At 65, am I too old to work as a carer in the UK?

Answered by Barry Price

This is straight forward legally but there are other factors that you may wish to consider.

The law states clearly that you can usually work as long as you want as the ‘default retirement age’ (a forced retirement age of 65) no longer exists.

This means that if you wish to do so then you are free to apply for work and have the same rights as any other applicant.

There are rules in place that do not require you to put your date of birth on an application form and if you are turned down for a role then the employer must give a good and valid reason as to why you were unsuccessful.

If you feel that they have discriminated against you on the grounds of your age you can take action under UK anti-discrimination laws.

You also need to consider if you are able to carry out or continue the tasks in the role you are applying for as employers would need to take this in to account regardless of your age or health but as long as you are fit and healthy then there should be no barrier to you returning to work as a carer.

I know your question was about working as a carer but as far as I can see there is also no upper age limit to be a nurse.

The Royal College of Nursing will be able to provide guidance on your registration if you were looking at a revalidation of your PIN. This information can be found here.

As someone who has previously had an ex-nurse at 73 working for me part time and given your obvious skills, knowledge and experience I am sure any care provider would be happy to have you on board to continue making a valuable contribution to those who need care and support.

Finally, it is also worth noting that someone of your calibre could also be very useful supporting assessments, reviewing care plans and observing, supporting, or training new and existing staff. It may be worthwhile expanding your scope and speaking to some of your local services.

Whatever you decide to do good luck and happy job hunting.