The work shy and bone idle....

[Granny Danger]

55 minutes ago, RH33 said:

My dad spent the year before he retired making sure he had enough planned to structure his week round. Currently he's secretary of the Highland leauge and his local golf club. While covid has meant both of these required more work than usual, he was also grateful have them filling his time during lockdown.

He also completed a research masters, for fun! 

 

I’m thinking about becoming a drunk wine connoisseur.

 

[SANTAN]

My dad retired early and was getting bored so he bought a dog and took up napping. This seemed to do the trick. 

[Wile E Coyote]

40 minutes ago, Stormzy said:

My dad retired early and was getting bored so he bought a dog and took up napping. This seemed to do the trick. 

Better than bought a nap and took up dogging

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

My dad bought 50 olive and almond trees when he retired and is getting chickens. Keeps talking about buying a tractor for what is essentially a big garden as well. He also volunteers at his local charity shop and got approached by the PSOE party to stand for the local council (he declined and just as well, a recent debate was about whether Franco was that bad). On the one hand I think he's a bit of a maniac but at the same time I like to think in the unlikely scenario I can retire in my 50s I'd be as active 

 

Edited June 16, 2021 by Genuine Hibs Fan

[Granny Danger]

3 minutes ago, Genuine Hibs Fan said:

My dad bought 50 olive and almond trees when he retired and is getting chickens. Keeps talking about buying a tractor for what is essentially a big garden as well. He also volunteers at his local charity shop and got approached by the local PSOE party to stand for the local council (he declined and just as well, a recent debate was about whether Franco was that bad). On the one hand I think he's a bit of a maniac but at the same time I like to think in the unlikely scenario I can retire in my 50s I'd be as active 

 

Retiring in Spain is definitely the right approach.

[Genuine Hibs Fan]

4 minutes ago, Granny Danger said:

Retiring in Spain is definitely the right approach.

Aye, my uncle has been there since about 2000 after doing a year abroad at uni and 16 years of visiting convinced them. My dad was police so after his 30 years they were looking at staying between there and home, then my mum got offered an improbable early retirement/voluntary redundancy and it was a no brainer

Edited June 16, 2021 by Genuine Hibs Fan

[Moomintroll]

8 hours ago, scottsdad said:

When I got my PhD, I went on a flight with my supervisor. He was a Professor, but on his plane tickets he was listed as Mr. I asked him about that and his answer was simple. When he got his PhD, he (like me) could use the prefix "Dr" on his name when out and about. But his worry was being on a plane or a train and someone having a heart attack, and someone standing up, pointing at him and saying "That man is a doctor!" His X-ray diffraction of protein skills would have been useless there.

Good advice. I use Dr at work, though students all call me by my first name (very different to when I was a student 20 years ago). At home, just Mr. 

I know a guy also who lists memberships of organisations after his name, as well as all his degrees. I'll anonymise his name but it goes like:

Dr Fluffy Bawbags, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, IHBC, ICON, FRSA...and so on. Some of these he just pays a subscription to. 

Have a greenie simply for your KHAAAAAAAAAAAANNNNN! Avatar.

[DiegoDiego]

Retiring in Spain is definitely the right approach.

Right approach but wrong destination.

[tamthebam]

11 hours ago, scottsdad said:

When I got my PhD, I went on a flight with my supervisor. He was a Professor, but on his plane tickets he was listed as Mr. I asked him about that and his answer was simple. When he got his PhD, he (like me) could use the prefix "Dr" on his name when out and about. But his worry was being on a plane or a train and someone having a heart attack, and someone standing up, pointing at him and saying "That man is a doctor!" His X-ray diffraction of protein skills would have been useless there.

Good advice. I use Dr at work, though students all call me by my first name (very different to when I was a student 20 years ago). At home, just Mr. 

I know a guy also who lists memberships of organisations after his name, as well as all his degrees. I'll anonymise his name but it goes like:

Dr Fluffy Bawbags, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, IHBC, ICON, FRSA...and so on. Some of these he just pays a subscription to. 

