The many paths you can take at Specsavers

'Specsavers guided me down a career path I didn't know I wanted.' 

I started at Specsavers 12 years ago when I was just 16 through an apprenticeship, but I never actually originally thought about joining the Specsavers team. I’d left school and tried out college but didn’t really know what I wanted to do, so I got in contact with an external, apprenticeship company – before Specsavers had their own apprenticeships. I was told about a job role, handed in my CV, had the interview on a Saturday then started work at Specsavers on the Monday. It all happened so quickly but it’s now opened up so much for my career. 

A progression story to be proud of

My Specsavers story began with a year-long customer service-focused NVQ apprenticeship, which led me to be taken on full-time once it was completed. I started off doing clinical roles with the practice such as pre-registration and pre-screening for a year or two, then moved onto reception for a year, followed by dispensing for a couple of years. 

Throughout my time in dispensing, I completed my Cert 3 and 4, which are more advanced dispensing qualifications that Specsavers offers. After I completed these, I then decided I wanted to continue on with my progression and complete the FBDO (Fellow British Dispensing Optician) qualification. This was a 3-year Ophthalmic dispensing course, which resulted in me becoming a qualified dispensing optician. I knew I still wanted to take my career even further, so started a content lens optician (CLO) course. While I’m still in the process of completing this, after a few more exams I should be a qualified CLO.

I’ve done a lot in my 12 years here and am really proud of my journey so far, but once I’ve got this next qualification, I’m ready to stay in this role for a while. I’ve got no plans of leaving my Specsavers family, but after years of progression, I think I’m laying my studying hat down and giving myself a well-deserved break! 

Support, opportunities, training and more…

In my experience on multiple courses across multiple roles, I’ve found Specsavers have been really generous at giving me the time to get my assignments done, or take part in revision courses. No matter what I need help with, there’s always been someone to go through things with me. They’ve been really supportive and generous throughout the store and for that I’m incredibly grateful. Since starting at 16 I’ve grown up here, and my colleagues have been there through it all with me. We’ve got a really solid team and a great level of support in store, everyone is so close and always willing to help and always wanting each other to do well. 

It's the support and my team, as well as the great opportunities Specsavers have to offer that have made me stay here. You always know that you have a career path ahead of you, no matter what you want to do here. There’s always the opportunity to do more if you wanted to, but you’re never pressured into doing anything extra. There’s room for growth if you want it, and you’ll be supported to do what you feel comfortable doing. 

When I first started working here, I didn’t realise the different job roles Specsavers had on offer, and the different career paths you could head down. It’s not just glasses and retail, there’s audiology, contact lenses, home visits etc. so there’s a lot more to it than you’d actually think. It’s such a big company but they do so much for you as an individual. From events to training to new technology and products, we’re always improving together.