Specsavers: A civilian career with purpose

Off By Mia Craven

Retail apprenticeships & trainee opportunities for service leavers

Transitioning out of the military can feel daunting. But your discipline, teamwork, resilience, and people-first mindset are exactly what makes you a strong fit for Specsavers stores across the UK.

Whether you’re looking to retrain, grow into a new profession, or build a long-term civilian career, our in-store apprenticeship and trainee pathways offer structure, stability, and progression.

Why Specsavers?

A values-driven, people-first organisation

We’re a family-run British success story founded over 40 years ago, now the largest privately owned optical group in the world, with more than 38,000 colleagues across 10+ countries.

Our culture is built on care, curiosity, and high-quality service – something service leavers naturally excel at. Every store is locally owned and led, giving you a close-knit team environment with leaders who are empowered to support your growth and wellbeing.

Award-winning training & development

Our apprenticeships have earned:

The Princess Royal Training Award for outstanding training programmes
Recognition in the Top 100 Apprenticeship Employers
Outstanding ratings from Ofsted for development, support, and progression opportunities.

If you value structured learning, clear expectations, and ongoing coaching, you’ll feel right at home here.

A stable organisation with nationwide coverage

We offer geographic flexibility for those settling into new civilian routines or planning relocation across the UK & ROI

What opportunities are available?

We offer three core retail-focused apprenticeships – all designed for people with little to no experience:

Optical Assistant – Level 3

A frontline customer-facing role where you’ll welcome customers, support with eye test appointments, carry out pre-screening, advise on frames, and learn essential optical skills. This pathway is ideal for those who enjoy teamwork, problem-solving, and working directly with people – strengths common within military personnel.

Spectacle Technician – Level 3

A hands-on, technical role that’s behind the scenes in the lab and is focused on the production and fitting of glasses; perfect for those who prefer practical, detail driven work.

Customer Service Practitioner – Level 2

Typically call-centre based or the meet-and-greet in store, which is ideal for those who want to specialise in service delivery, operations, and store experience. This path builds interpersonal and communication skills essential in all post-service careers.

Additional in-store trainee routes include:

Trainee Optical Assistant
Opportunities in labs and call centres

No previous experience is required – only the willingness to learn, communicate well, and deliver great service.

Helping your transition into civilian life

Clear structure & progression

Apprenticeships include a structured learning programme, on-the-job training, and external assessment; mirroring the structured development pathways many service leavers are used to. Upon completion, you finish fully qualified in your role, with 90% of apprentices staying with Specsavers long-term.

Purpose-driven work

You’ll help customers access essential eye and hearing care, serving your local community and making a meaningful impact every day.

Leadership pathways

From Optical Assistant to Store Manager or even Store Director, Specsavers has a proven track record of internal progression, upskilling, and supporting new leaders. The joint venture store ownership model even creates a route to running your own business one day.

Earn while you learn

You’ll receive a full-time wage from day one, paid holidays, and access to employee benefits – ideal if you’re transitioning from military pay into civilian life.

Supportive team environment

You’re surrounded by experienced colleagues, experts in the field, and Specsavers Apprenticeship Coaches.

Our apprenticeships are open to all

These routes are perfect for:

Service leavers seeking a stable new trade
Those wanting a community-focused role
Anyone with strong communication, teamwork, or leadership skills
People with little to no prior retail or optical experience

Your next step into civvy street

Specsavers offers a meaningful, people-focused career with the structure, progression, and camaraderie that align well with the strengths of those who have served. Whether you’re exploring your first civilian role or planning long-term leadership ambitions, our apprenticeship and trainee roles provide a clear route forward.

Find out more: https://join.specsavers.com/uk/apprenticeships