Advantages of Employment after Retirement – A Content Analysis Approach. What Is Academic Professional Experience Worth After Retirement Age?

Abstract

This study is a pioneer study that examines the advantages of faculty employment after retirement age from the perspective of academic faculty. The economic-industrial literature suggests that prior experience is a major consideration in the industry, particularly in the process of selecting suppliers, and the weight given to occupational experience has an effect on other advantages as well.  108 questionnaires administered to senior faculty were collected in a case study of a single university. A combined research method including qualitative and statistical analyses was employed, with the aim of exploring the advantages of faculty employment at institutions of higher education after retirement age. The current research findings show that most of the faculty members claim that the experience accumulated by faculty who have passed the retirement age is their strongest advantage. Furthermore, professional-academic experience was found to correlate with other advantages, namely knowledge, international contacts, deeper familiarity with the global academic system, improved teaching capabilities, and improved ability to guide advanced studies. This, in addition to the advantages of personal-professional skills: more patience and greater research performance ability.  The findings raise the practical question of the implications for the academic system in general and for the public academic system in particular. In other words, how does the public system of higher education translate the advantages of previous academic experience beyond retirement age? What are the benefits for colleagues, young faculty, the institutions – and the system of higher education in general, with regard to research, teaching, and contribution to the community?