What are the career choices in our Vision Express stores?
The 2022 General Optical Council report surveyed optical professionals around the country and found that more people were satisfied in their current roles. Why might this be?
Optometry is the place to be if you want to build a meaningful career helping people to see. Plus, there are plenty of opportunities for progression. At Vision Express, creating joy in vision for our colleagues and customers is a top priority.
You’ll have all the support and tools you need to begin your career or even take it to the next level. If you do not have previous optical experience, don’t worry, there is something for everyone.
Retail Roles
Retail Optical Assistant
This is a great stepping stone into optometry where you’ll have the chance to develop your knowledge of optical products as well as your interpersonal skills. If you enjoy working with lots of different people and working as part of a team, this role is perfect for you.
Your day-to-day will look like managing appointments, assisting customers with choosing frames, and working on a busy shop floor. Being the first point of contact, you will play a big role in personalising our customers’ experience.
Next steps
The technical and customer service skills you develop in this role will allow you to progress nicely into other roles such as a store manager. In this role, you’ll become one of our game-changing leaders.
Alternatively, if you wanted to go down a professional path, you may consider enrolling in our trainee dispensing optician internal sponsorship. This course spans over three years and can be completed alongside working in-store.
Store Manager
Being a store manager means looking at the bigger picture. Every person at Vision Express shapes our success but this role has the unique opportunity to determine areas of growth and make those changes.
In this role, you will be responsible for creating a high-achieving environment, developing your team, and building a great customer experience.
Next steps
Growth and development are important at every stage in your career and there are limitless progression opportunities at Vision Express to do so.
The next steps for this role could be becoming a regional manager. In this role, you’ll manage multiple stores in your appointed region, where you’ll shape and own your regional business plan. You’ll achieve this by engaging your team, reinforcing key messaging, and sharing commercial and financial expectations.
Eyecare Professionals
Contact Lens Optician
This is where technology meets anatomy. As a contact lens optician, you’ll enjoy learning about new tech to improve eyecare for your patients.
By understanding your customer’s needs and lifestyle as well as optical products and current trends. Your job will be to find the right contact lens solution for our customers to make them feel comfortable, taking into account their requirements.
Next steps
Contact lens opticians combine their knowledge of eye health and eye comfort and are continuously developing that knowledge. Whether you’re looking to understand the products and services that we offer at Vision Express customers better or if you are looking to progress into an optometrist role, we’re here to support you every step of the way.
Pre-reg Optometrist
Pre-reg optometry is the final step in becoming a practising optician. It can seem daunting but we aim to make your pre-reg year a smooth transition into optometry. How?
You will be matched with a supervisor who understands how you learn and work, you will have one-to-one coaching sessions that are tailored to your needs, and guidance at every stage from a dedicated professional development tutor.
The OSCE exam can be intimidating and we don’t want any surprises coming your way. That’s why we provide our pre-registration students with mock OSCE days where you can get all the practice you need before your big day.
This level of support is why 90% of our pre-reg students pass the first time.
Next steps
Upon completion of your pre-registration year, you will qualify as an optometrist, opening up numerous career paths for you. At Vision Express, you can choose from various opportunities, such as relocating to a different city, working in a local Tesco or town centre, or even becoming a mobile optometrist.
Once you settle into your role and gain confidence, you’ll be in a great position to explore different paths such as becoming a joint venture partner, an optometrist store manager, or joining the learning & development team.
Start creating joy in vision
There is no better place for ambitious professionals who have their sights set on a career in optometry. With unrivalled support, recognition of your achievements, and encouragement to work towards your goals, nothing is stopping you from taking your career to the next level.
Find a role that suits you today.
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Life at Vision Express

Teaser
Eye Care ProfessionalContent Type
PostPublish date
03/22/2023
Summary
Optometrists are professionals with a lot of knowledge and as an optometrist, your CV needs to reflect that. Your CV is how you get your foot in the door and is your first impression on your potenti

Teaser
Eye Care ProfessionalContent Type
PostPublish date
03/07/2023
Summary
The future of the eyecare industry is looking bright, with the estimated global eyewear market value for 2030 coming in at 270.8 billion pounds. Opticians are and will continue to be in high demand.

Teaser
Eye Care ProfessionalContent Type
PostPublish date
03/06/2023
Summary
From prescribing lenses to diagnosing and treating eye diseases, optometrists are highly skilled professionals with unique expertise that is in high demand. The optometry industry is rapidly evolvin

Teaser
Pre-RegistrationContent Type
PostPublish date
03/01/2023
Summary
Becoming a pre-registration optometrist can be a challenging and rewarding experience. As you work towards your goal of becoming a fully qualified optometrist, you’ll have the opportunity to develop

Teaser
GeneralContent Type
PostPublish date
02/14/2023
Summary
When you think back to your last eye care test, what does your memory conjure up? You probably remember being asked to look at a Snellen eye chart and list off the letters as they decrease in size w

Teaser
GeneralContent Type
PostPublish date
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Summary
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Teaser
Eye Care ProfessionalContent Type
PostPublish date
01/09/2023
Summary
Optometry is an ever-changing industry with plenty of directions to take your career. That amount of choice means you can shape your career to what you want. But it can leave you questioning which

Teaser
Eye Care ProfessionalContent Type
PostPublish date
01/05/2023
Summary
It's no secret that we're proud of our game-changing leadership. The people that lead our teams are both ambitious and inspiring. They know how to rally their team together so that everyone is c

Teaser
Eye Care ProfessionalContent Type
PostPublish date
12/02/2022
Summary
Are you looking for more than just a job? Then you might be interested in Graeme Bosher’s story. Back in 2019, Graeme was working as a locum optometrist, but he knew that he needed a change if h

Teaser
Eye Care ProfessionalContent Type
PostPublish date
11/28/2022
Summary
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Everyone has an important part to play in our continuing success – whatever their role, their experience or their area of expertise. We’ve chosen some colleagues to give you a brief insight into what life’s like at Vision Express.
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