There’s something we hear quite regularly when speaking to optical professionals about their careers.
“I’m actually quite happy where I am.”
It’s usually followed by a slight hesitation, almost as though the person feels they need to explain why they’re having a conversation about another job in the first place.
Perhaps they’re an Optometrist who enjoys working with their current team but is curious about other clinical opportunities. Maybe they’re a Dispensing Optician who has been with the same employer for several years and wonders whether a different practice could offer more responsibility. Sometimes it’s an Optical Assistant who enjoys the work but would like to know what progression might be possible.
They aren’t desperate to leave. They don’t have a complaint about their manager, and they haven’t reached the point where every Monday morning feels like a struggle.
They’re simply interested in what else might be available.
At Inspired Selections, we think that’s a perfectly sensible way to approach your career. You don’t need to be unhappy in your current optical job to understand your options, and you certainly don’t need to have decided to resign before speaking to a specialist optical recruiter.
In fact, there are some very good reasons why exploring opportunities while you’re happy can put you in a stronger position.
When You’re Happy, You Can Afford to Be Selective
One of the difficulties with searching for a new job when you’re unhappy is that finding something else can quickly become your main priority.
If you’re frustrated with the way your practice is managed, tired of your working hours or feeling that your contribution isn’t appreciated, another opportunity may begin to look attractive simply because it offers a change.
That’s understandable. Nobody wants to spend their working week in an environment they no longer enjoy.
But moving because you want to get away from something isn’t quite the same as moving because you’ve found somewhere you genuinely want to be.
When you’re happy in your current optical role, you have the advantage of being able to take your time. You can consider opportunities without feeling pressured to accept them. You can ask questions about the practice, the team, the working environment and the long-term prospects, then decide whether the position offers enough to make leaving worthwhile.
If it doesn’t, you can stay where you are.
That freedom makes a considerable difference to the quality of your decision.
You Might Be Happy in Your Practice and Still Want Something More
Being happy at work doesn’t mean every aspect of your job is perfect, and it doesn’t necessarily mean the position will continue to suit you indefinitely.
An Optometrist might enjoy their current practice but want to develop particular clinical interests that aren’t available there. A Dispensing Optician may have become interested in management but find that the existing structure offers little opportunity to progress. An experienced Optical Assistant might want support towards further qualifications or a broader range of responsibilities.
Sometimes the reason is more personal. Your circumstances may have changed, and a shorter commute or different working pattern would make life easier.
None of those situations means your employer has let you down.
A practice can be a very good place to work without being able to offer every opportunity an individual might want throughout their career.
This is something we understand at Inspired Selections. Our conversations with candidates aren’t simply about finding out what they dislike about their current job. We also want to understand what they enjoy, what they value and what might make another opportunity genuinely interesting.
If you’re happy with your manager and colleagues, those relationships matter. If you value your current testing times, clinical support or working pattern, those things need to be considered when comparing another position.
A move should improve your circumstances, not simply change them.
The Optical Industry Offers More Variety Than You Might Realise
Optical professionals can spend years working in a particular type of practice and naturally become accustomed to the way it operates.
If you’ve always worked for a large multiple, you may have limited experience of the culture and working arrangements found in independent practices. If you’ve spent your career in an independent, you might not fully understand the development opportunities and support structures offered by larger optical businesses.
And even within those categories, practices vary enormously.
Two independent opticians may have completely different approaches to patient care, equipment, training and team management. Two branches of a larger optical organisation may offer very different working experiences depending on the manager, colleagues and local circumstances.
An Optometrist might find that one practice offers an environment particularly suited to their clinical interests. A Dispensing Optician may discover an opportunity to combine dispensing with leadership responsibilities. An Optical Assistant could find a team where structured training and development are a genuine priority.
The job title may be exactly the same as the one you already have, but the working experience could be quite different.
At Inspired Selections, we believe understanding those differences is one of the most important parts of specialist optical recruitment. It’s not enough to know that a practice needs an Optometrist or that a candidate has the qualifications required.
The question is whether the practice and the individual are likely to suit one another.
The Salary Isn’t the Whole Opportunity
Salary is naturally an important consideration when exploring optical jobs. Whether you’re an Optometrist, Dispensing Optician, Optical Assistant or Practice Manager, you want to feel that your experience and contribution are properly rewarded.
But when you’re already happy in your current position, it’s particularly important not to make the decision on salary alone.
Imagine you’re an Optometrist working in a practice where you have a supportive team, appropriate clinical facilities and a manager who respects your professional judgement. Another employer offers a higher salary, and understandably you’re interested.
Before deciding whether to move, however, you need to understand what the working day would look like. What are the testing times? What support is available? How is the clinic organised? What happens when the team is short-staffed? Would the new working pattern suit your life?
For a Dispensing Optician, the questions might involve the balance between dispensing and management, the product range, the level of responsibility and the opportunity to develop colleagues. An Optical Assistant may be more interested in training, progression and whether the practice provides the support needed to build confidence and skills.
