JUMP TO CONTENT

"I'm just happier in this role" - Ella's career story

Written byNatassia Gunn
Posting date: 18 Aug 2025

"Home visits is refreshing, it’s fulfilling, and I wouldn’t go back.”


Meet Ella

Ella Helliwell lives in a quiet village in Cheshire with her husband and their cat, Rosie. After moving away for university, she’s now back in the area she grew up in- close to family and surrounded by countryside. When she’s not working, she’s planning her next trip (Thailand and Vietnam are next on the list), exploring European cities on long weekends, or enjoying time at home cooking, reading and sketching. During our chat, I described them as wholesome hobbies. 
“I did used to just dread going in. Being in a test room every day just wasn’t for me.”

It was a friend who first mentioned home visits, and the idea stuck. Ella reached out to Specsavers and arranged a shadow day with the Warrington Home Visits team.

She’s also an optometrist. And after several years working in store with Vision Express, she found herself craving something different.

A new direction

“I loved the shadow day, and I was like, yeah, that’s it- I’m going to move to Home Visits.”

At the time, Warrington’s home visits business was just getting started, so there wasn’t a role available. Ella took a position with another home visits provider, knowing that home visits was the direction she wanted to go. But Specsavers had already made an impression.

“When Lesley from the recruitment team got back in touch about a role that came up in October, I initially said I was happy where I was. But after chatting to Charlotte again, the Optom Director at Warrington, and being reminded about the team feel and the support, my head was turned.”

“It’s a proper team effort”

Ella joined the Specsavers Home Visits team in Warrington in January 2025. One of the first things she noticed was how different the setup felt. “At my previous role, you’re on your own all day. You do the eye test and the dispense all by yourself- it’s a lot.”

Now, she’s part of a team. There’s an optical assistant by her side, local schedulers who know the area, and business directors who are always on hand and happy to help.

“Everything runs so easily, so efficiently. The optical assistant is sat on the laptop while I do history and symptoms, they write it all up, I do my test, hand over, and head off to the next person.”


Local routes, better balance

Even working with a smaller, local patch has made a big difference to Ella’s day-to-day. “The furthest commute I do at the moment is about 40 minutes- and that’s not even every day.” 

She’s also dropped to four days a week and gets Saturday to Monday off, which works perfectly with her love of travel. “I’m earning more than I was before, and I’ve got more time for myself. It’s made a massive difference.”


“You get to know your colleagues”

Specsavers has been supporting optometrists for over 40 years. From its first store in 1984 to being ranked the 16th best place to work in the world, the business has always been built on care- for patients and for its people. Ella says that culture is something she felt from the start.

“Even before I officially started, Charlotte invited me to the Christmas event. We’ve done Easter events, meals out as a team- it’s been good.” Having a local office and colleagues nearby has helped her feel part of something bigger. “You get to know your colleagues, which you don’t get in other places. It makes a big difference.”

Growing with confidence

Since joining, Ella’s completed her post-cataract qualification and is thinking about further clinical development in medical retina. “Charlotte and Johnny have been great. We did a halfway probation review, and they asked if there was any further training I wanted. They’re easy to talk to.” 

She’s happy in her current role but knows there are opportunities ahead with Specsavers if she wants them. “If I wanted to do something else, the option is there. But I do feel happy in this role now.”

“Just do a shadow day”

For optometrists thinking about a change to home visits, Ella has one piece of advice: try a shadow day. “Home visits is quite a Marmite thing. A lot of optoms say, ‘I couldn’t think of anything worse.’ But if you’re thinking about it, just do a shadow day. See what you think.”


Sounds good, right?

Why not chat with our recruitment team and see where a career in home visits could take you?

We offer a paid interview experience- a chance to meet the team, get a feel for the role, and see how we support people in their own homes. It’s the perfect way to try it out, no strings attached.

Interested?

Get in touch
Written byNatassia Gunn
List #1

#FeelsLikeSpecsavers

Celebrating National Payroll Week

Teaser

Support Office

Content Type

Blog

Publish date

08/29/2025

Summary

Celebrating National Payroll WeekPayroll might happen behind the scenes, but it’s at the heart of every organisation. Our Payroll Services team is a mix of problem-solvers, people champions, and proce

Teaser

Read more
Mike Davidson

by

Mike Davidson

Mike Davidson

by

Mike Davidson

Shaping the future of optometry, one conversation at a time

Teaser

Optometry

Content Type

Blog

Publish date

08/27/2025

Summary

Rachel Pointon’s career in optometry has been anything but linear—and that’s exactly what makes it so inspiring. From hospital clinics to high-performing stores, from mentoring pre-regs to influencin

