Trainee hearing aid dispenser

Optical Assistant apprentices are often the first face a customer sees at their friendly local Specsavers. They'll give advice on styles, take readings, and deal with enquiries and bookings. This is a hands-on role for those who want to get involved in a busy shop.

The optical assistant apprenticeship typically lasts for 15-18 months and is assessed through an exercise at the end of the period. All our apprentices benefit from a qualified apprentice Coach who'll want to see the skills you've developed across the period.

Optical Assistants (level 3 apprenticeship) advise customers on the best suitable frames and lenses depending on their lifestyle and medical requirements, as well as inform them about the proper use and handling of contact lenses. A spectacle technician (level 3 apprenticeship) is mostly a back-room role, producing and repairing spectacles with a high degree of accuracy and quality.

No. In fact, you can't be an apprentice if you have previous experience in the optical world. This way, our apprenticeships stay aimed at those who can get the most out of the programme. Those with previous experience are encouraged to browse other store roles, and see what's suitable for them. You can apply for an apprenticeship straight after your GCSEs or A-Levels, though we welcome applications from people at any stage of life. You'll need GCSE Maths Grade C/4 or above, or an equivalent level qualification. It's important that you're a great listener and communicator, and ready to join a team who thrives in providing great customer service.

Great customer service is central to what we do at Specsavers. As a Customer Service Apprentice, you may be the first person a customer speaks to at their local store, helping the team meet its important targets. You'll refer customers to the appropriate staff member, measure customer satisfaction and make sure the customer has the best possible experience with us.

You'll develop a brilliant customer service, either in one of our stores or through our call centres. You'll develop your written communication, and perfect your phone manner. You'll become a computer whizz, able to navigate Specsavers' state-of-the-art management systems.

You'll receive a salary in a full-time role, with paid holidays. You'll be trained in providing brilliant customer service, and you'll be in a great position to apply for further Specsavers roles. We really highly value retail expertise at all levels, including as co-owning partners in our stores, so a customer service apprenticeship with Specsavers might just be your first step to a great retail career.

No, quite the opposite, this apprenticeship is for someone who has no experience or very little experience in customer service.

Customer service apprenticeships help you develop your people skills while learning how a successful business works. You'll learn to confidently communicate with customers who come to us for our quality, affordable expert care and products. You'll show off our values to the world, treating people with kindness and always going that extra mile. You'll figure out every part of the sales process, working on orders, payments, sales and customer follow-up. And you'll measure customer satisfaction, making sure every part of the store is working to deliver that special Specsavers service. The apprenticeship will also open the door to career opportunities in Specsavers, which you won't necessarily know about. Your managers in store and your apprenticeship coach will be talking you through these options throughout the learning journey.

Hearing aid dispensers and audiologists have lots in common, but while they both cover issues like testing and fitting, audiologists have extra expertise in things like tinnitus (a hearing disorder) and issues around balance.

After a Foundation Degree in Audiology, you’ll become a Registered Hearing Aid Dispenser (RHAD). You may see RHADs use the letters FdSc Aud after their name.

We work with a range of partner campuses and the duration of the apprenticeship varies between them. It will generally take between 18-24 months.

Hearing Aid Dispenser Apprentices will be continually assessed throughout their time on the course. This will include campus-based practical assessments halfway through the course, and at the end. You will have a logbook in-store to record your development on the job, and undertake traditional written exams throughout the course.

You’ll receive a comprehensive support package to put you on the road to career success. Our professional advancement team will make sure your skills are up to the registered clinical standards, while our product team will help you master cutting-edge technology. Our operations team can support you in making the best business decisions, while you’ll have regular catch-ups with a personal tutor to make sure you’re learning in a way that works for you.

To be eligible for the apprenticeship, you’ll need to be over 18. You’ll have a Grade C in English and Maths or equivalent. If English isn’t your first language, you’ll be able to speak to Level 7 of IELTS (International English Language Testing System). You’ll need to be able to work 30 hours a week alongside your studies. We understand that not everyone had a straightforward path through education. In exceptional cases, such as that of older applicants, we may grant exceptions on the need for GCSE qualifications. This would be done on a case-by-case basis in partnership with the provider. That applicant would be required to undergo additional skills assessment as part of the apprenticeship.

The apprenticeship structure varies from campus to campus, but you’ll typically be directly supervised for the first six months of the programme, and then undertake more independent work.

At the end of the Apprenticeship, you’ll be a whizz with customers, guiding them through our stylish, affordable range of life-changing products and finding a payment plan that suits them. You’ll be a hearing aid expert. You’ll also be able to tackle wax-related hearing loss through suction procedures. We care about your career progression. When you finish this apprenticeship, you could consider other opportunities that you may not be aware of, including working in hearing care, becoming a store manager, or developing your skills to be an in-store trainer. This might even be the first step towards Partnership at our hearing hubs.

As a spectacle technician apprentice here, you’ll be responsible for making our products what they are and making life clearer for our customers. From producing customer orders from scratch and interpreting optical prescriptions and drawings, to carrying out testing, adjustments, and fixings of our eyewear, and making sure our materials are up to the highest Specsavers standard.

Take a look above to find out more.

Optical Assistants (Level 3 apprenticeship) are positioned front and centre in our stores, advising customers on the best suitable frames and lenses depending on their lifestyle and medical requirements, and informing them about the proper use and handling of contact lenses.

However, a Spectacle Technician (Level 3 apprenticeship) is mostly a back-room role, producing and repairing spectacles to the highest accuracy and quality.

No. In fact, you can’t actually be an apprentice if you have too much previous experience in the optical world. This way, our apprenticeships are offered to those we know will get the most out of the programme – such as school leavers or people who just want a total career change. Anyone with too much previous experience in this industry is encouraged to take a look at our other store roles and find something more suitable for them and their skill level.

