Fulfilment, Not Finances: Why Over-50s Stay in Work

At TIB Services, we recently spoke to 189 people aged 50 and over who are working in school support roles across the UK. What we found was striking. Nearly half of them had returned to work after retiring, a powerful sign that something is drawing them back to the workforce.

What motivates people to work beyond 50?

It’s not just about the pay check. It’s about staying mentally and physically active, using skills in a meaningful way, and maintaining a sense of structure and purpose.

Supporting fulfilling work, not just jobs

We’re proud that over 90% of the people we surveyed felt TIB had made a positive impact on their working life. People told us that what made the difference wasn’t just finding a role, it was being treated with respect, matched to the right environment, and supported in creating their ideal work-life balance.

It’s a reminder that recruitment isn’t just about filling vacancies. It’s about real people, and how work fits into their wider lives.

Experience is a strength, not a barrier

The UK is facing growing skills shortages — in schools, in facilities roles, and in hands-on, problem-solving jobs. Older workers are a valuable and underused talent pool. Many bring decades of life experience, reliability, and a deep sense of purpose to their work. And yet, age discrimination is still a real issue.

One survey respondent reflected on the assumptions he faced:

Creating age-inclusive workplaces

With longer working lives becoming the norm, it’s more than a legal necessity to adopt age-inclusive hiring practices, it's a huge opportunity. That means recognising the strengths and motivations of people in their 50s, 60s, and beyond, and creating environments where they can thrive.

Rest Less, a digital community, platform and advocate tailored to people in their 50s and above, commented on the findings: "Midlife is a time of great transition, which can simultaneously feel both intimidating - like the sands are shifting under your feet – and also exciting, with a unique opportunity to try something new and broaden horizons with less risk.

"At Rest Less we see many of our members in their 50s and 60s coming to us looking for a change or a new challenge.   Flexibility and purpose in their work becomes increasingly important at this stage in life and time and again we see people prioritising this over pure financial reward. This is why workers over the age of 50 now make up 40% of all part-time workers and nearly 1 in 2 of all self-employed individuals.

"From an employer perspective, these different dynamics can often result in a happier, more motivated workforce – with employees who are more likely to stay in role for longer and provide much needed organizational stability." 

TIB Services is a Rest Less Age Inclusive Employer and we’re proud to support people from all walks of life to find meaningful, flexible, and fulfilling roles in schools across the UK. Our dedication to putting people over profits was recognised by the national Recruiter Awards last year when we won Recruitment Agency of the Year (10-19 employees).

Whether someone is un-retiring, changing careers, or just looking for a new challenge, we’re here to help them find the right fit, and to support schools in building stronger, reliable site teams.