So, you're thinking about going back to work ...

[Diggin It]

... just more or less because you're bored and feel like you could use a few extra bucks.

You find a position listed that looks interesting in a field you have some experience. The listing is very basic, no real details. Before you apply, you want some additional information. You contact the company with a list of questions about working conditions, training, pay, scheduling and so on. They waffle on every one of their replies.

• 'It's a basic setup, but we don't allow prospective applicants to view the workplace.'
• 'We don't discuss pay, not even a general range.'
• 'We're not sure what training will be involved, when, or where it might be.'
• 'We're working on new scheduling and we're not sure what it will work out to be yet.'

Am I the only one who would no longer consider applying?

 

[flyerdan]

Yeah, that sets off more alarm bells than a weekend in Chicago.

 

[duffer]

I think you dialed a wrong number !!

 

[snymat68]

Won't discuss pay? Ha. NEXT!

 

[California]

... just more or less because you're bored and feel like you could use a few extra bucks?

Nope! Never been bored since I retired in 1998.

That listing sounds like what is used to lure kids into selling magazines door to door, never paid, before they get abandoned someplace so far away they can't afford to get home.

Run!

 

[Diggin It]

No, it's a local electric utility cooperative .... though not TOO cooperative as you can see.

 

[TnAndy]

They only ran the ad because legal said they had to.....they already have the hire-ee in mind, most likely the board chairman's brother in law.

 

[Thomas]

Might end up in China after you give then your SS# start work.

 

[drssg]

Personally, I don’t find the company’s response that odd, because you haven’t even applied for the job yet.

IME, the company starts by collecting a stack of applications. They review the details and determine a subset of people to interview. During the interview(s), the company will decide whether they are interested in you as an employee.

You can also use the interview process to collect information to determine whether you want to work there, but you need an offer before you have a decision to make. Meaningful salary discussions are part of the offer process.

It can be a waste of time because salary requirements are an up front deal breaker on both sides, but they act like it is a lower level detail to work out.

I suspect your position as an employee is also unique. Most people apply to a bunch of places because they need a job. So they wouldn’t go into all these questions before knowing if the company is interested. Just MHO.

I also don’t know how on earth you are bored being retired. I was bored when I had to sit at work all day!

 

[4570Man]

I don’t know why salary isn’t the first thing discussed especially for lower paying jobs. It would save a lot of time for both parties. I saw a handyman position for an apartment complex back in the winter when work was slow. I inquired about the position and they wouldn’t even give a ballpark salary. I figured it must suck so I didn’t do anything further.

 

[Diggin It]

You can also use the interview process to collect information to determine whether you want to work there,

I was basically conducting the interview today. They failed due to their nonanswerspeak.

Most people apply to a bunch of places because they need a job. So they wouldn’t go into all these questions before knowing if the company is interested. Just MHO.

True, but when somebody asks those questions, they should get open, informative replies.

I don’t know why salary isn’t the first thing discussed especially for lower paying jobs. It would save a lot of time for both parties.

This position stated to the effect of 'competitive, commensurate with experience', but this job can pay anywhere from minimum wage to around $30K, so it really does matter.

 

[Gary Fowler]

I have to agree with drssg about being bored, NOT. I always find as much work as I can stand right around my house. My neighbor always asks me what I have planned for tomorrow, I always tell him, my only plan is to wake up. Then after that something always pops up that needs doing.
No pay in it, but it keeps my heart pumping.

 

[atsah]

Wanting to go back to work?? NOT... If you find you need extra money after retirement you probably didn't plan very well to begin with..

 

[RickB]

4 weeks in, I am not bored, I do not miss a minute of it. That may change, if it does I will start looking for something. Right now my plan I looks a lot like Garys..

 

[TnAndy]

I have to agree with drssg about being bored, NOT. I always find as much work as I can stand right around my house. My neighbor always asks me what I have planned for tomorrow, I always tell him, my only plan is to wake up. Then after that something always pops up that needs doing.
No pay in it, but it keeps my heart pumping.

Amen to that !

Got some fence somewhere in a wooded section apparently needs fixing (cow got out yesterday....moved them to another section of pasture last night, haven't walked the fence yet) Got a mini-split heat pump ordered I need to put in before it gets too hot. Got a 'gut-to-the-studs' remodel of the master bath room planned AFTER we get two pigs slaughtered and in the freezer. Want to add some more solar panels to my system this fall. Garden ALWAYS needs tilling/weeding in addition to mowing/weedeating around the place. Shop building needs painting. Need to slaughter steer for the freezer this fall. 4 cords of firewood to log out, cut/split/stack for winter of 2022 (or rotation gets out of order) 30 older layer hens need to go in canning jars about September when the new flock starts laying. 4yr hoop house plastic is 4 yrs old now, gonna need to replace it. Wife wants some furniture built for the house (table, hutch etc)....that will tie up some of the cold weather time.

Who has time to work for someone else ?

 

[Oaktree]

Wanting to go back to work?? NOT... If you find you need extra money after retirement you probably didn't plan very well to begin with..

I dunno about that. I could probably get by on SS and my savings, but working P/T enables me to live a better lifestyle than those would afford. It also gets me out of the house a couple days a week and makes me feel like I'm being useful, I could slip into hermit mode quite easily and don't want to do that.

Besides, I'm only in my late 60s, in good health, why wouldn't I want to be somewhat productive? Besides, house projects/hobbies can get expensive.

 

[California]

... Who has time to work for someone else ?

And a lot of DIY projects can replace the wages you need to spend if you work too many hours and you don't have any free time. Not just construction and repairs:

I had an extreme example Thursday: Wife woke up with a toothache. Same-day root canal surgery and the cavity packed with antibiotic. Got a prescription for a week's antibiotic plus Motrin for pain and inflammation. We went to the pharmacy near home. Found the special non-penicillin antibiotic was going to cost $145. Pharmacist suggested buy the Motrin but drive to Kaiser for the antibiotic if our health plan covered it. Dropped off wife, drove more than an hour round trip and got the antibiotic at the Kaiser regional hospital, their only pharmacy open late. It cost $5 versus the $145 I would have paid at the neighborhood pharmacy - a choice I might have made if I had to work early the next day. That's $140 we didn't need to be spend because we have free time.

I've seen retirement advice saying your cost of living is the same in retirement. That's not my experience. We do fine with a lot less cash spent. I retired when my savings hit a certain amount, now 20 years later I've concluded that was prudent but its turned out that it was way more than we have needed.

 

[atsah]

I dunno about that. I could probably get by on SS and my savings, but working P/T enables me to live a better lifestyle than those would afford. It also gets me out of the house a couple days a week and makes me feel like I'm being useful, I could slip into hermit mode quite easily and don't want to do that.

Besides, I'm only in my late 60s, in good health, why wouldn't I want to be somewhat productive? Besides, house projects/hobbies can get expensive.

I guess I have enough chores to do around to keep me busy and I put enough money in the right spots to live comfortably..

 

[ovrszd]

4 weeks in, I am not bored, I do not miss a minute of it. That may change, if it does I will start looking for something. Right now my plan I looks a lot like Garys..

Congrats Rick. You're gonna love it. I highly recommend it, the hours are great. I never know what day it is. 50/50 on the month.

I cannot comprehend looking for a job. I cannot comprehend being bored. I don't have time for a job.

It's my opinion that those who struggle with retirement kinda went thru life mixed up. Their life was their job. My job was how I paid for my life.

7.5 years for me. Have not regretted a moment.