You can apply for an apprenticeship straight after your GCSEs or A-Levels, but we also welcome applications from people at any stage of life. You’ll just need GCSE Maths Grade C/4 or above, or an equivalent level qualification.

While we don’t need you to have experience, you will need to be passionate about helping customers and have great organisational skills. You’ll be joining a team who knows exactly how to provide outstanding products to all our Specsavers customers, and we’ll train you to be part of it.

Both during and at the end of your apprenticeship, complete an End Point assessment where you show us what you’ve learnt through your spectacle technician skills. Head to the Spectacle Technician page to find out more.

We ask that they obtain re-prints, we really don’t want any apprentice sitting tests for qualifications they have already achieved. If they are unable to do this, the Apprenticeship Coach would discuss this on an individual basis.

Dispensing means fulfilling someone’s healthcare prescription. In audiology, this will mean reading someone’s hearing aid prescription and providing them with a hearing aid that fits comfortably and has the right audio settings. In optometry, this will mean reading someone’s glasses or lens prescription and providing them with the right fit and adjustments.

No, in fact quite the opposite! For example, you can’t be an optical apprentice if you have previous experience in the optical world. This way, our apprenticeships stay aimed at those who can get the most out of our programme. Those with previous experience are encouraged to browse our other roles, and see what’s suitable for them. However, some volunteering or general retail experience could help a CV stand out.

Optical Assistants advise customers on the best suitable frames and lenses depending on their lifestyle and medical requirements, as well as inform them about the proper use and handling of contact lenses. A Spectacle Technician is mostly a back-room role, producing and repairing spectacles with a high degree of accuracy and quality.

All our stores and domiciliary (home care) businesses are individually owned, that’s one of the reasons Specsavers is such a great place to work. However, this does mean that the pay for each vacancy can vary, but this will be advertised on the job posting. Throughout the apprenticeship, all apprentices will gain valuable experience as part of a busy team in a nationally-renowned store. They will earn a salary of at least the national minimum, giving them that extra security as they embark on a new path. And our apprentices are entitled to our staff benefits package, including paid holiday of at least 20 days.

For level 2 apprenticeships, If they have achieved a GCSE D or below or equivalent in maths and English they will need to sit Functional Skills.. This is so we can try and improve their grade to a C equivalent. We will prepare them for this during the first 6-7 months of the apprenticeship and only when ready will we book the test. The Level 3 apprenticeship requires grade 4 (A-C) GCSE in maths to pass the apprenticeship. Even if they have achieved Grade 4/ A-C or above in maths and English, as part of the apprenticeship there will be learning to do in these areas, this is to make sure the level is maintained. However, they will not have to sit any tests. At the end of the apprenticeship learning, all apprentices have to sit an End Point Assessment (EPA) This is not a test, and it varies for each of the apprenticeships. For example, for the Spectacle Maker Apprenticeship, there is an observation and a Professional Discussion, this is assessed by an End Point Assessment organisation and they let us know the results up to 12 working days after the EPA has been completed. There is the opportunity to gain a Pass or Distinction and the Apprenticeship team will support the apprentice to achieve their personal goal.

There aren’t many, but there are a few that we need to check so we are setting all of our apprentices up to succeed and to meet government funding requirements. Apprentices need: Grade C/4 (or equivalent) or above in GCSE maths for an optical technician, or hearing aid dispenser apprenticeship Grade D (or equivalent) or above in GSCE maths for Optical Assistant The maths entry requirement is in place for the level 3 apprenticeships due to the level of advanced calculations that are needed to do the actual job. To achieve an apprenticeship, all areas of the standard has to be achieved, this is in place to set all apprentices up to succeed. Apprentices of all ages (16+), except that Hearing Aid Dispensers will be over 18 are encouraged to apply. They will need to have lived in the UK or EU for the last 3 years, and not be on any other apprenticeship or further/higher education programme to meet the requirements for the apprenticeship funding rules. It’s also important that they haven’t already been doing the role they are applying for. The apprenticeship programme builds skills, knowledge and behaviours. If they have some prior experience we will complete a skills check, otherwise known as an initial assessment to see if they are able to gain funding for the apprenticeship.

A lot of the learning is on the job, but apprentices get 4 hours every week away from their day to day role to complete what is known as ‘off the job’ learning. A lot of this can take place when they are shadowing colleagues, attending training sessions and asking questions, but they do need the 4 hours every week to work through the interactive workbooks and e-learning as well as attending virtual workshops. They also have to let us know what they have been learning every week through learning journals. It’s important that apprentices keep up to date with their learning as this will give them all the knowledge they need, to be able to put the skills into practice. The apprenticeship coach will feed back on their progress and look for any areas for additional training and coaching. We are all here to get the apprentices brilliant at their job.

No, all the training takes place in store or in the customers’ homes if the apprentice is in a Domiciliary business. There is no need to attend college.

They will get support from the apprenticeship team and their store or domiciliary team from day one. They will also attend an apprenticeship introduction session within the first two weeks of starting their role, where they’ll meet the apprenticeship team and meet other apprentices starting on the same day across the country. They won’t need to travel as this is all done virtually, technology is a big part of what we do day to day.

The stores and domiciliary teams will give them the training they need day to day and the apprenticeship team work closely with the managers and buddy to look for any areas where they can support with additional coaching or look for opportunities to stretch their development. The apprenticeship team, work colleagues and managers are there to help you with any questions, or if they need reassurance, as we know they are learning. What we do expect though is that apprentices are keen to learn, ask questions and keep up to date with their learning.