Any teachers taken early retirement?

It looks very much like I’m heading down this road and so I was wondering if anyone here has been through the process and, if so, if you have any advice you could share, whether on the boards or via a PM.

Thanks for any help anyone can give!

Bump

Hi
To start with, I’m not stage 4, but noticed your thread.
I was a School Business Manager for many years before I had the chance to apply for Voluntary Early Retirement (Yipee), so was involved in the processing of early retirement on medical grounds…many times.
It all depends on Occupational Health and what info they get from your doctors. If you have their support, then it’s an easy process and you have immediate access to your pension with no reductions.
Have Occupational Health been involved? I always found them really helpful and they erred on the side of the patient rather than the school (I don’t know whether that’s found nationally, but was certainly the case for me).
If you need any info, PM me.

Thanks for your reply, mal.

After taking advice from my union, my consultant has completed the medical information form rather than Occupational Health. The school now has to fill in their part and then, I’ll be sending everything off to Teachers’ Pensions, crossing my fingers and holding my breath!!

I was DX’d as my school was undergoing restructuring through being amalgamated with an other special school. Tsays process was chaotic and very distressing and as a result I volunteered for and was given voluntary redundancy. I now regret this as although I really don’t want the stress of teaching any longer I think at 53 I may have been able to take early retirement on medical grounds instead. Now myOH is pushing for me to go back and earn but the thought of it makes me feel physically sick.
Does anyone know how I can find out about taking early retirement under these circumstances?
Thanks and good luck to you other teachers out there.
MMM

If you have a look at the Teachers’ Pensions website, it explains the different levels of ill-health retirement benefits. Basically, if you’re unable to teach, but could work in another capacity, you can claim your pension with no enhancement. But if you’re unable to work in any capacity at all and you apply within 6 months of your last day of pensionable service, you can claim an enhancement to your pension (about 1/2 the number of years left until your normal retirement date). And if your consultant says that you only have a year left to live, you can claim terminal illness benefit which is 5 years’ pension paid in a lump sum. This is in addition to the standard lump sum of 3 years.

If you’re still a member of one of the teaching unions, they’ll be able to help you with the process and advise you how best to go about it in your circumstances. Hope that helps!

Well, the forms are in the post… Wish me luck!!!

Just in case anyone else is considering ill-health retirement, I just wanted to let you know that my application was accepted and approved within a week. I must be really ill or something! :wink:

I would like to know how to get my pension for ill health.  Who do I ring?  I have been given my retirement here in Spain as a teacher.   I would like to get my pension from England I worked in the private sector for 12 years so would be due a pension when I am 65.  I have read about lump some ects.  Could someone please let me know who I have to get hold of. xx

I am currently off sick and have been since September 2013. My gp gave me another sick note yesterday for 2 months which will take me to around the time I will drop to half pay. Having talked about everything with my husband we have decided that I will go for ill-health retirement. As some of you have said, I too want to enjoy life and family while I am still well enough rather than working until I am forced have to give up with ill health. My school have been great through my primary diagnosis in 2008 and my secondary one in 2012.I haven’t told them or any of my colleagues of my intentions. I know that my pension won’t be huge as I have only been teaching for 5 years. I was doing my PGCE when I received my primary diagnosis so haven’t taught without BC!! It is also a worry financially as I have 2 children at university but as my husband says we will manage and I am so looking forward to planning menus and coffee rather than lessons :womanhappy:

If anyone has any tips or guidance that would be greatly appreciated - including any info on benefits etc that are available after retirement with a small pension.

I am happy to chat on here or by PM. Thanks 

Karen xx

Hello Karen. I am in a rather similar position. I finished my PGCE in '13. I got my first BC diagnosis that year. I eventually went back part time and then got my second diagnosis at the end of '16. I am off sick at the moment and I really do feel that it is a full time job keeping on top of keeping well - eating properly, WALKING (I put this in sarcastic capitals because teaching must be one of the most unhealthy jobs around!) going in the hyperbaric chamber etc. I need to consider my three young children and I think that I’m going to have to retire (preposterous at 43 - and even more preposterous considering I’ve only just limped over the finish line of my NQT year). Does anyone have any advice - thank you kind brave ladies.