects, you won’t be because you have found the list that all the critics are saying will help save you from jobs you don’t want to be in. In the worst-case scenario, if you don’t like your part-time job, you can generally quit whenever you want as long as you wrap up the work professionally. So there’s very little risk and very little commitment involved here; you’ve got little or nothing to lose.

There are absolutely so many possibilities for jobs where you can work from home if you wish. If it’s a job that you can accomplish from home, we’ll include that in the job description, usually in the “pros” section. We definitely took that factor into consideration when deciding upon the best part time jobs for retirees.

Our editorial board has noticed time and time again that even though some retirees are reluctant to work part-time, after they start, they feel happier and live longer. Why? Because they’re connecting socially with different age groups that they wouldn’t otherwise connect with. So, our advice is that even if you’re skeptical, give part-time work a try. Start with something on the list of top 15 best part time jobs for retirees that naturally interests you. If it doesn’t excite you, no problem! Just try something new. Eventually, you’ll find a part-time job you love.

The Top 15 Best Part Time Jobs for Retirees We Reviewed

Consultant

The job of consultant is surprisingly easy to get into if you’ve got any kind of know-how you think other folks might be able to use. Maybe you don’t think you have advice people would pay for. If that’s the case, think again! You made a living doing something in your pre-retired life. Lots of people would love to know how you did it, plus you can get paid to pass on valuable life advice to someone who needs it!

Pros

Cons

Pay

Pay for consultants varies greatly depending upon how specialized your field is. We recommend consulting with someone in your field to get a handle on the current market demand and what clients are paying for those with your experience level.

What better way to give back to your local community than to serve as an athletic coach at your local school? You know as well as we do that the trouble with kids today is that they’re not taught values. Serving as an athletic coach gives you the opportunity to guide them in a way they may not otherwise be guided to be successful not only in sports, but in life.

Pros

Cons

Pay

Pay varies greatly from minimum wage at the elementary school level to $7 million a year at the college level. Again, you’ll definitely want to check with your tax advisor regarding any consequences of making too much money from these jobs. We’ll also add that, generally, if you’re making $7 million, it’s likely not part-time. It is mostly those lower-level jobs, from elementary school to high school sports, that qualify for our best part time jobs for retirees.

“If you become a teacher, by your pupils you’ll be taught,” goes the old adage as recapitulated in The King and I. What’s most gratifying about tutoring, beyond what your pupils teach you, is the fact that you’re giving back to the community.

Pros

Cons

Pay

Being a tutor isn’t usually something to get rich off of, but it’s gratifying and will fatten your wallet so you have cash to blow on all those hot dates you’ll be enjoying with your spouse in retirement! Every chick (or stud) at the nursing home loves a dude (or dudette) who has landed one of the best part time jobs for retirees.

So you’ve filed your taxes successfully for years. Now what? You can get paid to do it for other people! Plus, you’ll be making life easier for others who are working hard to keep the economy strong so that you can keep ordering those dinners at your favorite spot on the Intracoastal Waterway and buying gas for your yacht.

Pros

Cons

Pay

Tax prep is a highly respectable profession commanding great rates for highly qualified tax preparers. The large range of pay will depend upon the complexity of the tax forms being completed. Hourly, the pay can teeter around $12 per hour, but it can be extremely financially rewarding for highly complex jobs. Always be attune to the going rate in the market with attention to jobs similar in complexity to the ones you’re looking at taking on.

The role of bookkeeper is straightforward enough for those with experience. It’s not for everybody, however. Some have minds that just love to keep the books, while others don’t. If you have bookkeeping experience and know it’s something you love to do, we highly recommend you go for it and have included it here for those who are thinking of getting into the bookkeeping game. If it’s something you might be good at, we put it on this list for you as one of the best part time jobs for retirees.

Pros

Cons

Pay

Again, the pay can vary based on the complexity of the business that you’re bookkeeping for. I would expect anywhere between $16 to $37 per hour, as a starting point.

Open heart surgery, skin transplants, and other critical, life-saving procedures are the types of amazing things you’ll be a part of as a medical biller/coder, which is why we included it here in the best part time jobs for retirees.

Pros

Cons

Pay

You can make as much as $17-$19 per hour.

If you have attention to detail and great phone manners, this might be for you! Here, you get to serve as an assistant, either to a person or a business. So hold all my calls; we’re going to delve into the pros and cons of the job!

Pros

Cons

Pay

This is a job where the pay truly varies greatly depending upon how good you are. If you put lots of effort into it, you will be worth more than those who don’t, so the pay range is really up to you in that regard.

If you love people, this position is for you! Everybody has a story, and nobody knows that better than a good customer service representative—one of our top 15 best part time jobs for retirees.

Pros

Cons

Pay

Pay starts at minimum wage and increases with experience.

If you’re a retiree, chances are you’ve seen a lot in your lifetime! Chances are you know a little something about America, and you’ve got some ideas on how to make the country work better! Well, guess what? There are scores of websites out there called blogs that are dying to pay for your opinion! The job consists of writing regular articles for one or more “blogs,” and usually, you can do it from anywhere.

Pros

Cons

Pay

Again, pay can vary from less than minimum wage if you’re an independent contractor to hundreds of dollars per article if you are highly sought-after.

Do you love dogs, cats, and parakeets? Perhaps an occasional penguin? Well, chances are nobody near you has a pet penguin, however, if you love animals, you can get paid to spend lots of time with them and then send them home at the end of the day! In some instances, you can take care of a pet while the pet’s family is away on vacation or on business travel.

Pros

Cons

Pay

Pay ranges from $11 to $23 per hour.

Your room is right this way, sir! That’s just one of the many things you’ll say as a Hotel Concierge. Here are some of the pros and cons.

Pros

Cons

Pay

Hotel concierge jobs begin at $13 per hour and increase with experience to levels that make it worthy of the list of our best part time jobs for retirees.

Driving is one of those jobs that’s easy for most retirees because most people have driven in their lifetime. Plus, apps like Uber make it easy and fun to pick your hours and drive whenever you want. Or you can make arrangements to pick up and drop off select groups of clients. The possibilities are endless because everyone needs to go somewhere!

Pros

Cons

Pay

Pay for drivers can be less than minimum wage if you’re independently contracted, or up to $56 per hour if you’re driving a big vehicle which requires special licensing, like a truck.

Do you love hosting parties? If so, put your party-planning expertise to work for your wallet in a big way by organizing or working on an event staff!

Pros

Cons

Pay

Pay is typically upwards of $20 per hour, plus, it’s so fun we couldn’t resist including it in our best part time jobs for retirees. However, the pay alone makes it qualify!

The best part about subbing is that you can take on the role of a teacher without needing the experience a teacher needs. There’s no better way to give back to your community! That’s why substitute teacher makes our list of the best part time jobs for retirees.

Pros

Cons

Pay

Pay is reportedly just above minimum wage, but you should check with your local school for more on that.

As if any explanation is necessary! Sam Walton’s vision for fostering real community and his innovative Just-in-Time Inventory system changed the world forever, and you can be a part of it by offering a friendly smile to brighten people’s days! And even if Wal-Mart is full of greeters, you can likely find a greeting position at other types of retail chains that care.

Pros

Cons

Pay

Pay for a Wal-Mart greeter varies from $8 to $15 per hour.

The Verdict

Now you know the fifteen best part time jobs for retirees. What are you waiting for? Get out there and get working!