I'm a Retired Teacher, Now What?

After many years of lesson plans, faculty meetings, and report cards, you have finally retired from teaching. Unfortunately, then comes the dilemma: you love the less hectic pace, but you still want to be active in your life-long profession. If that is the case, here are some suggestions that may be helpful to you.

With all of your years of experience writing weekly lessons, you could become an educational writer and write lessons for many home school families. In addition, should you choose to keep your teaching certification current, many home schooling families need the services of a certified teacher to administer proctored exams to their children.

If you like working one-on-one, or with small groups of students, consider starting your own tutoring service. Use the web, newspaper, or your church to market yourself. You could also contact the school you retired from to see if you could get recommended as a tutoring services provider. All schools usually have weekly bulletins or monthly newsletters that go home. Your tutoring service could be listed in one of these publications.

For those that really miss the classroom, but want to work part-time, consider working as a substitute teacher. While the pay is about half of that as a formal classroom teacher, you can work the days and times that are convenient to your schedule. In addition, currently certified teachers sometimes receive higher wages in many school districts. Should you have a Master's Degree in a given subject, and would like to work flexible hours, consider applying to teach as a Community College Instructor. As an Adjunct Instructor, you can teach the number of classes, times of day (morning, evening, or weekend), and semesters that best fit your schedule.

As teaching has always been a life-long learning experience, consider going back to school. Many colleges offer free tuition on a space available basis to seniors age 62 and older. Also, many colleges offer on-site learning and living experiences via their Elder Hostel program. Some of these programs travel overseas studying language, architecture, art, literature, and customs of different countries. If staying close to home is a better option, many local libraries offer learning sessions to the community. You could even teach ESOL classes if you are experienced in the field, or work with the local Learn to Read chapter. Some libraries also hold Adult Literacy and GED classes and are always looking for volunteers to work one-on-one with adult learners.

With the many opportunities that are available to you, seek out something that you can still be active in your profession, but also enjoy your well-deserved retirement years.