Optical Assistant Apprentice
Job description
Original text imported from Reed
Our Apprenticeship scheme gives people of all ages the chance to boost their existing skillset and kickstart an exciting new career as part of a forward-thinking business, all whilst earning a full-time wage.
We are currently looking for individuals who are enthusiastic about providing great customer service and would like to pursue a career in retail or optics.
Based in north Nottinghamshire, with the train station a 5 minute walk away and A1 within touching distance, Retford is easily accessed from many surrounding towns, including; Worksop, Doncaster, Mansfield, Newark and Lincoln. Retford opened its doors over 30 years ago and has become known locally for its first-class service, highly professional and knowledgeable team and dedication to supporting the local community. The store has just finished a major £350,000 expansion and refit at the end of 2025, so it's looking factory fresh! We may be biased, but with the double glass fronted unit, illuminated frame displays and generous internal space, I'd say we're the standout shop in Retford!
Our team
We're a successful business and its all because of our amazing team. A shared passion for great service and doing right by the customer guides our journey. We're looking for a Customer Assistant that shares the same ethos, someone who thinks going above and beyond to impress our customers is all in a day's work, someone who is committed to perfecting the customer journey and upskilling themselves.
What's on offer?
As well as all the support you need and great training and development opportunities, we have a whole load of benefits on offer for you to enjoy. These include:
- Salary - £12.91 per hour
- 37.5 hours per week to include 1 weekend day or alternate weekends
- 28 days holiday plus your birthday off!
- A private medical and dental cash plan
- Specsavers Perks - our discounted benefits scheme
- A paid “volunteering' day each yea
- WeCare - a confidential employee support service, that includes free; counselling, virtual GP service, legal and financial help, plus more
Outstanding clinical and professional development opportunities
What does the role involve?
- Welcoming customers into store
Booking in eye tests
Pre-screening patients
Providing style advice
Measuring frames
Taking phone calls
If Retford is starting to sound like a store you could call home, here are some of the skills we are looking for:
A people person, who loves to chat to customers and work with a friendly team
Great teamwork, we do our fair share and help each other out
Confidence in technology, you don't need to know how to use our operating system, but general IT skills are a must
A desire to develop and learn, not everyone who joins us wants to complete further professional training, this is no issue, but optics is a changing world and continuous development and improvement in role is essential
Excellent communication skills, talking to customers is what we do!
Still interested? Does this sound like you? Please get in touch, we'd love to hear from you.
Your career
We have a proven track record of looking after our people and developing their talents. With most of our Optical Assistants gaining their level 3 & 4 dispensing qualifications and some going on to study to become qualified Dispensing Opticians, Contact Lens Opticians and even Optometrists. For those who do not have a clinical passion, our management development offer, which includes in house training as well as courses and qualifications accredited by the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) and the Chartered Management Institute (CMI), has seen many colleagues progress into leadership roles both in store and the wider Specsavers group. In fact, our current assistant manager, store manager and one of our partners, all started in the business as an optical assistant! Your future is in good hands in Retford.
Who is this Apprenticeship for?
If this is still sounding like a bit of you, we do need you to have a few skills to get started as an Optical Assistant Apprentice.
- Individuals with GSCE Maths at Grade 9-4 (A*-C), or an equivalent level qualification
- Individuals who have lived in the EU for 3 years or more, with the right to work in the UK
Find out more
Ready to kickstart your career with a company that will support you to be the best you can be? For more detailed information about the Specsavers Apprenticeship programme, please click the link below.
Apprenticeships at Specsavers | Specsavers UK Careers
It's essential that you haven't previously worked in the Optical Sector. Before applying, please check that you are able to travel to the store location on a daily basis.
Got what we're looking for? This job will close when it's filled, so don't delay, apply today!
Key skills
AI-extracted from the job advert
Application advice
5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.
👥 Emphasise your people skills and customer service experience as the advert specifically seeks a 'people person who loves to chat'
💻 Highlight your general IT competency since they mention 'confidence in technology' and 'general IT skills are a must'
📚 Show your willingness to learn and develop as they stress 'continuous development and improvement in role is essential'
📞 Include any phone handling or appointment booking experience as these are key daily responsibilities
🏪 Mention retail experience if you have it, as they're looking for someone interested in 'retail or optics' career
Suggested CV bullets
3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.
Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:
- •Delivered exceptional customer service to 50+ daily customers, achieving 98% satisfaction scores through personalised style advice and product recommendations
- •Managed appointment booking systems and phone enquiries for busy retail environment, handling 40+ calls per day while maintaining accurate customer records
- •Completed comprehensive product training within 3 weeks, demonstrating strong learning agility and technical competency required for optical equipment operation
Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.
Your cover letter is ready
We've drafted a cover letter for Specsavers. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.
Letter preview — tailored to Specsavers
Dear Hiring Manager,
Specsavers Retford's Optical Assistant Apprenticeship represents exactly the career development opportunity I've been seeking, particularly given your emphasis on customer service excellence and professional training in the optical field.
My background in customer-facing roles has prepared me well for the patient interaction and style consultation aspects of this position, while my IT competency aligns with your technology requirements for booking systems and pre-screening processes.
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Interview questions
10 questions generated from this advert.
Technical
- ›How would you handle booking multiple eye test appointments while serving customers in store?
- ›What steps would you take during patient pre-screening?
- ›How would you measure frames to ensure proper fit for a customer?
- ›Describe how you would use technology to support customer service in an optical environment
- ›What would you do if the booking system went down during a busy period?
Behavioural
- ›Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer
- ›Describe a situation where you had to learn a new skill quickly
- ›How do you handle working as part of a team when everyone needs to pull their weight?
- ›Give an example of when you've had to adapt to changes in your workplace
- ›Tell me about a time you had to deal with a difficult customer complaint
STAR answer examples
Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.
Tell me about a time you went above and beyond for a customer
Describe a situation where you had to learn a new skill quickly