Townley Green said You should especially try teaching in your 60s. The actuaries tell us that if a teacher retires at 65, their life expectancy is 18 MONTHS. Marmora Man said I think you'll find this is an urban myth. It is certainly almost exactly, word for word, an oft quoted "fact" about military pensions and life expectancy. A fairly recent report quoted by BBC indicates that a teacher's life expectancy was 79.2 in 2005 and expected to be above 80 by 2010. I have read this BBC report and it is of no relevance! It gives life expectancy for ALL teachers, not for those retiring at 65, which is, as I have said, 18 MONTHS. Keep it relevant, MM.