Occupation 3211 · Associate professional occupations
Dispensing opticians supply, fit and service spectacles, contact lenses and other optical aids in accordance with a prescription from an optician or optometrist.
Entry is most common with GCSEs/S grades or equivalent qualifications or experience, followed by up to three years training approved by the General Optical Council (GOC). To practice entrants must pass professional exams and register with the GOC. Full-time, day-release or distance-learning options are available.
Dispensing optician · Optical dispenser
| Measure | Hours | Basis | Period | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | None | 2026-03 | 7,200.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | None | 2026-03 | 7,600.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | None | 2026-03 | 9,200.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | None | 2026-03 | — | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate and confidence interval not available since the group sample size is zero or disclosive (0-2) |
| 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | None | 2026-03 | 1,600.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | None | 2026-03 | 9,200.00 | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) |
| 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | None | 2026-03 | — | ONS, Annual Population Survey - employment by occupation (SOC 2020) Not published: Estimate is less than 500 |
ONS does not publish occupational pay below region. Cells the survey could not support are shown as withheld, with its reason — adding a region split to a specific occupation leaves roughly a tenth of cells publishable.
| Region | Measure | Hours | Value | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| East | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | 1,100.00 | 2026-03 |
| East Midlands | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | 1,100.00 | 2026-03 |
| London | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| North East | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| North West | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| Northern Ireland | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| Scotland | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | 1,600.00 | 2026-03 |
| South East | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | 2,400.00 | 2026-03 |
| South West | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | 600.00 | 2026-03 |
| Wales | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| West Midlands | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | withheld | 2026-03 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 3211 : Dispensing opticians | None | 1,400.00 | 2026-03 |
ONS publishes regional pay for this occupation where the survey sample supports it — 6 of 12 cells on this page. The rest are withheld by ONS, and are shown as withheld with the reason, rather than left out.
The Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, published by the Office for National Statistics. Figures are shown exactly as ONS publishes them — we do not adjust, model or fill them in, and every number on this page carries the series and period it came from.
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