How Specsavers helps you get the qualifications you want

'It's the feeling of pride in achieving my ambitions'

People think of Specsavers as just an optician, but it’s so much bigger than that. There’s so much opportunity here. I started working at Specsavers while I was studying Optometry at uni. I needed to find a job to help with my student loan. So, I walked into my local Specsavers, got an interview and started a few days later. It was a big store and gave me a solid grounding in how everything works. After my degree, they offered me the pre-reg position and once I passed the final assessment, I started as an Optometrist in the same store. I haven’t looked back since.

Part of a supportive family

At the start, I wanted to develop myself as a better clinician and to learn about different eye conditions. In terms of my future, I had partnership on my radar. I set out to gain experience within the retail side and learn how the business worked. I’ve taken on about ten qualifications since I joined, including modules from the Wales Optometry Postgraduate Education Centre (WOPEC) and the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM).Specsavers have supported every single one of them, either through funding, giving me the time to study or go on courses. They’ve never doubted me.

The opportunity to change lives

During the pandemic, I was the Optometrist who remained in the store to do emergency tests. We went from being a team of around sixty to just four. There were some special moments during that time that which I’ll never forget. One day, there was a customer with a fly stuck in his eye. He’d been cycling through a woodland area when it had flown in. Luckily, he was already a customer and knew what we were capable of. I removed the fly, and we realised it was about the size of a thumbnail, which is pretty big. He was very lucky as it could have become infected.

My path to partnership

After that, I became lead optometrist in a new store set to open. That became my project for the Pathway programme, which is the route into Partnership for Specsavers employees. I was able to show how we opened the store during unprecedented times, developed a team and succeeded. I went through the pathway and applied for a small store in Towcester. That was when I got a call from a childhood friend of mine who also worked for Specsavers. We’d often talked about going into business together and he’d heard of a new opportunity. We pitched for it together and got it. So now, I’m the Optometry Director and he’s Retail Partner in Newark. We have moments where we smile at each other, because we’ve talked about this so many times. It feels so satisfying to finally be here.

Supporting the next generation of Optometrists

Now, I’m involved in the business and work as an optometrist, but my role is more about developing others than myself. I’m supporting with the pre-reg academy to facilitate their learning, and I’m an assessor for WOPEC too – which were some of the first qualifications I did. There are so many moments in my career where I've looked up to someone in Specsavers and they've supported me. I feel proud to know that I can look back and see the route I’ve taken. Now it’s my turn to use my experience and position to help others get where they want to be.