Volunteering in retirement - A blog by Les Andrews

I became a volunteer adviser for TPAS (later TPO) on retirement at age 60. At the same time I became an adviser for CAB. 

My main motivation, initially, was somewhat selfish in wishing to use my knowledge to help people in the complex world of pensions and to keep my brain active! The knowledge I obtained over my career in pensions, plus the bonus of keeping up to date with developments has, I think, been mutually beneficial. TPO staff have been very helpful and courses etc have been beneficial over the years. 

The main skill, beyond the technical knowledge, has been (as at CAB) "managing people's expectations". Pensions is somewhat different to normal "commercial complaints" in that you can only get what you are entitled to - this applying also to overpayments. It is sometimes difficult to get this message across but an essential skill to our role. 

As far as time management is concerned it has not been a burdensome task. Cases are normally dealt with by correspondence, and we are not generally pressed for instant answers.