That was the gag in Red Dwarf- Rimmer called himself Arnold J Rimmer BSC, SSC. The letters stood for Bronze Swimming Certificate, Silver Swimming Certificate

I'm actually, through a series of unlikely circumstances, Tamthebam MA (Hons), MSc, NVQ, CPC, M.ECSC,M.DTMFC,M.DDPEC

Spoiler

CPC: Cycling Proficiency Certificate

M.ECSC: member of the Edinburgh City Social Club

M.DTMFC: Member of the Dennis the Menace Fan Club

M.DDPEC: Member of the Desperate Dan Pie Eaters Club (hello Ken..)

 

[tamthebam]

On 15/06/2021 at 18:15, Academically Deficient said:

 We had some men who, quite frankly, were virtually unemployable through no fault of their own  - but everybody helped maintain the pretence that they were productive (whilst taking the piss, naturally).

I've often thought management knew, and turned a blind eye.

Was your first job playing for the Accies....?

[Jacksgranda]

On 15/06/2021 at 16:55, Granny Danger said:

Putting aside the deliberate sarcasm, I think you make a valid point; I think it’s about finding a balance.

I’m retiring at Christmas, just a few months ahead of my 67th birthday.  In many ways I’m really looking forward to it, yet I’m very wary of not having enough to keep my mind occupied.  My job is pretty full on and going from that to doing relatively little will take some adjusting.

 

Piece of piss in my experience. (Maybe helped a bit by my health not being 100%.)

21 hours ago, scottsdad said:

When I got my PhD, I went on a flight with my supervisor. He was a Professor, but on his plane tickets he was listed as Mr. I asked him about that and his answer was simple. When he got his PhD, he (like me) could use the prefix "Dr" on his name when out and about. But his worry was being on a plane or a train and someone having a heart attack, and someone standing up, pointing at him and saying "That man is a doctor!" His X-ray diffraction of protein skills would have been useless there.

Good advice. I use Dr at work, though students all call me by my first name (very different to when I was a student 20 years ago). At home, just Mr. 

I know a guy also who lists memberships of organisations after his name, as well as all his degrees. I'll anonymise his name but it goes like:

Dr Fluffy Bawbags, BSc (Hons), MSc, PhD, IHBC, ICON, FRSA...and so on. Some of these he just pays a subscription to. 

Was one of the so ons "ARSE"?

14 hours ago, Stormzy said:

My dad retired early and was getting bored so he bought a dog and took up napping. This seemed to do the trick. 

 

14 hours ago, Wile E Coyote said:

Better than bought a nap and took up dogging

Depends what age he is.

[scottsdad]

Just gone through a lengthy recruitment process. We shortlisted 4 applicants. When interviewed, 3 turned out to be utter no-hopers (fairly sure 2 lied on their CV's). So we offered the post to one guy, who has now turned us down. Likes it where he is. A hell of a lot of time and effort down the pan, and back to square 1. 

[Fullerene]

On 15/06/2021 at 16:55, Granny Danger said:

Putting aside the deliberate sarcasm, I think you make a valid point; I think it’s about finding a balance.

I’m retiring at Christmas, just a few months ahead of my 67th birthday.  In many ways I’m really looking forward to it, yet I’m very wary of not having enough to keep my mind occupied.  My job is pretty full on and going from that to doing relatively little will take some adjusting.

 

When I retire, I plan to embark on numerous personal projects that I have always been meaning to do but I just couldn't find the time.

At the moment I have absolutely no idea what any of these projects might be but there is still plenty of time.

[DiegoDiego]

As P&B's man of the world, where would you settle down?

By the time I retire this could all have changed. Spain isn't a bad shout really but there's better value for money in my book. You could retire five-ten years earlier by going somewhere cheaper. There are down sides to many of those places though and Spain is a stable country with a solid legal system.

Mexico is an obvious shout. Costs are about half that of Spain. The geography is varied enough that you can basically pick which climate you want to live in. The are already plenty of retiree communities so you can do that thing if you'd like. The football's great, as it's the food and drink. It's also not as dangerous as people make out as long as you're not silly enough to live somewhere like Juarez.

