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Retirement Resources

Retirement Resources

USEFUL LINKS

CONTINUING WORK FOR THE UNIVERSITY

The date of first appointment as an employee of the University, or of the Public Service, affects the age at which an employee may retire, and the age by which he/she must retire. Thus, various cohorts of staff may have a minimum retirement age of 60, or 65 or 66. They may have a maximum retirement age of 65, or 70, or no maximum retirement age. (Information posted by the Pensions and Investments Office on their FAQ page.) These changes are linked to alterations in pension schemes and determined by Government legislation. You are advised to consult the Pensions and Investments Office of University of Galway for details.   

The university’s Retired Staff Policy states that 'Retired staff who wish to continue to contribute to the work of the University will be encouraged and facilitated in doing so.'

The former President, Dr Jim Browne, has stated his wish for the relationship to be a dynamic one: ‘in bidding farewell to many colleagues, I’m conscious that we also say goodbye to valuable knowledge, experience and institutional memory, as well as some wonderful co-workers. I […] hope they will continue to remain vitally connected to the life of this campus community.’ (Ollscéala, March 2012).

DONATIONS & BEQUESTS

Charitable organisations in the Galway region

For details of charitable organisations active in the West of Ireland, whether national or regional, see the list of 66 charities on the RIP website. In the Golden Pages you will find 53 charities and caring groups in Co. Galway.

Organisations seeking financial support or volunteers include the following:

Logos of local and national charities

Tax relief on donations to charitable organizations

As of February 2022, the Revenue Commission’s website lists 22,827 bodies to which Charitable Tax Exemption status is granted, and provides information about tax-relief on Charitable Donations.

For an overview of tax-efficient giving see Dominic Coyle’s article in the Irish Times (June 2017).

Charities assisted by University of Galway

You can authorise a deduction at source from your pension (as formerly from your salary) in favour of one or more of the charities/foundations supported by the University. The authorization form and further information can be found on the Payroll Office's voluntary deductions page, under ‘Charities/Foundations’.

The beneficiaries are:

The Library: donations of books and archives

The Library welcomes donations and bequests of books and archives, although restrictions on space and resources do not allow it to accept every offer. There are different policies for books and archival material. For information see the Library’s Donations Policy.

FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Pensions

For information re pensions contact the Pensions and Investment Office.

Payslips

Payslips are accessed online via the Core Portal, using your Campus Account credentials. For full details see the Payroll Office’s Payslips page. Information about payroll dates may be found on the Payroll Office’s Payment Dates page.

Discount schemes

  • Staff Discount scheme

As members of the Staff Club, retired staff can avail of this. Details can be found on HR’s Financial Wellbeing page,

  • Trade union discount schemes

Staff who continue as members of a trade union after retirement (see  below, ‘Trade union membership and union dues’) can avail of other countrywide discounts. See, for example, Membership Plus discounts throughout Ireland available to members of IFUT.

  • Seniors Card scheme

Over-60s can obtain a Seniors Card (cost = €50). See the Seniors Card website for the application form. Alternatively, phone (01) 460-3615, or email info@seniorscard.ie. This scheme has been developed in association with Active Retirement Ireland.

Trade union dues

Trade unions normally offer a reduced rate or a life membership option to retired staff who wish to continue as members.

Note: If you wish to remain a member of your trade union, you must ask for the appropriate deduction to be made. Without that initiative on your part, payment of union dues will automatically cease from the date of your retirement

Entitlements for older persons

Citizens Information is a Public Services information source which provides information about services and provisions. It has a section on older persons’ entitlements. Topics include financial matters (e.g., taxation), health and social supports.

RESEARCH: maintaining research visibility

IRIS

IRIS is the register of research maintained by the Research Office. It records publications, distinctions and awards. You need a Campus Account from ISS (see here) to edit your profile in IRIS.

Retired staff profiles in IRIS are not automatically published to the web. Formerly they were never published, but following discussions with the Research Office in 2014 retired staff may have their profile published by writing to the Research Office. Research details contained in IRIS can be shown automatically on Departmental webpages. You may need to contact your former Department to arrange this. Further information about IRIS can be found on the Research Office’s Online Systems page. For direct access to the IRIS log on page, click here.

If you wish to remove/alter your office address and phone number from the system you must contact Human Resources.

ARAN

The James Hardiman Library’s repository of research (named ARAN) welcomes electronic copies of research publications, where copyright allows. For guidance on how to submit your published work to the repository, see the ARAN page on the Library website. To upload your work to ARAN you will need to log onto IRIS (see above).

Research Matters

Retired staff are encouraged to submit items for publication in Research Matters, which is published biannually by the Research Office. Current and archived issues, and further information are available on the Research Office's Research Matters page. All issues can also be found, with other University of Galway publications, on the Press Office's website.

Eligibility to apply for Research Funding

Key funding agencies differ in their policy on funding research by retired academic staff. HERA, for example, states that applicants for funding for their current 'Uses of the Past' strand, must not have reached retirement age. Two bodies which do not preclude the participation of retired staff are:

SFI

‘An Emeritus/"retired" academic Professor can apply to SFI programme calls provided that the host Research Body provides a letter signed by the Vice-President of Research (or equivalent)’ confirming that certain conditions are met. See the SFI’s eligibility information here.

EU/ERC

Retired staff are eligible to apply for funding. Normally this would be for an Advanced Grant or a Synergy Grant when these arise. They may also be engaged by PIs on multi-person research projects. The following clarification was received 9 April 2014 from the ERC 2014 ADG Applicants Helpdesk, in answer to an inquiry:

‘Personnel working on the project shall be remunerated in accordance with the general practices of the Host Institution (beneficiary) and the applicable national legislation. Additional payments for retired researchers can be charged to the project if they are in line with national law and practice, as well as with the specific rules applicable to and in the Host Institution. However, costs have to be compliant with the eligibility criteria of Article II.14 of the General Conditions to the ERC Grant Agreement (Single- and Multi-Beneficiary).’

