What is the best way to use extra time while retired? Getting a part-time job! Something that takes your mind off the mundane day-to-day routine of retirement and spices it up with a fun focal point. Part-time jobs are great ways for retirees to make new friends, help their community, engage in conversations, share their skills, and get involved in a community again. Here are 16 of the best options for part-time jobs aimed at retirees. 

1. Driver 

The passion for driving never withers away. Get back behind the wheel for companies like Uber or Lyft. One of the best parts of a driving job lies in the conversations shared during the rides. Some people who use ride services prefer to stay quiet during their ride, but those who like to talk, find comfort in a cozy conversation with their drivers. If you like to drive and talk to strangers, a part-time driving gig supplements income and the absence of interesting conversation. 

2. Cashier

In the southeast, we have Publix, the mega grocery store that supplies citizens with $5 sushi on Wednesdays, the iconic Pub-Sub, and countless BOGO deals. The employees don green shirts and approach their job with a smile. 

Publix offers a fabulous part-time gig for retirees with its bright environment and gregarious staff. The workers treat customers with respect, sometimes enjoying taking up conversations or assisting them out to the car. The low-stress job lets retirees earn a paycheck and involve themself in a new community disguised as a grocery store. 

3. Thrift Store Worker

Hit up your favorite thrift store for a part-time job. Thrift stores won’t pay a hefty wage unless they’re vintage, but the clothes and conversation are priceless.

Thrift store workers flex expertise to customers around certain brands or initiate conversations, keeping the customers comfortable and relaxed during their shopping experience. Thrift workers and customers all share a common interest in the love of repurposing clothes and other items, a perfect place to spark up a conversation. 

4. Crossing Guard

I have a family friend who worked a nursing job for forty years until she retired to become a crossing guard. She always loved helping out in her children’s classrooms, so she decided to continue to protect children as a crossing guard. The limited hours let her participate in her midday and nighttime activities, showing up for work a few hours in the morning and a few hours in the early afternoon. The kids form a close relationship with her, understanding that she wants to protect their well-being. That alone warms her heart, inspiring her to show up to work each day. 

5. Bus Driver

Want to assist the local school district without taking up a crossing guard job? Bus drivers transport students to and from their schools, following a strict route in their district. Kids may take the bus if their parents don’t have reliable modes of transportation or are already at work by the time the bell rings. 

Retirees work well as bus drivers due to the odd schedule of early morning and late afternoon call times. Pleasant bus drivers impact the trajectory of a kid’s day since their driver may be the first person they see that morning. 

6. Substitute Teacher

Every grade level needs substitute teachers. This part-time position operates on an as-needed basis, meaning you must have a flexible schedule for hiring consideration. When a teacher is sick or on vacation, the school calls on a substitute to take over their class until the main teacher returns. 

The main teacher communicates with the substitute, delivering a lesson plan and notes regarding their classroom. The substitute works to teach from the lesson plan and maintain the classroom. 

7. Music Teacher

Those who spent their entire lives fluent in music can profit from that knowledge. A bunch of kids take on instruments, following parents’ wishes or out of their own volition. The issue in practicing an instrument is finding the right teacher. Musicians each develop their own methods to share their craft, methods which may not align with each student.However, their relationship blossoms when a teacher meets a student who understands his/her teaching methods. 

If you play an instrument, consider a part-time gig teaching music lessons. Don’t get discouraged if one student doesn’t like your teachings; another will.

8. Nanny 

Say you want to work with kids in a non-school setting. Nannies work in the family home of the kid they’re nannying. Parents who work typical 9-5 or 8-4 schedules struggle to find workers fit to fill in those time gaps, so they look to retirees who don’t have scheduling conflicts with the 9-5 or 8-4 timeframe. 

A hypothetical nanny schedule encompasses feeding the kids breakfast, getting them ready for school, taking them to said school, picking them up from school, completing homework, and playing until their parents return home. Nannies could also perform household tasks while the kids go to school or perform duties to help the parents. 

9. Ski Resort Worker/Lift Attendant 

One of my aunts retired as a bus driver and became a ski lift attendant. The seasonal job provides perks like a free skiing pass, discounted food, and merchandise in the lodges, all for overseeing the lifts.

