At what age did you retire from work ..? For me it was at 59

At age 60. I had been working 4 days a week for 3 years prior to this, as my husband was suffering from cancer and already retired.

I never had paid work after 1949 when expecting my son. With a husband who had been traumatised after being wounded in France after the Dday. Landings I did all the decorating, gardening, growing all our etc. Made all of my own and children’s clothes as well as for friends. Was on WI committees friend of local hospital etc.
Didn’t have time to go out to work.

67 and left to start a small business in which I can indulge my passions of painting and jewellery making.

What is retirement really? Its only ceasing to earn a living. I haven’t earned money since I was 50, but am still working. Its just that now work at what I WANT to. I consider myself very blessed!

whiterabbit1956

Much respect.

p.s. I miss the company and meeting new people.

I retired at 49 due to a serious road traffic accident I was hit by a speeding car while cycling to work. I used to cycle 30 miles a day to keep fit. I was sent home from the A&E department diagnosed with bruising and a sprain; bit in reality I had four broken vertebrae (losing 4 inches in height) and a serious head injury that left me brain damaged.

I really wanted to get back to work after spending years training to teach health and social care (two degree's, a post grad' teaching certificate and registered general nurse). I'd finally found the job I wanted teaching nurses/ physio's etc at an adult education centre. Two weeks into the job I was hit by the car (driven by my daughters ballet teacher).

Thankfully I survived (obviously) and was able to see my children grow as well as discover new hobbies (astronomy, computing, gaming and reading) as my previous hobbies (rock climbing, motorcycling, cycling, skiing and hiking) were not possible due to my back injuries and the fact that I've been on fentanyl and oxycodone (often called the poor mans heroin) since shortly after my accident.

65 and still working. Planning to retire next year and then do interim jobs if I want money for a specific thing - fancy holiday, home improvements, "new" car, whatever.

50 years, 3 months from full time work. Took a year off and then worked 2 days/week part time and voluntary for another 13 years, then later another 1 year voluntary about 1 day a week. Now fully retired (I think) at 75. I planned to retire from full time work at 50 when I was in my twenties but missed the target by three months.

48. I just got fed up where I was working and left. Best thing I ever did. I intended to spend more time with my mum but she died suddenly a few months later. I then started my own business rather than work for someone else and did that for the next eight years. I didn't really think of it as work as I enjoyed it so much. When DH retired so did I so we could enjoy more time together.

43 on health grounds.

I was working full and part time for years then dropped the well paid full time job at age 55 as I wanted to walk away, and thought I could afford to. Kept going with the part time, much lower paid but more useful, job till 68 then took voluntary redundancy which gave me a year’s money. So far, brilliant!

I officially retired at 63 but due to covid returned to work part time as lm a community nurse.this year now just doing 2 mornings a week now 65 actually really enjoy it keeps me sane as hubby now retired ha !!

Penelopebee I had the same problem in local government bullying appears to be rife in that work environment . I am 68 and retired on New Year’s Eve , have really struggled but now starting to accept it and now DH is suggesting I work part time , I really don’t want to as I Feel I have lost my confidence ?

I will never be able to retire for financial reasons. When and if ill health occurs I don’t know what I will do.

I am 67 this year and am technically still working, I do one day a week working for my daughters in their cafe doing the books.

I retired last summer, 5 months before my 60th, along with DH who is seven months younger than I am (as he never ceases to remind me - toy boy!)
We both took our occupational pensions and had been saving furiously into AVCs to help bridge the gap to SP at 67.
There has not been a single morning where I have got up and wished I was going to work. Don't get me wrong, I loved my job, but it was time for me to go.
I now have one day a week childminding my youngest grandchild and keep pretty busy!

There is no age limit to student loans, you could still go to Uni if you have one close, good luck xx

retired from full time stressful office based job at 61 then went part time in retail for 5 years, been partime as a GP receptionist for the last 2.5 years, planning on staying there for another couple of years unless my lottery numbers come up.

I was 64, I stopped work in 2020 when Covid hit. My job entailed coming into contact with members of the public, no WFH possible. My husband, who was already retired, has various health conditions and is CEV so I could not put him at risk. I had been considering giving up before SP age, the pandemic just brought it forward a bit.

I retired at 45 when an operation left me invisibly disabled, not old enough to be truly retired, but angry at the entire thing.

I was fortunate to be given the chance of starting a new career in my 50s, once my DCs were adults. I’m hoping to work until retirement/state pension age, which is 67 for me. Previously, I was a secondary school teacher and I honestly don’t think I could have worked until 67 in that job. I feel blessed to be able to use many transferable skills from teaching and motherhood in my new line of work, which I love.

67 - Mind you that job was meant to be part-time, but sometimes I found myself working 7 days a week. Someone suggested I work part-time instead of retiring, they were horrified when I said that's what I was supposed to be doing! I also had another part-time job working as complementary therapist, but that was proving impossible and had to go s well!

48 Goatgrams??? Was that due to ill health?

65, Like many of fellow WASPIE women I had expected to retire at 60 but had to put in an extra 5 years work. The sliding scale of introducing the change didn’t seem fair. A colleague, 4 months older than me, was able to retire 16 months earlier. At least I don’t have to work until 67 like some of my younger friends. The last 5 years of my working life were definitely the hardest.