Supplementing Income for Senior Citizens - Part 2

Making the decision to return to work, especially as a senior citizen, can be both an exciting and intimidating experience. Actually receiving a paycheck at the end of a work period made payable in your own name is quite satisfying, especially if it’s for work that you enjoy and you are fortunate enough to have coworkers that appreciate your efforts.

On the other hand, apprehension may begin to build as you prepare for your first interview in more years than you can remember. It’s not that you’re really intimidated any longer by questions like, “Tell me a little about yourself.” What is a little scarry is the thought that the interviewer may not even recognize your impressive life and work experiences or your enthusiasm to return to work, but instead might spend more time trying to avoid staring at the effects of years of expensive skin creams that never held their promise or wondering curiously that if Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus, where in the world do these seniors come from?

When I made the decision to return to work, I dreaded the search far more than the work itself, and I constantly was thinking of a million reasons to put off my search until tomorrow. Not today, tomorrow, I always told myself. Once you are out of the work-world for a number of years, you begin to think that there may no longer be a place for you. It’s like jumping into a turning double jumprope. You carefully watch the ropes, you even get into the rhythm of the turns, but you keep thinking “next time.”

Knowing that I had to look for some type of work, I continually chanted my mantra that I mentioned in my last post: “Lack of pension makes you brave.” It wasn’t actually working very well until a friend mentioned that she had begun working as a substitute teacher and that there was plenty work to go around.

As a substitute teacher you can choose the schools where you would prefer to teach and oftentimes even the grades and subjects that would best complement your interests and knowledge. Best of all, there is no rigid interview process. At least not in any of the public schools that I’ve encountered in Georgia. 

The application and most everything you would need to know is available online, and the application is easy to fill out. In most school districts, there is a limited period of time in which applications are accepted, so you should check for that information in the area in which you live.

As part of the application process, you may need to be fingerprinted, attend a substitute teachers workshop, and some counties or parishes may require that you complete a phone interview with a principal or assistant principal of a local school. Each school district will have a slight variations for requirements, and while some college is required in many places, a degree is often not required. You will need several references. If you’ve been out of work for a number of years, having a gap in employment will most likely not be held against you. Personal references are often acceptable.

Remember, if there are subjects such as Calculus or Physics that you are not comfortable with, you can choose not to substitute for those classes. Instead, you may want to start with substituting for lower grades, such as Kindergarten, which often have paraprofessionals in the classroom that are quite helpful as you begin working as a substitute.

It’s been about a year now that I have been substituting, and I absolutely love it. In the state of Georgia, where I live, the public schools pay around $75-$85 per school day, that figure being set by county. Those with a degree are usually paid a higher daily rate. Private schools may pay somewhat less.

Other teaching positions that might be of interest to those holding a degree would be as an adjunct professor at a community college. These are often for evening classes, but there is a possibility you could land an Internet-based position, where you would be instructing and monitoring students online.

Whether you only want to work a few days a month for some extra spending money or need to work a full schedule, there seems to be adequate need for substitute teachers. You won’t get rich, but you can bring in a little extra monthly income.

There are other benefits besides the money that come along with substituting. It’s amazing how much comes back to you when you start teaching. They say that we need to exercise our brains as well as the other parts of our bodies to remain healthy as we age. For most of us, dividing fractions or writing a term paper isn’t something we’ve done in many years. It’s actually refreshing to review or even relearn these things which are slightly out of our mind’s grasp. Thankfully, it will come back to you quicker than you might think.

And the kids — well, most of them — are a treat. No doubt you will occasionally need to keep your Excedrin handy. But for the most part, many of the kids are eager to learn and will thrive on the enthusiasm you can bring into the classroom. The students will find your stories and firsthand knowledge of what they now term “history” intriguing. How neat is that to have the undivided attention of a group of students eager to learn?

In my lifetime, those that had the greatest impact on my life often had no idea they were doing so. It was usually not the day-to-day contact with teachers or others that left their mark, but people that briefly entered my life and through their goodwill and small deeds connected with me in some way so as to alter my perspective. As a substitute, you have that opportunity to make a difference.

There are other jobs within the educational system as well that are wonderful for seniors. Positions often come available for lunch room workers, paraprofessionals (teachers’ aids), ASP (After School Program) workers, tutors, and clerical workers. Most part-time work does not offer benefits, but if you are looking for a way to make some extra money or an easy re-entry into the work world with a somewhat flexible work schedule, you may consider contacting your local school department to see what type of work might be available in your area.