The Pre-Reg Placements Forum : Your Gateway to a Thriving Optical Career
Let’s be real for a second. Are you currently staring at your laptop, twenty tabs deep into job boards, feeling like finding a pre-reg placement is harder than explaining a prescription to a toddler?
It’s ridiculous. It really is.
We’ve heard the stories. Students being told that spots in major cities are booked out until 2027. Others feeling like they have to accept the first offer they get, even if it feels like a terrible fit, just because they’re terrified of being left behind.
It’s not right. And at NeedAnOptom Healthcare, we’ve decided we’ve had enough of the "placement panic." That’s why we’ve built the Pre-Reg Placements Forum inside SCAN on the live Clinical Exchange page: a practical community route designed to help you get seen, get guided and get moving.
Your required starting sequence
Stop here for a second, because this bit matters. If you miss the order, you make life harder for yourself.
These are the required steps, in sequence:
- Speak with Alex about your placement goals and circumstances. Start with a proper conversation about what you need, where you can realistically go, when you want to start and what sort of support might help you most.
- Upload your current CV. You need an up-to-date CV before you can be properly considered.
- Register on the NeedAnOptom Healthcare system here: https://needanoptom.com/signup/.
- Apply to SCAN via the live Clinical Exchange page here: https://needanoptom.com/clinical-exchange/.
- Post in the Pre-Reg Placements Forum or respond to suitable opportunities once you are inside the community space.
- Keep checking the forum regularly so you can see whether a practice or optical professional has viewed your advert, asked follow-up questions or responded with interest.
Let’s make this impossible to miss: registration and CV upload are required before you can be properly considered. And joining SCAN is a separate required step if you want access to the community side, visibility and live placement interaction. One step does not replace the other. You need both.
Do not stop after registering
Registering is not the finish line. It is the starting line.
You must keep monitoring the Pre-Reg Placements Forum for replies, follow-up questions and interest from practices or supervisors. Responses may not be instant. That’s normal. People are busy. Clinics are busy. Supervisors are busy.
So do not post once and disappear.
Keep your profile, CV and availability current. Check back regularly. Reply promptly. Stay visible.
The Current System is Broken (But You Don’t Have to Be)
Let’s have a look at the landscape. You’ve got the transition to the integrated MOptom routes, regional imbalances that force you to move across the country just to find a supervisor, and a recruitment cycle that starts so early you barely have time to learn your way around a phoropter before you're signing your life away.
It’s a high-pressure environment that treats you like a number rather than a future professional. True.
The key here is recognising that you deserve better than a "first come, first served" approach to your career. Your pre-reg year is one of the most important stages of your professional life. It’s where your clinical habits are formed and where your confidence is built.
And that is exactly why a proper process matters. Not passive browsing. Not wishful thinking. A process.
Introducing: The Pre-Reg Placements Forum
We aren't just another recruitment agency throwing CVs at a wall. We’re a boutique team, run by opticians for opticians, and we’ve built this forum as part of SCAN, our community engine, on the live Clinical Exchange page.
Here’s the deal:
- Free community visibility: You can put yourself in front of practices and professionals in a space built for genuine connection.
- Zero fees for students: It is completely free for students to use the community route.
- A clearer process: We help you move through a proper candidate journey, not a random "let’s hope someone spots me" experience.
Alex is your clinical talent contact
Keep speaking with Alex throughout the process.
Alex is the person you should continue speaking with for guidance on:
- placement type
- location preferences
- timing
- CV readiness
- next steps
If you are unsure whether your application materials are strong enough, whether your target area is realistic, or whether you should widen your search, say so. Better to ask early than drift quietly and hope for the best. Hope is lovely. Strategy is better.
What you need in your CV
Before you register and before you expect proper consideration, make sure your CV is current and useful.
Include:
- your full name and up-to-date contact details
- your university and course details
- expected qualification or training timeline
- your GOC-related status, where relevant to your stage
- optical work experience, placements, shadowing or part-time practice exposure
- any customer-facing or healthcare experience that shows professionalism
- key clinical interests such as contact lenses, paediatrics, pathology, low vision or dispensing
- locations you can work in
- whether you can relocate or commute
- any practical details that affect placement planning
Keep it clear. Keep it honest. Keep it current. If your CV is out of date, vague or missing the basics, you make it harder for a practice to picture you in the room.
How to write a strong forum advert
Once you have spoken with Alex, uploaded your CV, registered at https://needanoptom.com/signup/ and joined SCAN through the live Clinical Exchange page at https://needanoptom.com/clinical-exchange/, your forum advert becomes your public introduction.
A strong advert should include:
- the location or regions you want
- your ideal start date
- your registration or training status
- your preferred setting, such as independent practice, multiple, hospital exposure or community-focused care
- your main interests within optics
- your mobility, including whether you drive or can relocate
- any support needs or practical considerations that a supervisor should understand early
Write like a professional human being. Not a robot. Not a desperate copy-and-paste machine.
