Great Jobs for Everyone 50+: Finding Work That Keeps You Happy and Healthy ... And Pays the Bills

CHAPTER 6

Great Jobs for Retired Teachers

After the last school bell rings, retired teachers have a leg up. Opportunities cut a broad swath, from tutoring to substitute teaching to jobs a little further afield, such as fitness training.

Teachers have a combination of tools in their kit that many other people 50+ don’t—solid degree credentials, expertise in a specific field, and a passion for helping people learn something new.

That triple threat proved to be the ticket for Dave Kergaard, a former high school physical education and health teacher. When Kergaard, now 65, retired from his position as assistant superintendent of Kent County Public Schools on Maryland’s Eastern Shore, he knew just what he wanted to do: set up a shingle as a personal fitness coach. “I’ve always worked out and been involved in sports,” he explains.

As a young man, his football and wrestling prowess earned him scholarships to college. And after graduating, he parlayed his bachelor’s degree in physical education and a master’s degree in psychology into a 30-year career in education. He kicked off a rewarding career by teaching physical education and health in public high schools and coaching high school sport squads in football, soccer, track, and basketball before segueing into administrative roles.

Kergaard has had both hips replaced, but this hasn’t stopped him. Today, he usually clocks in 12 hours a ...