She’s not a social butterfly, so spending half of her shift in a warm, enclosed space blanket her in solace. In that enclosed space, her job duties include communicating with the lift offices at the opposite end of the trail, and when she’s outside, she checks ski passes, helps individuals load onto the lift,  and controls crowds.

10. Bartending 

All those nights spent in the bar had to result in some form of payback, right? Bartenders concoct cocktails and mixed drinks for patrons present at the bar. Different establishments staff bartenders at the bar, in the back of the restaurant, or at private events, giving the workers plenty of options. 

Like all jobs, bartenders require different backgrounds based on location, although common requirements include training or certifications. Work a desired schedule in a desired location in retirement. Bartenders form relationships with their clients, cementing regulars and wonderful conversations fueled by liquid courage. A lot of bartenders receive free drinks, too.

11. Server 

Shimmy back into your serving expertise with a serving job at a local restaurant. A high turnover rate matched with high demand in the food industry means serving jobs are easy to attain. Servers must familiarize themselves with the restaurant’s menu to explain food and drink items to the customer. They also need to have the strength to carry up to 50 pounds with a smile on their face. Though the number one asset a company looks for when hiring a server is the ability to multitask. 

Many times, servers will have to run around to several tables at once, place different orders, and answer questions within limited time frames. The service a table receives determines the tip. A smiling, friendly server earns better tips than a lousy, mean-mugged waiter.

12. Bookkeeping

Looking for a job that pays well and keeps a company licensed? Have you ever thought of transferring your wealth of financial knowledge to a company as a bookkeeper? Bookkeepers jot down all financial claims and transactions related to a single company. They are also tasked with reporting sales and disputes, carrying out payroll, and monitoring company spending. 

Bookkeepers will remain in demand as long as businesses keep working with money. That being said, bookkeepers enjoy flexible, oftentimes remote schedules, where they devote a few hours a week to the company’s financial status. In return, bookkeepers receive high compensation rates.

13. Baking 

Earn a few extra dollars from that hobby you’ve spent years and years perfecting. As a child, everyone loved the brownies you baked, so you committed hours to the process. Over time, your blissful brownie drew crowds upon crowds to the kitchen, each person hoping one brownie remained. 

Since you used to give out these delicacies for free, charging for them might conflict with your moral stance. However, you know the demand could fund a tiny home bakery. Begin with one baked good, the brownie, formulate a trusty clientele, then expand the menu into cakes, cookies, and pies, assessing the interests of the customers. Soon, that childhood eagerness to bake brownies multiplies into a fruitful side hustle. 

14. Dog Groomer

Dog groomers aren’t limited to working with fluffy breeds. The job title presents the overarching sense that dog groomers only work to beautify long-haired canines. The actual job duties include trimming sharp nails, cleaning the dog’s ears, applying protective ointments and gels to the dog, and then moving on to styling their coat, trimming their fur, etc. 

Dog groomers must understand the furry creature that is a dog and know how to earn its trust and love. Select places to ask for certifications, while others extend on-the-job training to their hired staff. Weak-stomached applicants should stay cautious of this side-gig, since it deals with parasites, infections, and gland expressions. If those things don’t bother you, you could be an ideal candidate for a dog groomer. 

15. Movie Theater Worker

Suppose your comfort place was the popcorn-scented, dark room regarded as a movie theater. Tap back into that affection through working at a movie theater. 

Dedicate a few hours each week to ripping or stamping movie theater tickets at the cinema. Other rotating shifts involve making rounds through the theaters, filling up popcorn and drinks, and troubleshooting issues with the screens. Theater workers receive compensation in the form of a paycheck, as well as moviegoing perks. 

16. Museum Guide

Are you a frequent flier of a museum in your area? Museums near me range from the Salvador Dali Museum, an Arts and Crafts Movement Museum, all the way to a display of antiquated automobiles. I’ve noticed the majority ofemployees are college interns hoping to get their service hours or older individuals with extensive knowledge on the subject. 

Museums employ people with backgrounds in the museum’s theme. A potential employee with an existing background in the museum’s theme faces a higher hiring chance than an individual who needs to learn the basics of the subject.