Megan never planned to become a dispensing optician. Now she’s on course to become fully qualified in a professional career. She applied for a job at Specsavers Fox Valley practice in Sheffield in her year out before going to university. She had planned to study forensic science. “I had no idea what working at an opticians involved as I’d never had an eye test myself,” Megan says. She quickly realised she’d found her passion. “As I grew more comfortable with…
If you are into fashion, love caring for people, or working on a busy shop floor, there’s a future for you in eyecare. Don’t assume you need top grades in maths – you may have other, more important skills. Becoming an optical assistant is a great place to start. Employers often feel that a flair for customer service and being willing to learn can be more important than exam results. Responsibilities You’ll be responsible for welcoming people and helping them…
The Spectacle Makers’ Charity has opened its bursary application scheme for the current academic year to help students on apprenticeships, degree and diploma courses. These must be in optometry, dispensing, orthoptics or allied eye care subjects. Ophthalmic nurses and clinical technicians are also eligible. People can apply for financial support if they are on a recognised course at Level 4 or above which is designed to lead directly to a career in eye health. This includes: apprenticeships in ophthalmic clinical support…
Becoming a dispensing optician or optometrist gives you a range of options for your career. Some people may enjoy the clinical side of the role, while others may like to focus on management and retail. If you would like to have control over all aspects of the business, have you thought about running your own optical practice? You can discover more about running a practice at the ABDO Become an Independent Optician twilight session. This event is free of charge…
If you are still at school or college you may want to know more about which careers offer flexible ways to work. There are plenty of ways to work flexibly when you work in eyecare, and in this article we look at being a locum. A locum is a stand-in for a regular member of staff. You can find locum doctors, optometrists and opticians. Nurses, support workers and health care assistants can also work flexibly. You might hear about working…
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,…
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…
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…
Thomas Gluyas is an apprentice optical assistant, training with Woodspeen. Read on for his tips for successful online learning while you are an apprentice. Make sure your computer is charged, you don’t want to drop out halfway through a lesson.Make sure you’ve always got a glass of water with you so you don’t get dehydrated.Choose somewhere quiet where you are comfortable for your lesson. You will learn more in an environment where you are not distracted.Try not to treat it…
Thomas Gluyas is an apprentice optical assistant. Read on to find out more about his working week! PLUS: Check out Careers In Eyecare for more inspiration. Every Monday I receive a two-and-a-half-hour online lesson on a topic related to the optical industry. These topics have been appropriate to the level of knowledge I had at the time and have progressed week on week. For example earlier lessons included the patient journey and good record keeping whereas a recent lesson was…