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Dispensing optician

Dispensing opticians give advice on vision care, and supply glasses and contact lenses to suit their customers needs.

Average salary (a year)

£18,000 Starter

to

£40,000 Experienced

Typical hours (a week)

42 to 44 a week

You could work

weekends on a rota

How to become a dispensing optician

You can get into this job through:

  • a university course

University

You'll need to complete a course approved by the General Optical Council, and pass the Professional Qualifying Examinations from the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO).

You can qualify by taking:

  • a two-year, full-time diploma course, followed by one year working under supervision
  • a three-year, day release course if you're in suitable employment
  • a three-year distance learning course, including a four-week residential block, offered by the ABDO - you'll need to be in suitable employment

Entry requirements

You'll usually need:

  • 5 GCSEs at grades 9 to 4 (A* to C), including English, maths and a science
  • plus 1 A level

More information

More information

Registration

Professional and industry bodies

You could join the Association of British Dispensing Opticians, for professional development and training opportunities.

Further information

You can find out more about working as a dispensing optician from the Association of British Dispensing Opticians and the General Optical Council.

What it takes

Skills and knowledge

You'll need:

  • customer service skills
  • excellent verbal communication skills
  • the ability to work well with your hands
  • to be thorough and pay attention to detail
  • maths knowledge
  • the ability to work well with others
  • the ability to sell products and services
  • patience and the ability to remain calm in stressful situations
  • being able to use a computer terminal or hand-held device may be beneficial for this job.

Restrictions and requirements

You'll need to:

As a student you must join the student register of the General Optical Council before you carry out any clinical work.

If you qualified in another area of the EU or EEA and want to work in the UK, you need to check with the General Optical Council that your qualifications meet UK requirements. If your qualifications are accepted, you would then need to contact the Association of British Dispensing Opticians for details of their Professional Qualifying Examination.

What you'll do

Day-to-day tasks

Using an optometrist's prescription you’ll be:

  • calculating vision distances and angles
  • providing advice and information on a customer's options for lenses
  • measuring for spectacles or contact lenses
  • using your sales and communications skills to talk to people about types of spectacle frames
  • fitting, adjusting and repairing frames

Working environment

You could work at a store.

Career path and progression

With experience, you could become assistant manager or become self-employed.

You could work as a consultant to a lens manufacturer, or as a sales representative selling ophthalmological instruments.

You could also work in a hospital, or in teaching.

With further training, you could go on to qualify and work as an optometrist. The University of Bradford has career progression course that would allow you to graduate with a degree in optometry in around 12 months.

Training opportunities

Apprenticeships In England

Optical Assistant Apprenticeship - FALMOUTH SPECSAVERS

  • Wage : £146.25 Weekly
  • Location: Falmouth TR11 3AT

Optical Apprentice (Retail) - Crewe

  • Wage : £213.12 Weekly
  • Location: Crewe CW1 2EL
Find apprenticeships near you

Courses In England

Contact Lenses Part 1 - Theory

  • Provider: WKCIC GROUP
  • Start date: 01 September 2019
  • Location: LONDON

Ophthalmic Dispensing BSc (Hons)

  • Provider: Bradford College
  • Start date: 02 September 2019
  • Location: Bradford
Find courses near you

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