Alternative to Exam Invigilation.

I am a 62 year old nurse and have been nursing now for 40 years. I really don’t enjoy it anymore, the politics and poor management. I work a couple of days a week.
I am wanting to retire at the end of the year and spend more time helping my 86 year old Mum.
But the thing is I am scared about not earning money as I always have been financially independent. I am married and my husband receives his state pension and has a part time job too.
We live quite modestly apart from spending £6k a year on holidays.
I have a very modest £50k in a private pension and around £80k in savings.
I own my home and have no mortgage or other debts.
I own another home which is worth £350k, again no mortgage which is rented. The rental brings in £1345 pm.
So my question is - do you think I would be okay financially and do you think I ought to sell my rental to use as my retirement fund?
Many thanks.

Don’t know what age you are, but is it volunteering what you want. If you are retired do you need to do a social activity to meet people. Husband and I, mid 70’s, decided we need to get out and meet people so we have started to play in door bowls once a week. We love it, meeting people and exercising at the same time.

There are some great ideas here. Thank you everyone for sharing them. Just packing my bag for this mornings Invigilating session, so I will have plenty of time to think them over.

Also, keepingquiet has shown that it doesn't have to be.

It doesn't have to be. Lots of volunteering opportunities with other people

Human contact is on the way out.

Cabbie21, I’m sorry to hear that. I stopped volunteering during Covid and then, due to some health issues, I never returned but I do miss it. I don’t understand how advice can be restricted to telephone and on-line as a vast number of clients I used to deal with would never have coped that way. I do hope it isn’t in all areas.

Just a further comment on volunteering with Citizens Advice. I loved the camaraderie with other volunteers and staff, I enjoyed the training, and meeting people, helping them get a good outcome eg a successful benefit appeal. I also enjoyed the technical side, BUT things change all the time and you have to keep up. For example, almost all the advice is now over the phone or online, so there isn’t the same enjoyment of meeting people, nor the immediacy of staff support and all the technology keeps updating. These are not necessarily negatives, but just the way it is in most areas.

I am a volunteer reader of local news for the blind. We record items for a talking newspaper on a disc which is then sent out to people in our local area. I also, occasionally, record a magazine talk of general interest which is sent out to listeners with the local news.
If this is your kind of thing it is very worthwhile and rewarding.

I retired a year ago and was initially very bored. Then I started volunteer ushering and box office at a local theatre. I also do community shopping for five people with mobility / sight issues. I collect prescriptions too and befriend a man who has no visitors and see him once a week for a chat.
Maybe contact your surgery and ask to be put in contact with their Social Prescriber, who might have similar volunteering ideas.
Hope you find something useful that you enjoy. I just enjoy chatting to people …!!

I've been a school invigilator for 5 years now. Are you doing only the main room exams? You could offer yourself to be in the breakout/access rooms where you can be more challenged as either being a shared reader where there may be 8/10 students in a room but they may need help with reading questions (you won't be on your own!) or as a 1:1 where you work with one student through Mocks and actual exams. You could be just their reader or both reader & scribe (writing their answers). You go through extra training to be able to do this role.
I find when I am in the main exam room I keep myself occupied by seeing how many left handers there are; how many girls to boys in maths & sciences; how many girls wear their hair up. Other than the Englust Lang/Lit GCSE exams which are 2 hours the others are all relatively short.

My local church welcomes volunteers for all sorts of activities and you don't have to be a believer/attend the services .
We always need flower arrangers ,gardeners ,cleaners,caterers and people to teach crafts
I visit elderly parishioners who are house bound and I'm going to be frank here -visiting them isn't always rewarding .
They are often depressed ,angry and in pain and once they get to know you and the thrill of your calling isn't exciting(!) not always welcoming ,but dismissive and rude!

It's a real challenge .

Have you thought of volunteering at Citizens Advice? Please don’t be put off by thinking that you have to learn everything there is about benefits, consumer law etc etc, you don’t. In fact they would rather you didn’t as they have a very detailed computer system that will tell you everything you need to know. There is training of course but this is mainly on line and by sitting with experienced advisers and you are always well supervised so there is little danger of getting anything wrong. I did it for 10 years after I retired and it kept my mind active, it was fulfilling to be able to help people and the people I worked with were lovely. Have a look at your local CA website where there will be information about volunteering. There maybe other roles too if you don’t fancy advising.

If you have a local theatre they often need volunteers as ushers plus you get to see the productions

VAs a retired high school teacher and National exam team setter etc I cannot imagine anything more boring than exam invigilation. Hated it when having to do it for prelims. Lots of other thingsmuch more interesting I'm sure.

If you are at all "politically-minded" the local party of your persuasion (particularly if either the current MP/councillor or a serious contender) might welcome help. I have delivered leaflets, taken voters' numbers at polling stations and helped in the office with addressing envelopes, folding leaflets etc. The latter usually involves a few laughs with the other helpers with the bonus of a few home-made cakes! Sometimes they need help with social and fund-raising events too.

I volunteer at the local food bank. I started out during the pandemic soon after I retired. Now I do deliveries for them to people who find it difficult to go in person to collect their bags of food.
I've also volunteered with the Salvstion Army giving out clothes to the homeless and organising use of shower facilities but that stopped during the pandemic and I didn't go back to it. Others help out at the sou kitchen they run. Depending on your area there may be initiatives with homeless charities that you can be involved in. I also volunteered at a night shelter for the homeless that operated in the coldest weather but again that stopped during the pandemic and the provision has changed now.

I also volunteer at a local care home. Lots of interesting chat and social activities.

Perhaps volunteering at your local Heritage Centre if you have an interest in history. All local authorities have an archive and many organise activities, events and children's holiday clubs in a centre.

Our local parks welcome volunteers and the U3A or WI welcome members.

Link for Schoolreaders- www.Schoolreaders org

Host a student?

Have you tried volunteering at your local
hospice? They often need drivers, receptionists etc.

Scribbles

Is there a local primary school where volunteers are used to listen to children reading?

I do that through Schoolreaders, a registered charity, who match volunteers with schools. Saves you approaching the school direct.

How about training to be an Advisor for Citizens Advice? A great learning experience (well it was for me anyway!) as well as a very worthwhile and interesting occupation once trained. Voluntary of course, although I believe there are some paid positions.