British Council-The re-definition of old

Transcript of the podcast

?Interviewer: Simon, how does it feel to be retired

…Simon: Well, you know, not so bad

?Interviewer: How have you been spending your time

Simon: Like everyone I’ve been spending more time with my family, I’ve also travelled a bit, you know off season when every where’s less crowded and hotels cost less

… Interviewer: Great

…Simon: You know I haven’t stopped work completely

?Interviewer: Yes, could you tell us more about this

Simon: I’m on a scheme that’s called ‘phased retirement’. I had a 6 months break from work, after that I could apply for project work with the company I used to work for

?Interviewer: How does the scheme work

Simon: Well, it’s a trial at the moment. Instead of hiring temporary staff the company advertises posts on its website that retired employees like myself can access

?Interviewer: What sort of work’s advertised

Simon: Well, all sorts of things really. Admin work – there’s lots of that, then there’s more specialised work, the sort of thing I can do. Some of the projects can be long term say for 5 or 6 months, others can just be a couple of days or weeks. Again the number of hours included in a project can vary. I can decide, more or less, when to work, you know I manage my own time – it’s great, it’s very flexible and I do it all from home

?Interviewer: I can see it’s good for you. What does your company get out of this

Simon: Well, I still have all my old contacts at work, so I know who to contact to get something done – a temp brought in from outside doesn’t have this knowledge so it takes them longer to get a job done. The company gets flexibility too. Once the job’s over that’s it, I’m not on their books any more. No training’s required either, not yet anyway, so there are savings there too

?Interviewer: Do you have to commit yourself to a certain number of hours a week

…Simon: Not at all. I can do as much or as little as I like

?Interviewer: How about keeping your skills up to date

Simon: I’ve got access to a lot of online courses, you know, e-learning – if I’m not sure of something I have a look there

?Interviewer: Do you pay tax

Simon: Sure. The tax situation’s a bit complicated at the moment with this being a trial but I pay tax on what I earn, yes, unfortunately

?…Interviewer: And those holidays

Simon: Well you know, I work in the summer when most people are on holiday – then its’ time for my holiday. Holidays, sure we go to Europe three or four times a year

Answers

N1. T
N2. T
N3. T
N4. F
N5. F
N6. T
N7. F
N8. F