Maybe it’s her specifically requesting a retired person to assist that seems choosy to people? No, that's not it. OOP could have requested anyone, but it's basically the fact that people's time and skills are valuable and she's essentially acting like she's doing them the favor by offering them something to do. Whether someone comes over to do the job themselves or comes over to teach you, that's something that deserves payment. OOP absolutely is looking for a freebie.