Work Opportunities for the Over 50s

Hi everyone

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I’m doing some research for an article regarding work opportunities for people over 50. The research I’m focussing on now, is full and part-time work in all parts of the UK and genuine business opportunities that older people can safely enter into.

So far, I have searched the Internet extensively and sought the help of Job Centre Plus – and it’s all drawing a complete blank. The Job Centre has no ‘work at home’ jobs at all, and the Internet only offers scams, MLM network marketing, and schemes that promise much and deliver nothing except disappointment!

Could anyone help me to identify any genuine work at home opportunities – and does anyone have any full or part-time work that they’re willing to offer people over 50 – anywhere in the UK? If you’re over 50, what’s your experience?

The population in the UK is ageing – but the better health of the average person is allowing them to work for longer. My experience is that many older people are struggling to survive on the money they have coming in, and need to look for honest ways to supplement their income.

Re: Work Opportunities for the Over 50s

Lou - sorry to be brutal but arriving unprepared at the age of 50 and wanting a job where one could work at home is a bit 'cloud cuckoo land' if you ask me.

To be able to work over the internet (As I do) one must first prepare for this and in my case I started preparing twenty years ago. I was working in Saudi Arabia and having nothing to do in the evenings I began to read and study everything I could on the subject, this study continued when I returned to UK and while still working at my 'day job' I began to use the internet to implement my long term plan to have a modest income well into my retirement, in those days there was no broadband, and I had to make all my own graphs from taking data from the newspapers and typing it into a stand alone program on my computer, in addition to spending almost every Saturday morning in the library gathering information to use in my 'work'

So asking for anyone who has a list of jobs that old people can do is looking at things from the wrong perspective. If you have a skill that can be used over the internet you'll find that nearly everyone has been 'honing' those skills for a considerable number of years prior to reaching the age of 50 and if they have not, if they've spent every penny they earned and lived a life of iresponsibilty and continuos partying then it's hardly surprising that there are no jobs for them now. That's just my opinion of course, some would say that at 50 everyone is entitled to job, but my view is that regardless of ones age if you want a job you must be prepared to study, work hard, travel, move house, give up weekends and so on.

With all the horrendous regulations on employing folk, all the Health & Safety legislation, all the NI and council tax implications employing someone to work at home is a nightmare. Even if that person is yourself.

Re: Work Opportunities for the Over 50s

Go self-employed, advertise your skills and sell yourself.
Don`t expect employers to take you when there are already youngsters they can emply at minimum wage.
However - you have assets and skills - use them!

Re: Work Opportunities for the Over 50s

I think self-employed would be the best bet too

Re: Work Opportunities for the Over 50s

Could I write your summary?

The market is,and never was prepared to accommodate the over 50`s.

Some badly paid positions exist* but self employment appears to be the better option.

*but is filling envelopes a job?-see appendix 3 of the report That would be a footnote