Discover Audiology

Try virtual work experience

Tune into your future with our brand-new Virtual Work Experience Programme. This interactive experience gives you a behind-the-scenes look at what really happens at Specsavers, and the people who make it all work. Get introduced to how hearing works and what it's like to support audiology patients with their hearing. You'll explore real-life examples, take part in quick activities, and learn how to talk about hearing in a clear, confident, and caring way.

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Welcome to the world of hearing

Have you ever wondered why you get dizzy when you spin around too much? Or why some young people can hear sounds that older people can’t? If you’re curious about hearing and how the ear works, a career in audiology could be a great choice for you.

What is Audiology?

Audiology is the study of hearing. It’s a health care profession, just like being a doctor, nurse or physiotherapist. And it’s all about caring for the health of people’s ears, helping them with hearing loss or their balance.

What kind of roles are there?

Audiologist
Audiologists examine the ears and test people's hearing. They diagnose, manage and treat problems with the ear, hearing or balance. To become an Audiologist, you’ll need a degree in Healthcare Sciences Audiology from university. Typically, you need three A-Levels at grades AAB with at least one science subject.

Hearing Aid Dispensers
Hearing Aid Dispensers can check the health of people's ears, identify any hearing loss and programme hearing aids. To become a Hearing Aid Dispenser, you will take the Level 5 (higher) apprenticeship in England as an apprentice HAD or the trainee Hearing Aid Dispenser role (foundation degree) in Scotland, Wales and Ireland. For entry onto either of these courses, you’ll need a Level 3 qualification e.g., BTEC Health and Social Care, T-level or A-level Science and GCSEs in English, Maths and a Science. Applicants aged over 19 can be accepted with relevant science-related work experience, without a Level 3 qualification.

Audiology Practitioners
(Trainee) Audiology Practitioners know how to fit and programme hearing aids, and they help people to learn how to use them. They are also trained in triage and repair and wax removal. This is an entry-level role, involves training on-the-job and is open to anyone ideally with GCSEs in English, Maths or Science subjects.

Home visits team
Our Home Visits Audiologists, Hearing Aid Dispensers and Trainee/Audiology Practitioners are there to help the most vulnerable in society. They visit people to offer hearing care from the comfort of their own homes.

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What skills do you need?

We’re still learning new things about our ears and the technology we use is always advancing. So, it helps if you’re interested in science, curious about the future and love to keep learning. And because hearing loss can leave people feeling disconnected, you’ll also be the kind of person who wants to help. So, communication skills and a caring attitude go a long way.

Where to begin

Want to find out more? You could in touch with your local store to arrange a visit with your parents. Or to ask about our work experience programme, where we can show you what it’s like working in Audiology. We also offer apprenticeship and trainee roles for anyone looking for a way into the industry after school or college.

Show me trainee roles

Frequently asked questions

Learn more about working in audiology.

Audiology FAQs

Anyone! As long as you have the right degree, demonstrate our values and behaviours, and are ready to make a difference, you can become an audiologist.

The career opportunities at Specsavers are incredibly varied. From on-the-job training to help you excel, to working towards other roles such as Clinical Supervisor or Clinical Lead. You could even learn more about optical careers too. And, if business-ownership is a dream of yours, you have the chance to own and run your own Specsavers business with our incredible joint venture partnership. The opportunities for progression are (almost) endless.

To become an HCPC registered Hearing Aid Dispenser, you must complete an HCPC accredited course. This could be a Foundation Degree in Audiology or a BSc in Audiology. To be accepted onto a university course, you’ll need to be employed in the Audiology field, we can help you here by offering employment to those wishing to go down the Foundation Degree route.

Yes. Because our stores run both private and NHS clinics, we need our Audiologists to be registered with the Health and Care Professions Council. If you’ve completed a degree that isn’t HCPC accredited, you’ll need to complete the aptitude test currently offered at both University College South Devon Southampton University, University of Sunderland and Queen Margaret University.

The Foundation Degree in Audiology lasts only 2 years, and the BSc Healthcare Sciences (Audiology) lasts 3. For the Foundation Degree you need to be in full time employment, and you’ll get to earn while you learn. There are also opportunities for sponsorship for you to complete this Foundation Degree. For the BSc however, you’ll need to be in full time study and fund the degree, which you can do with a student loan.

Yes, we do! We've recently launched a brand new 18-month programme for qualified audiologists to build their skills as a clinician but also develop as a leader. You can learn more here.

As Specsavers is a joint venture partnership, salaries and benefits can vary from store to store. We think that’s a pretty good thing because it means each store is responsible for paying their people what they’re worth, rather than having to stick to rigid salary structures.

If you want to learn more about a career in audiology our virtual work experience is a great place to start. You can sign up here. Alternatively, you could pop into your local store to find out more!