Optical Assistant Review
at Specsavers
Level 3 Apprenticeship
Customer Service
Weymouth
Review Submitted: August 2025
Overall Rating
4.8 /5
The Overall Rating is the average of all the ratings given in each category. We take those individual ratings and combine them into one final score!
5/5
-
Overview of Role
5/5
-
Skills Development
4.6/5
-
Structure and Support
Overview of Role
Please give an overview of your role and what this involves on a day-to-day basis:
5/5
Arriving patients for sight tests and other services, ensuring that patient details are kept confidential, glasses dispensing service, collection and adjustments service for spectacles of all kinds, pre-screening and diagnostics service to support optometrists running clinics.
To what extent do you enjoy your programme?
5/5
Learned lots of new skills, such as how to effectively interact with the general public, to ensure that they are satisfied with the services that we are offering them and how we can help them.
Met lots of new people both colleagues and customers who are regular parts of day to day life now, made friends with lots of my colleagues and see regularly outside of working hours.
Met lots of new people both colleagues and customers who are regular parts of day to day life now, made friends with lots of my colleagues and see regularly outside of working hours.
Skills Development
Have you learnt any new skills or developed existing skills?
5/5
Communication skills have improved massively, I am now able to interact with all kinds of different people and hold conversations with them, whereas before I was extremely socially anxious and struggled to speak to people in public who I did not personally know.
Pre-screening and diagnostics, good understanding of what a quality OCT image looks like compared to a low quality one, and when to retake a scan if needed when the initial scan/photo is not a good quality image.
Being able to speak to patients about lens recommendations based on their prescription for spectacles and their lifestyle and hobbies, and explaining to them why these recommendations are being made and how they will benefit them.
Explaining our offers to patients who are enquiring over glasses, and being able to quote prices for them based on the different offers that can be applied to the spectacle dispense, and also which offers applied will save them the most money with what they need for their spectacles.
Pre-screening and diagnostics, good understanding of what a quality OCT image looks like compared to a low quality one, and when to retake a scan if needed when the initial scan/photo is not a good quality image.
Being able to speak to patients about lens recommendations based on their prescription for spectacles and their lifestyle and hobbies, and explaining to them why these recommendations are being made and how they will benefit them.
Explaining our offers to patients who are enquiring over glasses, and being able to quote prices for them based on the different offers that can be applied to the spectacle dispense, and also which offers applied will save them the most money with what they need for their spectacles.
Structure and Support
How well organised/structured is your programme?
5/5
Throughout my apprenticeship I have been supported by an apprenticeship coach, and an apprenticeship engagement coach, both of them have had regular contact with me during my apprenticeship, and have always been available if I needed to discuss anything or ask them for help.
I have had regular contact with them through teams calls, where they have checked up on my progress with the apprenticeship, and guided me onto the things I would need to focus on next in my learning journey.
I have had regular contact with them through teams calls, where they have checked up on my progress with the apprenticeship, and guided me onto the things I would need to focus on next in my learning journey.
How much support do you receive from your employer?
5/5
My employers were always aware of what is needed of me for my apprenticeship, and how they could support me to ensure that deadlines and targets for work have been met, and supporting me by giving me training time once a week to focus on writing up and documenting my learning that has been done throughout my apprenticeship.
How much support do you receive from your training provider when working towards your qualifications?
5/5
The support is always available for me to take advantage of, if I ever have any issues or problems that I need some information for, I can ask my apprenticeship coaches, or ask our in-store trainer to help with the problem and come to a solution.
How well do you feel that your qualification (through your training provider) helps you to perform better in your role?
5/5
My qualification helps me to perform better in every part of my role, whether that is using my skills to dispense some glasses, or to pre-screen a patient and take them through to the optometrist to have their sight test.
Are there extra-curricular activities to get involved in at your work? (For example, any social activities, sports teams, or even professional networking events.)
3/5
We do sometimes have work nights out at my work, although it is rare, but when they happen they are a fun time with people who I consider friends, and always enjoyable.
Recommendations & Advice
Would you recommend Specsavers to a friend?
Yes
Why?
Specsavers is a fantastic place to work, with some unique challenges and obstacles to overcome, and a place where literally every day is a learning day. Being able to help people with their sight and see the impact it makes to peoples daily lives myself, is a fantastic experience that everyone should have at some point in their lives. Some days can be very challenging while working here, but that is to be expected with every workplace, and the challenges here are at least interesting and will help develop necessary skills and knowledge.
What tips or advice would you give to others applying to Specsavers?
The job can be challenging sometimes, but the rewards of seeing those challenges through make them worth the time and effort, and you will be working alongside some amazing people who will support you throughout your entire development process, and celebrate the achievements that you make.
There is lots of aspects to the job that will be a struggle to understand at first, but with a little bit of time and effort, our policies and procedures will become clear to everyone working here and why we follow certain regulations.
There is lots of aspects to the job that will be a struggle to understand at first, but with a little bit of time and effort, our policies and procedures will become clear to everyone working here and why we follow certain regulations.
