THE RISE OF THE UNRETIREE

A growing number of pensioners are heading back to the workplace

- JOHANNA BELL

Love or hate your job, most of us have dreamt of the day we can give up working and live the good life. Whether that's seeing the world, spending time with family or just putting your feet up, planning for retirement can feel like a light at the end of a long tunnel.

But inflation, the cost-of-living crisis and rising energy bills are just a few factors playing havoc with finances. These days, life after work isn't what many pensioners were expecting, as research* suggests one in six retirees are now returning to work or considering it, with a fifth admitting they didn't realise just how much money they would need. We speak to one woman about her decision to become an 'unretiree'.

'I started tutoring to supplement my pension'

Jenny Chapman, 65, lives in London with her husband.

Coming from a family of teachers, it had always been my aim to work in education and I started teaching English at an all-boys secondary school in east London in my mid-20s. I later moved to a primary school role before spending my final two decades as a deputy head. Throughout, I paid National Insurance contributions to build my entitlement to a UK State Pension. During my working life, I married my husband and when we had our two daughters, he stayed home to look after them while I continued with my career. In time, he went back to work in medical research and later, as my 60s neared, I began thinking about retiring.

Like all teachers, I'd been automatically enrolled on the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) when I'd started teaching, meaning tax-free contributions had been taken from my salary and contributions from my employers had also been added to the pot.