Anyone still working full-tine in their 60’s?

Hgv driving, 12 - 14 hr days until aged 67, I was permanently shattered, especially as one job involved getting up at 3.30am ??

My husband and I are both in our 70s, we have our own business, which we are running down now. We still work 3 days a week and love it. It keeps us young and in touch with the world. If we go away our family take over.

I am 65 and now work four days a week having reduced from full time.
In the last year or so my health has started to deteriorate, having been extremely fit and healthy all my life, and I can’t wait to retire this year. I am very cross at the way our generation of women have been treated by the government.
My job, which I love, has changed unrecognisably recently and my heart is no longer on it- it’s time to leave it to the next generation, although I may use my skills to top up my pension if needed!

By the way, hello dibden

I retired at 61 but , being medical, I answered Boris's call to return. It was initially for 6m ... I am still there. I will be 66 soon .
Not full time , don't think I could manage as I do feel more tired than I did when I was younger but I do enjoy it . I was quite bored being retired despite many interests .

I’m working in childcare at 62 and still working full time. I do plan to drop my hours but financially had to keep these hours up due to hubby not earning as much as he did. Long story. I’m off with covid now and will return next week have enjoyed being off but not enjoyed being I’ll and it’s given me a different view to a job I still love but will have to drop some hours before I retire still plan to work till 66 then hopefully retire. Fingers crossed.

I could have retired at 60 but worked until 68 to make up the pension years I had lost due to child care. I was lucky because of all the local authority restructurings I was able for the last 5 years to stop being a manager and to be down graded to just an office and still receive my pension as if I had retired as a manager. That option is not available now.

I worked full time until I was 63. I now work part time 2 days a week doing the same type of job in another area as moved near my children when I gave up full time.

I love what I do and 2 days is great. I also do some volunteering on 2 other mornings. My full time job changed over the last few years and was much more stressful so was pleased to leave it in the end.

I’m now 68 and can’t see me stopping this job for a long time. I would find money very tight without my salary as the area is very expensive to live in with just pension income.

Hi, I am new to Gransnet. I am 62 and because the government have moved the state pension age for me to 66 i have to continue working. I work full time but due to staffing shortages i am working on average 50 hours a week and i am struggling no one warns you that one day you wake up and joints do not work as well as they used to, shortness of breath stops you doing the housework like you used to. I am totally fed up Ideally it would have been nice to have a choice of either working or retirement at the age i am at, but financially cannot afford to give up work until my state pension kicks in - personally I think the UK government should have put womens retirement age to 62 and brought down the mens to 62 too. It would have been a lot fairer, unfortunately most of the country do not have cushy jobs, they work hard for their living and the body bears it toll

Exactly the same here.
I have felt that younger colleagues have ended up doing more than me, because I haven't the energy, of late.

It's horrible.

Dottygran59

Oh yes - 63 and still at it. WFH doing FT hours over 4 days so get a day off in the week which helps. So very tired of it now, certainly don't have the stamina that I used to have. I really do feel bitter that the state pension age has risen to 66 - if I thought I only had another 2 yrs to do I would feel so much better. Will have to go back into the office eventually which I am honestly not looking forward to. I can do the work, no problem, but hate all politics and the changing things 'just cos they can' mentality.

Sorry, bit of a moan there, but I know that my fellow grans will understand

Oh, how I understand! I am in my 60s and still working. I find constant change in the workplace extremely tiring and I have no patience for it.
I will need to work until just short of 67 and those two added years feel like a huge burden. And like you, I'm bitter about knowing us women used to get our state pension at 60 and I feel robbed of 7 years of pension.
The older I get, the more health issues arise and I do think that these, as well as the medications I have to take (I'm sure it's the same for many of us) take their toll too.

i remember in 2012 a man i knew reached 60 and could draw a civil service pension.I said why not retire, he and has wife had plenty of money, he said he wanted to work till 65 so he could have a bigger pension-he died 6 months short of his 65th birthday....... If you can physically and mentally work into your old age then good for you,if you have paid taxes all your life ,you have to get some of it back at sometime in your life, otherwise it's a system that only takes and doesn't give back! Others say what about the fact you are keeping the jobs from the young etc.There seems to be a lot of hype these days about keeping working, I would say keeping active is good for you but working?

I’m 63, currently working full time, meant to be 35 hours but quite often 40 or more. I’m finding it very tiring and planning to go down to 2/3 days shortly

Oh yes - 63 and still at it. WFH doing FT hours over 4 days so get a day off in the week which helps. So very tired of it now, certainly don't have the stamina that I used to have. I really do feel bitter that the state pension age has risen to 66 - if I thought I only had another 2 yrs to do I would feel so much better. Will have to go back into the office eventually which I am honestly not looking forward to. I can do the work, no problem, but hate all politics and the changing things 'just cos they can' mentality.

Sorry, bit of a moan there, but I know that my fellow grans will understand

I worked full time until I was 64 and 3 months when I became eligible for State Pension. The last 2-3 years were a real struggle and I couldn’t wait to retire. Many of my friends are in their early to mid 60s and are feeling the same way but have to work until 66/67

I did work free-lance as a complimentary therapist, but the work wasn't coming in as much as I wanted. I took a job as a support worker (which I loved). They are desperate, and you can just about tell them what hours you would like to work? I stayed there until I was 67.

I’m 63 and work 4 full days a week and I have several friends and colleagues who are the same age or older and work 5 days a week . It’s not unusual and yes in some cases it’s a necessity in others it’s a choice. Yes I’m tired but my job has brought me interesting friends and colleagues as well as much needed cash

I've condensed my hours to 4 days - makes life a bit easier but would have preferred to be able to go at 60! I still enjoy my job and might even stay on for a year or two....will see how I go.

Most people have to work well into their 60s because the state pension cannot be claimed until age 66 and rising. I think the answer to your question is that it is individual, but it is a fact that it gets more difficult as you grow older and if you also take the psychological effect of the date of your retirement getting closer you might find yourself distancing yourself from your job and slowly disengaging, so then it might feel very hard work to do the job. Four days a week may feel full time to you if that has been your working pattern for a while, but that one day a week can make a huge difference to energy levels and may mean you can continue to work throughout your 60s more easily than if you worked full time hours.

Working full time 4,5 days a week but soooo much easier working from home. I haven' t actually been into the office full time since Oct 2019 as I was on sick leave when pandemic hit us. Will never go back to office 5days a week but will probably work until 62 ish.

I'm 65 and working full time. Expect to go on for another 14 months and then drop down to part time and / or interim type stuff.

I've been so lucky yo be able to take early retirement at 60 years from a busy Nursing Sister role snd must admit I was ready. I'm enjoying retirement now and look forward to the future. My husband continues to work full time as a Management Accountants, but has refused to allow me to go back to work as he says he now has his wife back. I admit just like many of my nursing friends my work came above my family and myself due to its nature. I also had my first Christmas off in over 40 years. Xx

I am self employed as a Childminder and work on average a 45 hour week, 5 days a week from 7.30 to 5.30/6.00, my dh works with me for the same hours and we won't be retiring for another 5/6 years despite being 63 & 64 this year respectively.

I'm working full time - 60 last year.

My health isn't great at all and although my employer is very supportive, I do struggle but financially have little option to carry on.

I work in a field tied to criminal justice so it can be emotionally very difficult and I also manage quite a large team - again this can be very draining.

You're not the only one. I am 66 and still working. The delay to our pensions has caused many women to work longer. I am retiring in May from my stressful job. Looking forward to it now.