Teaser

Read more
"The most fulfilling part of my role is having the time to connect with patients"

Teaser

Optometry

Content Type

Blog

Publish date

08/27/2025

Summary

Hi, I’m Alan 👋 I grew up on the southside of Glasgow and I’m currently the Lead Optometrist at Specsavers in Sauchiehall Street. How did I get here? To be honest, I was never entirely sure that op

Teaser

Read more
Mike Davidson

by

Mike Davidson

Mike Davidson

by

Mike Davidson

From law to lenses: Hannan Qureshi’s story

Teaser

Optometry

Content Type

Blog

Publish date

08/22/2025

Summary

From law to lenses: Hannan Qureshi’s story After years in the legal profession, Hannan Qureshi has made a bold career switch to follow his passion - becoming the new Retail Director at Specsavers Shep

Teaser

Read more
“I’ve found my place here.”: Daniel's story

Teaser

Home Visits

Content Type

Blog

Publish date

08/22/2025

Summary

“I’ve found my place here.” Meet Daniel – Optometrist, Specsavers Home Visits Manchester Daniel Morgans didn’t follow the usual path into optometry. His early career included everything from call cent

Teaser

Read more
A career shaped by experience- and instinct: Sara's story

Teaser

Home Visits

Content Type

Blog

Publish date

08/22/2025

Summary

A career shaped by experience- and instinct When Saraneeya Sivathas joined Specsavers as an Optical Assistant during her BioMed degree, she had no idea that a part-time job would spark a whole new car

Teaser

Read more
Coming full circle but with a different lens!

Teaser

Optometry

Content Type

Blog

Publish date

08/15/2025

Summary

Parth Shah, Lead Clinical Performance Consultant (CPC), qualified as an optometrist at Specsavers in 2003. Since then, his journey has taken him from the clinic to the classroom, the boardroom, and ev

Teaser

Read more
“I believe that we're not just Specsavers - we are lifesavers.”

Teaser

Optometry

Content Type

Blog

Publish date

07/28/2025

Summary

A career begins with a life-changing moment When Mahnoor Khan joined Specsavers Norton as a pre-reg optometrist, she never imagined her clinical training would be put to the test in such a personal an

Teaser

Read more
Deepali Modha’s unconventional career journey

Teaser

Optometry

Content Type

Blog

Publish date

07/25/2025

Summary

When Deepali Modha first qualified as an Optometrist, she never imagined her career would one day take her far beyond the test room. But over the years, she’s carved out a path that’s as inspiri

Teaser

Read more
“Keep at it”: Louise’s 14-year journey from optics to audiology.

Teaser

Audiology

Content Type

Blog

Publish date

07/23/2025

Summary

When Louise Turton first joined Specsavers in Coventry back in 2011, she wasn’t chasing a dream career - she needed a job. “I’d recently moved to the area and wanted something stable,” she says. “I di

Teaser

Read more
View more jobs
List #1

Selected jobs for you

Dispensing Optician

Salary

£34,000

Location

Rugby, East Midlands, United Kingdom

Store ID

0061

Contract Duration

Permanent

Area of Interest

Dispensing Optician

Locations

Rugby

Description

Dispensing Optician Whether you’ve just qualified or already have experience and looking for a new challenge, our Dispensing Optician role could be just right for you.As long as you’re a friendly face

Reference

sf-84160-1

Expiry Date

01/01/0001

Chantelle Harris View job
Dispensing Optician

Salary

up to £38,000 per annum

Location

Manchester, North West, United Kingdom

Store ID

0180

Contract Duration

Permanent

Area of Interest

Dispensing Optician

Locations

Manchester

Description

 Position:  Dispensing OpticianLocation: Arndale, ManchesterSalary: Base salary up to £40,000 per annum (Dependent on experience)  Working Hours: Full-Time or Part-Time (9:00-6:00pm Monday to Saturday

Reference

sf-83950-1

Expiry Date

01/01/0001

View job
Optometrist

Salary

£45,000

Location

Ripon, North East, United Kingdom

Store ID

0740

Contract Duration

Permanent

Area of Interest

Optometrist

Locations

Ripon

Description

We’re looking for a hard-working, passionate Optometrist ready to provide our customers with the best eyecare in the business. At Specsavers Ripon, you’ll join a community focused team full of people

Reference

sf-83836-1

Expiry Date

01/01/0001

Leah Khalfan

Author

Leah Khalfan
View job
View more jobs