Time to get on our bikes and mopeds to earn extra money to live on?

I can't see myself doing this as I'm much older than 50. But I'd love to find a way to earn some extra cash but I can't think how. Has anyone any ideas?

I am 70 and still working part time in a high dementia care home, which I really do enjoy and will do as long as I am able..

Karmalady - is this for you? Or even as an extra little earner you could hire out whichever bike or bikes you are not using to one of us other septuagenarians!

Best to ignore the Mel Strides of this world and do what you want - there’s far less discrimination against older workers with certain skill sets than previously.
I don’t think being a delivery driver is for everyone but don’t let that stop you if you want to get busy with something else.

I’ve recently seen more older people behind the checkout in the supermarket, and I’m sure those who retired early but need to work to make ends meet can find more rewarding jobs than delivering takeaways. There can’t be much worse jobs than being out on cold dark evenings on your bike or moped, surely.

The standard of riding mopeds, scooters and bikes by delivery people around here leaves a lot to be desired. Most of them are on L Plates and I wonder how many have the correct insurance - I don’t suppose their employers are bothered. I appreciate they need to get the goods to the recipient asap, but the risks some take are just accidents waiting to happen.
I do know a chap who delivers at night - properly insured, he enjoys the work and it helps pay for his car. It’s very flexible and he can accept or refuse a job if it doesn’t suit.

Work is drying up in some sectors. From what little I know. But still some vacancies being advertised.

Skydancer

I can't see myself doing this as I'm much older than 50. But I'd love to find a way to earn some extra cash but I can't think how. Has anyone any ideas?

Personally, I would have a look around and see what is being advertised. Often there are adverts on doors or outside premises. At least there are around where I live.

It may more be a case of, do you and can you do a certain job, rather than, I would like to work in "abc" sector, if you see what I mean.

Some jobs would be fine. Voluntary work is often a good thing.

But, Stride was alluding to the fact that delivery drivers are the easiest jobs to get into - staff turnover is high.

Jobs, for over 50's, in other sectors are becoming increasingly hard to get.

I don't know what it's like countrywide, but round here, msny deliveries are cash on delivery, and many delivery drivers get robbed.

Not very safe.

There has just been a Tory MP on LBC, trying to defend this, and he said, "well, I worked in a factory when I was 16"...er, yes, but not quite the same thing.🙄

I have a small part time job that I really enjoy. It's totally different to my main employment before I retired.

Delivering anything I would think is only for the young especially take aways. We have had a few older supermarket delivery drivers.

Almost the same here fancy I’m in the North East and lots of cafes and care agencies are advertising for help - usually just a note in the window or on a board outside.
Around here we are desperate for cleaners, gardeners, carers, handymen/women. After-school child minders are in demand as are good, old fashioned baby-sitters for nights out.
Perhaps volunteering somewhere would be experience in a new field - eg dealing with the public and handling money.
Is what you did ‘in a past life’ relevant now, or should you be looking at a complete change.
Good luck with your quest.

Where I live there are up to 15 delivery drivers waiting outside McDonald's. I didn't realise deliveries were so popular as they are expensive

I'm on London borders, and it's delivery drivers most wanted.

Child minding etc needs police checks, unless it's family members. Our council requires some sort of registration.

I've applied to be a volunteer at a food bank - I passed the personal references thing, they want my previous admin experiences but I've got to have a full police check. Fair enough, but it all seems very complicated.

Anyone of 50, who has left work, surely means they are sick/disabled, carers or have enough money to live on anyway.

Most over 50's work anyway until pension age. Not sure what this "bright idea" is all about..🤔

Yes to both.

Who are these out-of-work 50 somethings who might need that kind of delivery work, depriving younger, fitter people of work?

My first thought on reading this (Times front page today) was ‘shades of Edwina Currie’.
Remember her so kindly advising oldies feeling the cold to knit themselves a nice woolly hat?

The number of job vacancies are coming down. but still high compared to much of the last 16 years. At least, that is how I read the figures

www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/employmentandemployeetypes/bulletins/jobsandvacanciesintheuk/july2023

Is there a single Tory who has a clue about ordinary people?

