Taking your career to the next level
Our Early Career Optometry (ECO) program is designed for optometrists in the third and fourth years of their optometry career who are looking to grow their personal and clinical skills.
It’s a holistic program offering clinical and non-clinical development opportunities that allows you to tailor your own personal and professional growth with the support of your store partners.
Opportunities include clinical training, voluntary work, and upskilling in short courses, as well as non-clinical opportunities such as financial advice and information, networking events, mentoring and developing leadership skills.
Grow your clinical skills
As part of the ECO Program, you can access a range of clinical development programs to gain valuable CPD hours. We also offer opportunities to undertake outreaches in New Zealand and Fiji through the Fred Hollows Foundation and Lions Eyes for Sight.
Grow personally
You’ll have opportunities to grow personally as part of the ECO program. There’s a wealth of learning opportunities and resources covering everything from financial wellbeing to presentation skills along with opportunities to work with patient support bodies supporting patients in our communities.
Find support every day
A key part of our ECO offering is our dedicated mentoring program. Bringing together ECOs and senior optometrists, our mentoring program will help you build strong relationships with experienced leaders. In-region ECO networking events help to strengthen important relationships across our ECO community. Your mentor will learn about you and help you set up career development pathways that are tailored to your needs and interests.
Specsavers Named 2nd Best Workplace in New Zealand for a second year
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Teaser
Life at SpecsaversContent Type
BlogPublish date
10/21/2026
Summary
Specsavers has again been officially recognised again as one of Australia’s Best Workplaces™ for 2026 by Great Place to Work®, ranking number 2 in the national Top 10 in the large business category.
Woo Sung's journey as a graduate in Dunedin
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Teaser
Support OfficeContent Type
BlogPublish date
10/21/2026
Summary
When it came to finding his first professional optometry job, Woo Sung knew exactly where he ‘should’ be going – Specsavers! And all because of an internship he completed at Specsavers while studying
Kevin Natali shares his graduate experience
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Teaser
Support OfficeContent Type
Tst BlogPublish date
10/21/2026
Summary
When it came to launching his optometry career, Kavin Natali always knew that he wanted to work in a rural location so that he could develop his skills at a faster pace. After completing his graduate
Specsavers Clinical Conference celebrates 15 years of advancing eye care
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Teaser
OptometryContent Type
BlogPublish date
09/24/2026
Summary
1000 optometrists, ophthalmologists, industry experts and suppliers from across Australia and New Zealand gathered on the Gold Coast this weekend for the 15th annual Specsavers Clinical Conference (SC
Specsavers 2026 Excellence Award Winners Announced
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Teaser
OptometryContent Type
BlogPublish date
09/24/2026
Summary
Specsavers Australia and New Zealand proudly celebrated the winners of its four prestigious clinical awards at the Specsavers Clinical Conference (SCC) on the Gold Coast this weekend, recognising outs
Specsavers Audiology Continues to be Recognised for Trusted Service in Australia and New Zealand
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Teaser
Life at SpecsaversContent Type
BlogPublish date
03/24/2026
Summary
Specsavers has been awarded a Highly Commended title in the Audiology Services category in the 26th Annual Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Brands survey, reinforcing its reputation as a trusted provide
Specsavers Clinches Most Trusted Optometry Brand Title for the Seventh Consecutive Year
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Teaser
Life at SpecsaversContent Type
BlogPublish date
02/24/2026
Summary
Specsavers has once again secured its place as the Most Trusted Optometry Brand in both Australia and New Zealand, as recognised by Reader’s Digest Magazine in the 26th Annual Most Trusted Brands sur
Specsavers awarded Gold at the 2026 Quality Service Awards
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Teaser
Life at SpecsaversContent Type
BlogPublish date
11/06/2025
Summary
Specsavers has once again been recognised for its outstanding customer service, taking home Gold in the Optometry category in both New Zealand and Australia at the Reader’s Digest 2026 Quality Service
Specsavers New Zealand Ranked Second on Inaugural Best Workplaces List
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Teaser
Support OfficeContent Type
BlogPublish date
09/22/2025
Summary
Specsavers has been officially recognised as one of New Zealand’s Best Workplaces™ ranking second on the list for medium to large businesses for 2025.Great Place to Work®, the global authority on work
Future-Focused: Strengthening Clinical Placements at Specsavers
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Teaser
Early careersContent Type
BlogPublish date
09/08/2025
Summary
At Specsavers, we are deeply committed to nurturing the next generation of optometrists through our Clinical Placement Program. This initiative provides students in the final stages of their optometry