Jack Brown started as an optical workshop apprentice in 1958. After completing his apprenticeship Jack studied at night school 3 nights a week to achieve the university entrance qualifications, and then studied full-time for his degree.
In 1972 when working with Prescotts in Lothian Road Edinburgh, he joined the staff of the Princess Alexandria Eye Pavilion as a sessional optician working with Professor Phillips and the other consultants. Jack stopped this ancillary work after 25 years, but his son, Scott and another member of staff, Gillian Shanks continues to do so.
In 1976 frustrated that he could not obtain contact lenses of the quality he wanted he established his own contact lens laboratory, Scotlens which was the first rigid contact lens laboratory in Europe to obtain the CE mark for quality.
He opened his first practice in Wester Hailes in 1977 with the objective of providing a high standard of optometric service at a fair price and encouraging the young opticians who joined him to follow suit.
Jack Brown Eyecare are a well-established independent optician based in Edinburgh. There are currently multiple vacancies for optical assistants to join their teams in their two practices: Elder Street (EH1) and Westside Plaza (EH14). The opportunities have been the result of continued growth and investment in advanced eye care technologies
Interested? Apply Today!
Key Responsibilities:
- Candidates manage all aspects of patient care using our bespoke practice management software: i-Clarity.
- Using i-Clarity candidates will make appointments, add notes relevant to patient's appointments and send electronic communications.
- i-Clarity also has correspondence functions via export to Word and mail merge, audit functions via export to Excel and marketing modules.
- Each individual optical machine has it's own patient database that candidates will navigate as part of their day-to-day responsibilities.
- Email communications with patients and suppliers will be managed by Rackspace Webmail.
Required Skills:
We seek outgoing and customer-focused applicants who are comfortable in welcoming patients into the practice. Applicants will need to be well presented and able to demonstrate good communication skills and strive for excellence in the form of customer services. We are not looking for individuals who have any experience, but we are seeking individuals who have drive and determination.
Additional Information:
- Salary - £11,700 - £13,650 per annum
- Future Salary - Discussed on completion of the Apprenticeship
- Monday - Friday, 9.00am until 5.30pm
Future Career Progression:
Candidates showing aptitude and ability can potentially turn the role into a professional apprenticeship, as after 12 months if candidates were to excel, there is a route to becoming a qualified optician via a 3-year correspondence course which they can be supported through.
This might be a good route for a person to gain experience with the ultimate goal of becoming a qualified professional, however, it would equally be suitable for an individual who is seeking a career change, or a lifestyle change which would result in a better work-life balance
Important Information
“QA’s apprenticeship programmes may be funded in part by the European Union through the European Social Fund, which supports the development of employment opportunities and a skilled workforce.”
For more information about QA Apprenticeships, please visit our website. Note: This advert may close early if a suitable candidate is found before the advertised close date is reached.