A simple structure works well:
- who you are
- what you are looking for
- where you can work
- when you are available
- what kind of environment suits you
- how practices should respond
Choosing Your Path: Independent vs. Multiples
One of the biggest questions we get is: "Should I go for a multiple or an independent?"
It’s a big decision! Multiples often offer a very structured training programme with a large cohort of other pre-regs. Independents, on the other hand, can offer a more bespoke, clinical-led experience where you might get more time with specialised equipment and a consistent patient base.
The forum is the perfect place to weigh these up. You can talk to peers who are currently in the thick of it or speak to supervisors from both sides of the fence.
More Than Just a Job Hunt
We aren’t just filling a slot; we’re building your career. When you join the forum, you aren't just getting access to placement conversations; you’re joining SCAN through the live Clinical Exchange page.
- Free CPD Training: We offer complimentary CPD sessions to our candidates. Why? Because we want you to walk into your first day feeling like a pro, not a deer in headlights.
- Peer Support: Stuck on a specific clinical case? Worried about your assessments? Ask the community. There’s always someone who’s been there, done that, and bought the trial set.
- Mentorship and guidance: We have experienced optical professionals on hand to help you think clearly, present yourself well and respond professionally.
How to respond when someone shows interest
This is where some candidates go wrong. They finally get a reply and then… silence. Or a sloppy one-line answer. Or a response three days later. Don’t do that.
If a practice or supervisor responds:
- Reply promptly and politely.
- Answer their questions properly.
- Reconfirm your location, timing and availability.
- Share any requested information clearly and professionally.
- Keep Alex in the loop so you can get guidance on next steps.
Even a short message can sound strong:
- “Thank you for your message. I’m very interested in discussing this placement further.”
- “I’m available to start from [month/year] and would be happy to talk through the role and supervision setup.”
- “I’ve attached my current CV and would be pleased to answer any further questions.”
Professional does not mean stiff. It means clear, timely and respectful.
What to do after a practice responds
Interest is not the end of the road. It is the start of proper follow-through.
When a practice shows interest:
- review the opportunity carefully
- ask about supervision, patient mix, testing volume and development support
- confirm location and travel expectations
- check whether the environment feels right for your learning style
- speak with Alex before making rushed decisions
- keep monitoring the forum in case other conversations are progressing too
You do not have to jump at the first sign of interest just because you are nervous. Equally, you should not sit on an opportunity and let it go cold. Balanced. Responsive. Thoughtful. That’s the key.
Giving Back: Place with Purpose
We believe that being a great optometrist is about more than just checking eyes: it’s about having a heart for the community. That’s why our placement model is linked to our Place with Purpose initiative.
When we help a practice find the perfect pre-reg, we use that success to support our partnership with Vision Action. Every placement helps provide eye care to those who need it most across the globe.
Imagine starting your career knowing that your placement didn't just help you: it helped someone see for the first time. That’s the power of a "Place with Purpose."
Don't Let Fear Drive the Bus
I see it all the time. Students take a placement they hate because they’re scared of being unemployed. Stop.
What’s the worst-case scenario? You wait an extra month to find a supervisor who actually wants to teach you? You have to travel an extra 20 minutes to work at a practice that treats you like a human being?
In the grand scheme of a 40-year career, a few extra weeks of searching is nothing compared to the burnout of a bad pre-reg year.
Take a breath. You’ve worked too hard to settle for "fine."
Your Action Plan: How to Join
Ready to ditch the stress and find a placement that actually fits? Here is the action plan you should actually follow:
- Speak with Alex first. Talk through your placement goals, circumstances, timing and preferences.
- Upload your current CV. This is required before you can be properly considered.
- Register on the NeedAnOptom Healthcare system here: https://needanoptom.com/signup/.
- Apply to SCAN via the live Clinical Exchange page here: https://needanoptom.com/clinical-exchange/.
- Post in the Pre-Reg Placements Forum or respond to suitable opportunities. Make your advert specific, clear and professional.
- Monitor the forum regularly. Check for replies, questions, profile views, interest from practices and next-step conversations.
- Keep your details updated. If your availability changes, your CV improves or your preferred area widens, update it.
- Keep speaking with Alex. Use that support. Don’t try to second-guess the whole process on your own.
The Key Here is Connection
The current system might feel like a cold, corporate machine, but it doesn't have to stay that way. The Pre-Reg Placements Forum is about bringing the human side back to recruitment, while still giving you a proper step-by-step route to follow.
We want to see you thrive. We want to see you pass your assessments with flying colours and go on to become the kind of optometrist who changes lives.
So, stop scrolling through faceless job boards and stop assuming registration alone is enough. It isn’t.
Register. Join SCAN. Post properly. Monitor replies. Stay in touch with Alex. Keep moving.
Let's find your place. Together.
Start with Alex, then register, join SCAN and get active in the Pre-Reg Placements Forum today.
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