I have my doubts

Is Nadine Dorries moonlighting for Deliveroo? She’s certainly not been seen in Parliament.
Mel Strides, totally patronising. Didn’t we have an ‘ on yer bike’ comments in the Thatcher era?

It’s not really suitable work for older people in my opinion. It’s a young person’s job.

DiamondLily

Some jobs would be fine. Voluntary work is often a good thing.

But, Stride was alluding to the fact that delivery drivers are the easiest jobs to get into - staff turnover is high.

Jobs, for over 50's, in other sectors are becoming increasingly hard to get.

I don't know what it's like countrywide, but round here, msny deliveries are cash on delivery, and many delivery drivers get robbed.

Not very safe.

There has just been a Tory MP on LBC, trying to defend this, and he said, "well, I worked in a factory when I was 16"...er, yes, but not quite the same thing.🙄

But, Stride was alluding to the fact that delivery drivers are the easiest jobs to get into - staff turnover is high.

Staff turnover is high for a reason.

The job is stressful, tedious, sometimes dangerous, and not particularly well paid.

If there was less discrimination in the workplace - in general - and the jobs were more financially rewarding, I'm sure there would be more people working.

I'm sure there are fit individuals 50+ who could (maybe already do) take on such work - some older people work at jobs which are far more challenging anyway. But we are overall a low-wage economy, in spite of all mantras of "high-wage, high-skill, high-productivity economy" spouted by various government bods.

There is a shortage of manpower for low-skill jobs, and that is not going to change until they are offered higher wages and better working conditions. The high turnover will continue as workers flit from job to job... because one pays slightly better than the other - or the hours are more attuned to meeting the pressures of family-life.

Since the 60s / 70s, the share of the national income has dropped - and the share paid out in profits to private companies increased correspondingly.

In order to have a more "comfortable life" me and my OH carried on working - for ourselves, in spite of the fact that my OH is disabled and I suffer ill-health. We set up a technical consultancy which enabled us to WFH until last year when we'd had enough (and Brexit made the work too complicated) and, at almost age 80 - we gave up. But - we were lucky, we worked previously in a field where we both gained a lot of experience and invaluable knowledge which enabled us to continue to work at home, in comfort and without pressure. I'm sure there are many older - and retired - individuals who do something similar, or who would be quite willing to work at a job that was more in keeping with their age and physical capabilities.

Scooting around the roads with a rapidly cooling pizza attached to the bike or back is not going to do much to improve the lives of the impoverished older demographic. Particularly if they are not in the best of health.

As ronib said, Best to ignore the Mel Strides of this world .

I went to work part time on a supermarket checkout. Its not as easy as it looks and there's a lot more to learn than you'd imagine. Don't think you just sit there and slide groceries across a glass screen.
All the same it was a good move and I thoroughly enjoyed my time working there. The only downside now is the ever expanding advance of self service tills so I don't imagine there as many jobs available.

Quite a few Sainsbury's delivery drivers are retired, but that's very different from Deliveroo and the like. We don't get Deliveroo round here, but several local restaurants employ people to deliver, and they span age ranges. My son delivered Chinese meals in the holidays when he was a student, and some of the deliverers are a lot older. Again though, they are in cars not bikes, and it is a small town, not a city centre.

If someone who can afford to run a car is looking for a part-time minimum wage job with no guaranteed hours, and they are fit enough to cycle, fast enough in reactions to weave through traffic, and are happy to be out alone carrying money at night, then good luck to them, whatever their age. I think it sounds more suitable for students than almost-pensioners though.

I think this is on the lines of the numptie who suggested that older people started apprenticeships - it might work very occasionally, and there is no reason why someone who wants to shouldn't, but on the whole it's a daft idea.

Do they carry cash, Doodledog? I’ve only used this type of service once, when we both had COVID - paid online and the things were here within 20 minutes!

I do agree, it’s a job rather more suited to young people though.
In our town centre I often see a few delivery bikers hanging around - I do wonder how much money they can make.

My son did, but that was a while ago, to be fair. People paid him at the door, as we do if the restaurant isn't on something like Just Eat (although many are, or they have their own websites that take payment).