Are you stuck in a role that isn’t right for you? Do you feel unfulfilled – trapped in a career you chose years ago but is no longer satisfying? Maybe it’s time to make a move.
Eyecare is a field that welcomes career changers. Skills gained in other areas are often transferable, such as customer service or communication, and the extra maturity gained by people who have plenty of experience can be a real asset to employers.
The government says the UK will need over 1.2 million health and social care professionals, including opticians, on top of 1 million doctors and nurses, by 2035. And people looking for a second or third career are in demand.
For instance, one of the biggest nationwide businesses, Specsavers, has apprenticeships open to mature workers – anyone aged over 16. The firm says some of the courses can be shorter if you have previous experience. Meet Richard, a career changer and apprentice optical assistant, to find out more.
Eyecare offers a huge variety of roles, in all sorts of different settings. From hospital-based clinical roles, to managing a high street practice. International businesses to small, local firms where you’ll know everyone’s name. On the road, travelling between different clients, to working from home in a self-employed or corporate role.
So if you are feeling in need of a new direction, how can you find your next challenge? The National Careers Service offers a free careers and skills assessment to help you figure out what motivates you and what you can do with the skills you already have. You can even speak to a careers adviser about your results if you are in England. For Scotland see here. For Wales it’s Careers Wales and if you are in Northern Ireland visit the careers service.
Explore this site to find out about different roles in eyecare with our careers guide – everything from dispensing optician and optometrist to sales rep or lens designer.
Try our Day in the Life features – have a look around our articles and search for “Day in the Life” to see what it’s really like to be anything from a lens manufacturer to an eye clinic liaison officer.
You can do more research into different careers with the National Careers Service.You can find different free courses, anything from personal wellbeing to professional growth and development. Or explore how to retrain if you want to move into a completely different field and need new qualifications.
Once you’ve done some research into the different careers available and how your skills match – or what training you’d need – think about approaching employers for work experience or shadowing. It’s not just for teenagers! You could ask a local optical store whether you can spend a day with them to find out what it’s like.
There’s lots of help available to work out your next move. Good luck!
Find out more
- Explore the Careers in Eyecare careers guide to see the variety of careers available in the optical sector.
- Take a look at the National Careers Service for advice and inspiration
- Think about trying out a new field with our tips on How to find work experience.