What your skills can lead to at Specsavers?

From India to the UK to Specsavers 

Hiral: I’ve been working with Specsavers since October 2022 so over a year now. This isn’t my first time as an audiologist, however; I studied my bachelor’s degree in India then completed my masters in Southampton, working as an audiologist between the two. We moved to the North and I was looking for jobs, but knew I needed a Healthcare Professional Council (HCPC) registration to be able to essentially test private patients, and dispense hearing aids. After multiple no’s, I was approached by Specsavers, had my interview and got the job, with Specsavers saying they’d sponsor my HCPC registration. They were really flexible and wanted me for my skills, not just my qualifications.

Abhishek: I also completed my bachelor’s degree in India at the same university as Hiral. I then worked in a private hearing aid company and gained experience for approximately a year. We then got married, and came to the UK. While Hiral was pursuing her master’s in Southampton, I worked as a Locum Audiologist in NHS Hospitals for about 8 months, but wasn’t allowed to do hearing aid dispensing at the time because I wasn’t registered in the UK. This led me to choose to complete my master’s at the University of Manchester. During my studies, I applied for an HCPC registration in January 2023 and got registered in April2023.

Encouraging each other

Hiral: I had already found the job at Specsavers – although in a different store to where Abhishek would end up. I knew the recruiters were concerned about my needs for finding a job that suited me, and worked to help me find the right job at the right location, so I made sure to share my positive experience with Abhishek.

Abhishek: I was already working in the NHS before joining Specsavers so knew what the environment was like and how hearing aid sales and appointments worked, but I wanted to try private because working in hospitals was a bit complicated and busy. So, when I spoke to Hiral about her current experience at Specsavers, that influenced me. I then started looking for a part-time role because Visa restrictions meant I wasn’t allowed to work full-time. The same recruiter who helped Hiral find her job got me an interview with Specsavers Birkenhead, and they gave me a chance to prove my skills and explore my knowledge. I started working flexibly, part-time from May 2023, which accommodated my working hour restrictions of my University Schedule and exam dates. After completing my studies, I started working full time from October 2023.

Private vs. NHS

Hiral: Something that’s different about being here at Specsavers is that we’re giving patients the choice of what they want. If they can afford better quality for their hearing we have a private option, but if they can’t afford it, we can still provide them the NHS service. This means we can help a variety of people get the right care.

Helping people hear life’s little joys

Hiral: Something that’s really satisfying with the job is how people can come in who aren’t necessarily aware they have hearing loss. Their children would say they’ve noticed their mum can’t hear conversations, so bring them in to an appointment. We’d fit them with a hearing aid, then they’d follow up two weeks later explaining how they can hear things like their washing machine jingle when it finishes, or the birds chirping in the garden. Which is beautiful. I’ve had patients be able to speak to their children properly again and have them cry with happiness, so it’s incredibly satisfying.

Abhishek: Taking people from claiming they don’t have hearing loss to having them really feel the difference when they come to us is definitely worth it.

Why Specsavers?

Abhishek: Specsavers have proven themselves as great for international students. For us, they explained how they were going to help from the start, supporting us with visas and everything we required to make sure we could work here. We were also trained and supported from day one of our journey, and are still supported with required training needed to run our clinics independently and confidently at Specsavers.

Hiral: Another thing is that Specsavers know we have our personal lives. They know our holidays are our holidays and they don’t expect us to work when we have time off. Essentially you have your personal life as well as your professional life which makes it incredibly fulfilling. This is the same across the board, most things are common for both of us even though we work in different stores.