Best way to get an optician job?

[pilotmatt]

Hey guys, I need some advice on obtaining an optician job. I have aspirations of going to optometry school after my pre reqs are finished. I still have quite a long ways until I am finished with pre reqs. I would like to work as an optican somewhere. Would it be better to into a commercial store (Lenscrafters, Pearl Vision) and ask if they are hiring, or go around to some private practices and ask? Also, what is the average pay for an optician just starting out? Thanks everyone!

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[drgregory]

Hey guys, I need some advice on obtaining an optician job. I have aspirations of going to optometry school after my pre reqs are finished. I still have quite a long ways until I am finished with pre reqs. I would like to work as an optican somewhere. Would it be better to into a commercial store (Lenscrafters, Pearl Vision) and ask if they are hiring, or go around to some private practices and ask? Also, what is the average pay for an optician just starting out? Thanks everyone!

youre probably going to have better luck at a commercial store since they usually dont have certified opticians working there, whereas most private offices will only hire certified opticians.

 

[Elfego Baca]

Best way to get an optician's job is to get an O.D. and stay in a major urban area.

 

[prettygreeneyes]

I found my job by talking to local optometrists about my desire to go to optometry school. When one doctor had a position open up, he had his office manager mention it to me! I was trained to dispense, put in job orders, adjust, pretest, check patients in and out, and bill. You don't necessarily have to be licensed to work in an optometry office as there are positions that don't require a certificate or license of some kind. We have a couple of opticians that are not certified in our office (private practice!). But, you can get lots of great experience in any capacity in an office, so don't just limit your sights to an optician position.

 

[KHE]

youre probably going to have better luck at a commercial store since they usually dont have certified opticians working there, whereas most private offices will only hire certified opticians.

Are you kidding me? I don't know what its like in Minnesota, but I have never ever seen a licensed optician working in a private practice.

In commercial establishments, most state boards have a rule that there must be at least one licensed optician present as long as the store is open.

However, in private practices anyone can work under the ODs license. As such, every private practice that I have ever seen has simply hired whatever cute girl could sell the most and gave her some on the job training and called her an optician.

I really gotta move to Minnesota. "Most private offices will only hire certified opticains??" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!!

 

[cpw]

youre probably going to have better luck at a commercial store since they usually dont have certified opticians working there, whereas most private offices will only hire certified opticians.

We have to have one licensed optician on the floor at any given time in Florida.

 

[aarlan]

Same in Connecticut...Hideously strict requirements governing opticianry. Just to work in an optical shop (optician owned) you need to register w/ the state as an apprentice, and pay $25 a year.

Here LC offers a very decent training program for those w/ no training, but they stress the products they offer (for instance they don't stress that there are diff progressives for different tasks, they primarily push polycarbonate lenses rather than the 1.523, 1.60, 1.67, 1.70 or 1.74 materials that are available, etc.). They also offer raises as you progress and offer a commission on sales. Also, since most stores have an in store lab, you can learn the basics of lens fabrication and edging techniques. THe hours are somtimes pretty tough (sat & sun, and hours as late as 9 PM).

Private practices often have a slower pace to learn the ropes, but you are exposed to a greater variety of frames, lenses and lens treatments to work with. They also have lower compensation packages, but the hours are generally far preferable. And the pace is often more bearable.

AA

 

[gnome]

We generally have opticians that are certified in our office (surgical with optical) in MN. Id move to North Dakota. Wally World hasnt unleashed blitzkrieg upon that state yet.

 

[drgregory]

We generally have opticians that are certified in our office (surgical with optical) in MN. Id move to North Dakota. Wally World hasnt unleashed blitzkrieg upon that state yet.

amen brother.

 

[jc812]

as for pay- all i know is that starting pay would probably be under 10, plus commision (if you decide to go for lenscrafters/pearl vision)

if you have decided to go to optometry school, i'd suggest you DONT become an optician and become and opt. tech. It's more hands on and more medical, rather than retail.

 

[KHE]

as for pay- all i know is that starting pay would probably be under 10, plus commision (if you decide to go for lenscrafters/pearl vision)

if you have decided to go to optometry school, i'd suggest you DONT become an optician and become and opt. tech. It's more hands on and more medical, rather than retail.