Albania is high on my list, too. There are obvious drawbacks, the bureaucracy can be a nightmare (though there is free health care) and the language is a tough nut to crack. Most Albanians are quasi-retired anyway, spending their days drinking coffee, beer, playing dominoes and betting on football while living off remittances from Ava Max, Jim Belushi and their cousin in Zurich.

Georgia is of interest though it's tough to find a climactic sweet-spot. Perhaps a summer and winter house solution would be needed there.

Other shouts include Turkey, Bulgaria (depopulation means falling house prices), Peru, or just betting your retirement ends up more like a gap year in death's waiting room and spunk it all on a Leaving Las Vegas-esque blow out in Monaco.

[DiegoDiego]

Bulgaria's mental. I could buy a house much bigger than the one I live in here with a lot of land outright with my savings. I think I'd struggle with cyrillic though.

Cyrillic is far easier to get to grips with than people think. You'd honestly find it second nature within a month.

Georgian on the other hand: გიორგი ქინქლაძე.

[hk blues]

22 minutes ago, DiegoDiego said:

By the time I retire this could all have changed. Spain isn't a bad shout really but there's better value for money in my book. You could retire five-ten years earlier by going somewhere cheaper. There are down sides to many of those places though and Spain is a stable country with a solid legal system.

Mexico is an obvious shout. Costs are about half that of Spain. The geography is varied enough that you can basically pick which climate you want to live in. The are already plenty of retiree communities so you can do that thing if you'd like. The football's great, as it's the food and drink. It's also not as dangerous as people make out as long as you're not silly enough to live somewhere like Juarez.

Albania is high on my list, too. There are obvious drawbacks, the bureaucracy can be a nightmare (though there is free health care) and the language is a tough nut to crack. Most Albanians are quasi-retired anyway, spending their days drinking coffee, beer, playing dominoes and betting on football while living off remittances from Ava Max, Jim Belushi and their cousin in Zurich.

Georgia is of interest though it's tough to find a climactic sweet-spot. Perhaps a summer and winter house solution would be needed there.

Other shouts include Turkey, Bulgaria (depopulation means falling house prices), Peru, or just betting your retirement ends up more like a gap year in death's waiting room and spunk it all on a Leaving Las Vegas-esque blow out in Monaco.

How's the visa situation in these places, though?

I'm in the Philippines - my wife is a Filipina so visa was no issue but the Philippines has a very simple Tourist Visa system - renew periodically up to 3 years, leave, return the next day and start the process all over again.  You can't own a house here, but you can own an apartment. 

It's not for everyone though, and certainly not as easy to adapt to as I'd imagine Spain would be.

[DiegoDiego]

How's the visa situation in these places, though?

Aye, that's what I was mainly thinking about when I said "this could change". And it'll be a long time before I'm ready to retire.

Mexico is a piece of piss. Show you have $12,000 to get a one year residence permit. Five consecutive residence permits and you can apply for citizenship. (May vary slightly state to state.)

Georgia I'm not sure about but the bog standard stamp at the border gets you a year. They're also pushing those cringingly-named "Digital Nomad" visas. So I don't think retiring there would be much of an issue. Governments change though.

For Turkey you basically buy a house and that's you.

Albania's a bit more tricky, but I'm sure you could chuck a relatively paltry amount of money at the right lawyer and he'd sort it out for you.

[ICTChris]

My brother visited Georgia a few years ago and loved it.  I suppose the threat of periodic invasion or war might disrupt things but it seems like a pretty nice wee place.

[strichener]

Visited Hungary a few times now and would think it should feature fairly highly on anyone list of cheap places to retire to.  Language is a b*****d though.

[The Doctor]

I've worked where I am for five years and there's (allegedly) a caretaker in the building.  I've seen him half a dozen times and he lives in the flat attached to the building.  I once asked the question a few weeks after I began here about what he does.  I got laughed at, but no answer was forthcoming.  To this day, I still don't know what he does.  Stealing a wage.