If you’ve been a retiree for any length of time, then you’ve probably been making the most out of your new, schedule-free existence. Perhaps you’ve been traveling, reading all those books you’ve always meant to get to, spending more time with those who matter most to you, or even just catching up on some well-deserved rest. However, retirement can also mean leaving one sort of career and embarking on another, more flexible one, like freelancing!

Freelance writing and editing takes top billing.

If there’s one niche that I’ve seen quite a lot of happy retirees in, it’s this one – particularly when it comes to writing and editing novels.

• TCK Publishing offers publishing jobs and accepts submissions.

Did you have a career in marketing, business, or finance? These are in-demand topics for article writers.

• Problogger regularly advertises writing jobs that require advanced levels of experience!

To all you professors and teachers out there, you’re of course, ahead of the game when it comes to editing academic papers. If you’d like to revisit aspects of your former career on your own schedule…

• American Journal Experts regularly have editing opportunities, particularly in the sciences.
• PaperCheck, LLC seeks seeks freelance editors based in certain U.S. cities.
• Cambridge Proofreading, LLC. hires editors from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada.

Is terrific typing your thing? Try transcription.

There are many transcription sites to choose from. If you type with precision and expedience, then the world is your oyster in this niche! It’ll become, then, more a choice of what topics you’d prefer to transcribe, as well as your choice of equipment – foot pedal, headphones, audio augmenting software, or just your laptop/computer.

• TranscribeMe doesn’t pay much for its transcription opportunities (often these are phone interviews between business professionals), but has a great community and the potential of joining more teams within the database to increase earnings.
  • Check out my review: “Is TranscribeMe a Transcription Opportunity Worth Pursuing?”
• Focus Forward offers freelance transcription jobs that, as its name implies, primarily involve focus groups.
  • I reviewed this, too: “Should Freelancers Transcribe for Focus Forward?”
• Literably is a unique transcribing position that would especially suit those of you who are retired elementary school teachers or paraprofessionals. You’d score and transcribe students who are reading aloud, which in turn helps their teachers.

There’s value in being a virtual assistant.

Were you an administrative professional? Virtual assisting has gained an increasing level of prominence in the freelancing world. Sometimes it’ll involve phone work, other times it’ll involve managing schedules and databases, that sort of thing.

• Time etc. hires virtual assistants in the United States, as well as the United Kingdom.
• Fancy Hands is another well-known virtual assistant opportunity for those in the United States.
• Life Bushido has virtual assistant job openings.

Don’t set (all) of your sights on surveys.

The only thing that might be a little tricky to embark on in certain instances is survey taking. At present, companies have skewed more towards those in their 20s-30s, and/or who have young children. It’s nothing personal, it’s just the products they tend to be testing for certain groups.

That doesn’t mean, though, that you should entirely give up on the notion of taking surveys, because there’s a place for retirees, too!

• Focus Forward encourages people to sign up for their surveys and focus groups.
• Survey Junkie can also be a regular source for surveys.
  • Read my review: “Is Survey Junkie a Superior Survey Site?”
• ePoll is a great survey choice if you like to share your opinions about TV, movies, and celebrities.
  • I reviewed it here: “Is E-Poll a Survey Site Worth Participating In?”
• YouGov has surveys/polls/rating to take about current events and social trends.
  • Yes, I did indeed review this site: “YouGov Is a Standout Survey Site”
• Pinecone Research remains a favorite signup choice for product surveys.
  • Look here for my (slightly nostalgic) review: “Is Pinecone Research Still the Survey Standard?”

Activate your inner artistic abilities.

Since retirement is a time for you to really explore your hobbies, why not share them with the world and make a little money at the same time?

• Etsy is, perhaps, the most popular online marketplace for “all things handmade.”
• Obeo is an interesting (location-specific) option if you’re good with photography – it involves taking pictures of properties for real estate listings.

Remember, it’s never too late to get started as a freelancer – you just need to know where to look for a niche!

Please note that all Fabulous Freelancer posts might contain affiliate links.