A higher salary can absolutely be a good reason to move. But it should be considered alongside the things that make a job enjoyable and sustainable.
We’ve always believed at Inspired Selections that the right opportunity is the one that fits the person, not simply the one with the most attractive headline figure.
Sometimes the Right Optical Job Isn’t Being Advertised When You Start Looking
One advantage of exploring the market before you urgently need a new job is that you can afford to wait for an opportunity that genuinely suits you.
Perhaps you’d like to work in a particular town, reduce your Saturday commitments or move into a practice with specific clinical facilities. Maybe you’re interested in a management role, but only if the business offers the right support and responsibilities.
There may not be a suitable vacancy available at the exact moment you begin thinking about those things.
That doesn’t mean the conversation has no value.
Specialist recruitment is often about understanding what somebody would consider, so that when a relevant opportunity arises, they can make an informed decision about whether to explore it.
At Inspired Selections, we work with optical employers and professionals across a range of roles and practice environments. Having a conversation about your priorities can help establish what a worthwhile next step might look like, even if you’re not ready to move immediately.
There should be no pressure to apply for positions that don’t interest you or attend interviews simply because a vacancy exists.
The right opportunity should be worth your time.
You Can Be Loyal Without Staying Forever
Optics is an industry where professional relationships can become particularly important.
You may have worked alongside the same colleagues for years, built relationships with patients and received support from a manager who has helped you develop. Perhaps your employer supported you through qualifications or gave you an opportunity when you were relatively inexperienced.
Those things deserve appreciation.
But loyalty doesn’t have to mean remaining in the same practice for the rest of your career.
You can respect your employer and still want to develop your skills, explore another environment or take on a different challenge. Sometimes the practice you’re in simply cannot offer the next step you’re looking for.
That doesn’t make it a bad practice, and it doesn’t make you a disloyal employee.
The important thing is approaching any potential move thoughtfully and professionally.
If you’re considering another position, understand why it interests you. Think carefully about what you’d be leaving behind and what you hope to gain. If you eventually decide to move, handle the process respectfully.
A good working relationship doesn’t need to end badly simply because your career takes you somewhere else.
Understanding What You Enjoy Helps You Find Something Better
When we speak with candidates at Inspired Selections, understanding what they like about their current position is just as important as understanding what they’d like to change.
If an Optometrist enjoys the clinical environment and support available in their present practice, it makes little sense to suggest an opportunity that removes those advantages without offering something meaningful in return.
If a Dispensing Optician values the chance to mentor colleagues, that should be considered when discussing another role. If an Optical Assistant enjoys working in a close-knit team and wants further training, the culture and development opportunities of a potential employer become particularly important.
A successful career move isn’t always about finding a completely different job. Often, it’s about keeping the things you enjoy while improving the areas that matter most to you.
That requires more than sending a CV to every employer advertising a vacancy.
It requires understanding the individual and the practice.
It’s one of the reasons we encourage optical professionals to have an open conversation about their ambitions, even if they aren’t actively looking.
Sometimes the most useful thing a recruiter can do is help somebody recognise that their current position is already a very good fit. Sometimes it’s introducing them to an opportunity they wouldn’t otherwise have considered.
Either way, the decision should be based on what genuinely works for the candidate.
Don’t Wait Until You’re Frustrated to Think About Your Future
It’s easy to become so involved in the daily routine of an optical practice that you don’t spend much time thinking about your longer-term career.
You see patients, support colleagues, deal with the day’s challenges and concentrate on doing your job well. Before you know it, another year has passed.
There’s nothing wrong with enjoying that routine. But every so often, it’s worth considering whether your current position still offers what you want.
Are you continuing to learn? Do you feel fairly rewarded? Is there an opportunity to develop your career if you want to? Does your working pattern suit your circumstances? And if you stayed in exactly the same position for another three years, would you be happy with that decision?
You may find that the answer is yes.
If so, that’s something to appreciate.
But you may also recognise that there are opportunities you’d like to explore, even though you’re not unhappy.
That’s often a much better starting point than waiting until frustration makes the decision for you.
Find an Optical Job That’s Worth Moving For
The best reason to consider another optical job isn’t necessarily that something has gone wrong with your current one.
Sometimes it’s simply that you’ve reached a point where another opportunity could offer something valuable: better clinical development, greater responsibility, a more suitable working pattern or a practice environment that matches your ambitions.
When you’re happy where you are, you can explore those possibilities without pressure. You can ask questions, compare opportunities and make a decision based on what genuinely matters to you.
At Inspired Selections, we help Optometrists, Dispensing Opticians, Optical Assistants and Practice Managers explore optical careers with their individual priorities in mind.
If you’re happy in your current practice but curious about what else might be available, visit www.inspiredselections.co.uk to explore optical vacancies or speak with the Inspired Selections team about the kind of opportunity that would genuinely be worth considering.
You don’t need to be unhappy to look for another optical job. You just need to know what would make the next one right for you.
