Retirement & Mentoring: Starting Your Career Encore

Finding good jobs after retirement can be challenging. It’s an unfortunate fact that, while companies value experience, they’re also looking to bring in people they can train internally, shaping their talents to the needs of the employer.

That being said, experience still has value and even if employers are reluctant to work with you, that’s no reason you can’t have a career encore. Today we’d like to talk about why mentoring jobs are the perfect retirement career as well as how you could find teaching jobs after retirement.

The Importance of Learning From Experience

Firstly, let’s take a moment to talk about the importance of learning from experience.

Here at Career Navig8r, we believe in the power of experience, so it should come as no surprise that we believe teaching jobs are some of the best post-retirement roles you can work. After all, you have decades of experience built up in your expert area, as well as industry specific knowledge.

Many modern industries – particularly technical disciplines such as coding, engineering, and VFX – are built on a foundation of knowledge, passed down through mentoring. As these industries develop forwards, some of that knowledge is often lost along the way, especially as people retire out of the industry earlier and earlier.

For example, many long-standing software applications – such as Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Office – are built on a base of code that goes back decades. During that time, software development has changed a lot but the underlying code bases haven’t changed. Many modern programmers would have no basis to understand the technical and practical limitations that older code was built on. Changing it becomes a daunting and often impractical task.

And that problem extends to just about any programming related discipline. From banking to even national security, many of the software solutions we take for granted in our daily lives are reliant on increasingly arcane code.

So how do we combat the erosion of knowledge? What can we do to stop information from being lost for good?

Teaching jobs after retirement are an incredible way to ensure that information is not lost and that good practices remain the same over time. Although industries will inevitably change over time, by encouraging a chain of mentoring, we can ensure that those industries are always moving forwards with an understanding of what came before.

Finding Work That’s Right For You

With all that being said, it’s still important to understand that a career encore isn’t a public service – not unless you want it to be. If you’re coming out of retirement then we believe that the job you work should put you in the driver’s seat.

For many people, no matter how much they try to define it, their career tends to be something that happens to them. After all, you need money so you get a job and even if you’re passionate about what you do, more often than not, it’s the money that guides you.

If you’re looking for a job after retirement, then it’s more important than ever that you find work that’s right for you. What does that mean?

For some it’s about making sure they’re paid what they’re really worth. For others it’s about having control over their own hours. Whatever you’re looking to get from your return to work, make sure to define that up front so that you can be sure you’re making the right decisions for you going forwards.

A Fully Flexible Role

The incredible thing about mentoring jobs is just how flexible they can be. As a mentor, you get to set your own hours and work with the clients you choose – earning money your way. This is particularly perfect for carers and those with medical needs.

Full time or part time, you can build your work life around home life, ensuring that you’re not giving up something you’d regret. Also, unlike traditional job roles, online mentoring jobs allow you to become your own boss. What that means is that if something isn’t working, then you have the freedom to change that.

How To Get Started

If you’re wondering how to get your mentoring career underway, then you’ve come to the right place. Getting started with Career Navig8r is simple and easy. It only takes a few minutes to set up your listing and then mentees will be able to find you by searching on our site.

Remember that once they contact you, you have as much freedom as them to take or decline the work as you see fit. It’s usually best practice to start with an initial meeting to find out your mentee’s intentions and decide if you’re a good fit for one another.

Are you ready for a career encore? Sign up today and join our growing community of Career Navig8rs!