Note: The ERC also considers nominations of retired academics to serve as experts. See the EACEA page on working experts for information and links.

Fellowships

Retired staff are often eligible to apply for Research or Teaching Fellowships abroad. Non-discrimination policy in the US tends to mean that senior researchers are not precluded on the grounds of age.  

Some examples of bodies which accept applications from retired staff:

The Fulbright Commission welcomes applications from retired staff ‘As long as the scholar can outline the value of the research and how it will be disseminated and shared on return.’ (Response to email, 16 June 2014).

The National Humanities Center, North Carolina offers 40 Fellowships each year for the period September to May, and encourages applications from senior researchers, including emeriti. (Response to email, 14 June 2014).

EURIAS, the network of European Institutes for Advanced Studies, states that there is no age distinction for its Fellowships. See its eligibility requirements.

Emeritus Fellowships targeted at retired researchers are offered by some universities, though many are restricted to former staff, or to residents of the UK (Leverhulme Trust Emeritus Fellowships) or the US. 

Grants in aid of publication

University of Galway Publication Fund

Retired staff are eligible to apply.

NUI Publications Scheme

This is restricted to ‘members of staff, both full-time and part-time’, and postdoctoral fellows.

Media Directory

The University of Galway Media Directory, maintained by the Marketing and Communications Office, ‘is designed to give those working in the media an overview of the extent of expertise available in the University. The directory lists staff who are willing, when possible, to speak on the area which they have expertise.’

For details about the Media Directory and about how to update your profile, click here or contact the Marketing and Communications Office.

VOLUNTEERING

University of Galway’s retired staff often use their skills and life-time experiences to help others. Some also choose to make donations to particular causes, for example to local and national charities, or the University's work, through the Galway University Foundation. Many have been active before retirement as fundraisers or supporting student volunteering in University of Galway. The University plays a supportive role in the city and region, engaging with NGOs, industry, small businesses, schools, and individuals.

The voluntary support of university staff when they retire can make a real difference in the region and further afield.

Nearly 1 billion people throughout the world volunteer time to support their community, their neighbours or more generally to give their time freely for the common good. Studies have shown that volunteering benefits volunteers of all ages – see, for instance, Volunteer Ireland’s 2017 survey of volunteers in Ireland ‘The impact of volunteering on the health and well-being of the volunteer’.

·      Volunteering in Ireland

Over 1 million people in Ireland volunteer each year (according to CSO 2013 QNHS). Volunteerism increased during the pandemic. An Ipsos MRBI survey in late 2020 found that three-quarters of the population had volunteered their time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March. Recognizing the value of volunteerism, in December 2020 the Government launched its National Volunteering Strategy 2021-2025.

Short-and long-term needs for volunteers are listed by Volunteer Ireland, the National Volunteer Development Agency and a support body for Volunteer Centres (VCs) and Volunteering Information Services in Ireland. It works with over 30 local VCs in Ireland, including those in Galway, Sligo, Roscommon, Ballina, Castlebar, Ennis and Limerick. During the pandemic many VCs operated virtually.

Volunteering can take different forms that suit your interests and availability. You can volunteer without leaving home through ‘vitual volunteering’ or even through ‘phyical volunteering’, by producing needed items. You can be involved in ‘micro-volunteering’, offering once-off or short-term support. Activities that regularly feature are gardening/conservation; event stewardship; IT support; graphic design; shop, office, art gallery or library assistance; sports supervision; accountancy; quilting; rescuing seals; acting as a safety officer or as an official photographer; bus driving; mentoring; befriending… 

I-Vol is where you can find the opportunities that suit you best. You can search on a county-by-county basis, or according to your preferred causes or activities, or time available, etc. In February 2022, within 50km of Galway there were 78 opportunities, ranging from few hours’ work to longer-term commitments.

·       Volunteering abroad

Comhlámh, the Irish Association of Development Workers and Volunteers, lists many approved international volunteering organizations: see their Volops directory. See also their Code of Good Practice for volunteer sending agencies for links to resources.

Many international volunteering programmes have an age limit but others encourage older volunteers.

The EU, for example, has a programme of humanitarian aid which accepts retired people as volunteers. See the EU Aid Volunteers site for information and links. Vacancies, when published, remain on the site for at least a month. ‘Candidates can be newcomers willing to gain experience in the humanitarian sector; experts in any field connected to humanitarian aid; or retired citizens who want to help out with their acquired knowledge.’ (ECHO factsheet, EU Aid Volunteers). 

Another organisation which specifically offers International Volunteer Opportunities for Seniors is Projects Abroad, a US organization with European contacts.

Similarly GoEco, which mainly undertakes ecological projects, encourages older volunteers. See their page on Senior Volunteering.

NGOabroad engages volunteers ‘of all ages – from Gap Year to retirees/ Boomers’ and makes particular provision for volunteers in their 50s, 60s or 70s.

Women on the road notes that ‘As long as you’re healthy – and yes, that does seem to be a requirement in most though not all cases – even volunteering at 60, 70 or beyond is becoming easier every day.’ It provides advice to older volunteers, including guidance on ethical issues, and lists a number of senior-friendly organizations. Among these it includes Volunteer Abroad, Global Service Corps, Road Scholar, Transitions Abroad. Some, such as Elderhostel/Road Scholar or Transitions Abroad, are geared to ‘voluntourism’ where the objective is a working holiday.

See too the Volunteer Forever website.

EIL intercultural learning, an Irish not-for-profit organisation supporting local projects in Ireland and abroad, although mainly involved with students and youth groups, accepts retired volunteers.