I do not agree.

Knowing how to sell, fabricate and adjust spectacles will get you much much further in the real world than knowing how to run an auto refractor.

 

[drsax]

I do not agree.

Knowing how to sell, fabricate and adjust spectacles will get you much much further in the real world than knowing how to run an auto refractor.

I work at Lenscrafters as a Lab Tech and am hoping to enter Optometry school in the fall. If you decide to become an optician, you will have to be an apprentice for up to 2 years, then take state exams.

If you come in as a Lab tech, you can learn how to fabricate glasses, be better aware of the type of lenses that work best for which prescription, read the lensometer, etc...within 6 months. I am sure Opticians eventually learn as well, but lab tech skills take a much shorter time...especially if you know you will hopefully get into an optometry school before 2 years.

From what I hear, this is a much more valuable skill to have. Besides, while you are working as a lab tech, you will have to help sell glasses anyway...comes with the territory (cross-training). So you might as well know how to make them too.

 

[iiiimonica]

my 1.7 cents (sorry for the ramblingg😉))
i actually have been a certified optician for almost 10 years (i just love how time flies when you do what you love) and i will be returning to Berkeley optometry school in the fall -

my suggestion would be to work for LensCrafters first - the pay will be crappy (-10 bucks per hour)and the hours long BUT the experience is ...priceless! once you are all trained up move up to private practice.

i learned sooooo much more about dispensing and fabrication at LensCrafters then i did for private practice - it was so much more concentrated. there is a LOT to learn about being an optician (a good one!) and private practice leaves little time to really learn these skills. once you get all the training from LensCrafters. then you are ready for private practice - get certified first so you can make more money at private practice.

once you have dispensing and fabrication down, learning pretesting is a breeze.

good luck and welcome to the opticians to optometrist club🙂

 

[drgregory]

i'd look into scribing for an OD or OMD.

 

[HuntinDoc]

Ok, first of all working as an optician OR a lab technician will be valuable experience for optometry school. The advantage to working as an optician is you will be getting retail/insurance/adjusting practice, which you won't get as much of in actual optometry school. You will learn to listen to customers concerns and recommend appropriate lenses and frames for their needs. I would disagree with the previous post saying that you will do this as a lab tech, because from my experience you won't. Lab experience is great also, but you will be focusing more on that aspect in school. When it comes down to it, you will be giving exams and interacting with the general public as an optometrist, which is what you will do as an optician (rather than sitting in a lab cutting lenses all day). As far as lensometer and learning other optics experience (prism, axis settings, differences in lenses), you can get that as an optician, you just need to be assertive and show those are things you are interested in. When I knew I wanted to go to optometry school, I just took a day to go to all the optometrist offices and retail establishments I could. I told them I didn't have experience but wanted to be an optometrist and one Friday of interviewing landed me 4 offers. In Iowa though, the best offer was about $12/hr, with most of them being around 7.50-8.50. I guess I seem biased towards working as an optician, but I think you would be more well rounded going that way rather than cutting lenses and applying coatings all day. Hope this helps.

 

[S_SEEN2020]

I worked as a non-certified optician for two and a half years at a Wal-Mart in Texas. You don't get paid commission, but my starting pay was about $8/hr, and in two years I ended up at around $11/hr. At Wally World you make an extra dollar on sundays, and you get the company bonuses if you are at a high comp store. The way I landed my job is basically I applied to everywhere that had an optical, and Wal-Mart just so happened to be the one that called back first. The only thing about working at a WM, is that I felt that they didn't care that I was going into optometry school, and needed the job for a little money while in undergrad, but needed it more for the experience and networking opportunities. They wanted me to be a store manager and climb the WM ladder, and that is not where I wanted to be. So look into the state laws, ask around EVERYWHERE. In California, they like for you to be certified, but some places take like one or two non-certified people on in hopes they will be certified. WM will reinburse you for your test if you past and give you like a $.10 raise (that is why I never got certified the incentives weren't that high, and I had to take the OAT and apply to optometry school).