What eyecare jobs are there for school leavers?

If you are leaving school this summer, it is a great time to think about your options. You may want to go on to further education or higher education, but you might want to get a job. There are a number of roles for young people working in eyecare. Becoming an optical assistant is a great place to start. This is a good role for you if you like working with people. You could also be interested in fashion, technology,…

Careers in Eyecare – working in management

If you are early in your career, have you thought about management as an option for you? Whilst many people will tell you that experience is key, and it certainly is important, there are ways that you can train towards a management role. The first thing to consider is what type of management role you may want and be well suited to. There are opportunities at different levels. Think about which areas you would like to learn more about and…

Day in the life … DO and business owner Jim

What do you start with every day? I start with a healthy breakfast and see my family off to school or work. I then jump in the car and start my commute to work. During my drive to work, I will often have a call with Dan Pederson, my business partner to discuss the previous day’s activity across our group of practices and discuss any pressing matters ahead. When I get to the practice, we start the day by having…

Is a traineeship for you?

Would you like to do an apprenticeship or get a job, but need more skills and experience? A traineeship could be just what you need. In this article from Careers in Eyecare, you can find out more about traineeships, if one is right for you and how to get started. A traineeship is a skills development programme that includes a work placement. It can last from 6 weeks up to 1 year (although most will last for less than 6…

Day in the life … Eye Care Champion Lance

Lance works for a charity called SeeAbility as an Eye Care Champion in London. Read on to find out about what the role is all about. I work with my Champion co-workers to promote eye care for people with learning disabilities and autism. People with learning disabilities are 10 times more likely to have a serious sight problem than other people. Despite this, many people with learning disabilities are still not receiving the eye care they need.   What do you…

Choose a career with a pathway

There are lots of careers and it can be hard to know where to start when making choices. One thing to look out for is a career with a pathway that will allow you to start work, gain experience and take qualifications so you can progress. Working in eyecare, there are a range of entry level jobs that allow you to earn and learn at the same time. You could start as an optical assistant or lab technician. There are…

Day in the life … clinical technician Lyndon

Lyndon Bird SMc(Tech) is a clinical technician at TKS Optometrists. His role in the practice is to provide diagnostic tests requested by the optometrist for each patient. Read on to discover more about what Lyndon does each day. I start the day by unlocking the practice, switching on all the machines in the diagnostics suite. I print off the clinic lists and go through each patient one by one to plan what diagnostic procedures are required. I then maximise the…

Careers Award for ABDO

For the second year running, the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO) has won an award for its Careers in Eyecare campaign from Youth Employment UK. ABDO is the winner of the Creating Opportunity #YouthFriendlyEmployer Award. The award was presented on 7 December by the Minister for Employment, Mims Davies MP, in an online ceremony, at the Youth Employment UK Youth Friendly Employer Awards. Laura-Jane RawlingsMims Davies MP Laura-Jane Rawlings CEO of Youth Employment commented, “ABDO has provided opportunities for…

Is an apprenticeship right for me?

Are you considering an apprenticeship? In this post the team from Woodspeen Training outline everything you need to know. What is an apprenticeship? An apprenticeship is a training course within a vocational setting.  What this means is that you get to ‘earn while you learn’.  An apprenticeship placement means you are doing the job whilst you are formally learning all about what that job entails, hopefully leading to a qualification at the end of the course. “The online learning is…