Retiring doesn't mean you have to leave the workforce entirely. In fact, about 60% of workers over the age of 60 say they plan on picking up another job after they retire.
While some people never want to work another day in their life once they retire, others may need a job to make ends meet. There are also plenty of people who just love having something that keeps them busy and earns them extra cash.
if you do choose to work after you retire, technology gives you more options than ever with the possibility of working from home and doing everything from the comfort of your couch (or a hammock in Hawaii).
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Finding legitimate work-from-home opportunities
There are plenty of work-from-home job opportunities out there, but there are also plenty of scams. Retirees are particularly vulnerable to scams, and as scammers get smarter and more sophisticated, it becomes more difficult to tell whether a job opportunity is legitimate or not.
Many job applications ask for a lot of personal information, such as your full name, phone number, and home address. However, if you're asked for especially personal information, such as your bank account number or Social Security number, consider it a red flag.
You should also never have to pay to apply for a job (or get paid before you're hired). Opportunities that charge applicants just to apply or interview are probably scams attempting to get your credit card or bank information. Positions that offer you an advance before you've even done any work could also be sketchy.
If you're not sure whether a company is legitimate, look it up on the Better Business Bureau's (BBB) website. Not all companies are BBB accredited (small businesses, in particular, are often not listed), so if the company you're looking for isn't there, it's not necessarily a deal-breaker. But if the business has been flagged for numerous complaints or was given a failing grade, stay far away.
All that being said, there are many legitimate work-from-home jobs available, and there's something for everyone. These are just a few of the most popular options:
1. Customer service representative
If you enjoy talking to people and helping them solve problems, you'll make a great customer service rep. Most companies have some sort of customer service department, and for many businesses, it's cheaper to outsource those jobs to people who work from home part-time than hire full-time, onsite employees -- so there are lots of these jobs available.
That also means you have a lot of options when it comes to choosing where you want to work. Big companies such as Apple and Amazon offer virtual customer service opportunities, and there are also firms such as Working Solutions that focus only on staffing call centers and filling customer service roles.
The pay for these types of job varies based on the company, but according to career and salary website Glassdoor, it typically falls between $9 and $15 per hour.
2. Tutor
You've amassed a wealth of knowledge over the course of your life and career, so why not put it to good use by tutoring students? Sites such as Tutor.com and Pearson allow you to work from home and teach a variety of subjects, from foreign languages to calculus to law and more.
These jobs typically pay around $10 to $20 per hour depending on the company and how much experience you have. Some of the more advanced positions require experience teaching at a college level or a college degree in the subject you're teaching, and those jobs typically pay more.
3. Virtual assistant
CEOs, executives, and business owners are busy people, and they often need an assistant who can schedule meetings, manage their inbox, and handle other administrative tasks. Technology makes it easy to do these tasks from anywhere, so many busy professionals are hiring people to work from home while helping them stay on top of their to-do lists.
There are a variety of ways to find jobs as a virtual assistant. If you're looking for something on a part-time or freelance basis, try searching sites like TaskRabbit or Upwork. These sites post thousands of jobs in a variety of fields, and many are short-term freelance projects. There are also sites like Zirtual that focus only on matching virtual assistants with professionals.
Depending on the project and client, pay varies significantly. If you're a freelancer, you can usually set your own rates, charging anywhere from $10 to $30 (or more) per hour depending on your level of experience.
4. Mock juror
If you're looking for a job that's out of the ordinary, you could sign up to be a juror in a mock trial. Lawyers use mock jurors to test their arguments before the real trial and see how people respond to their case. You can review the case by watching it online and reading online documents, then provide feedback through questionnaires and online discussions.
There are a few different sites you can use to sign up as an online juror, including eJury, JuryTest, and OnlineVerdict. Jurors can earn anywhere from $5 to $60 per case, and most cases take around 20 to 60 minutes to review.
These jobs won't make you a millionaire, but if you want to earn a little extra cash after you retire to either help pay the bills or give you something to occupy all your free time, they may be the answer.
