Dispensing Opticians: Jobs in Demand in Europe (2025)
Dispensing Opticians is an official occupation group (ISCO-08 code 3254) used by the International Labour Organization and Eurostat.
- Contact lens optician
- Dispensing optician
Pay in the UK for this job
UK occupation used: Dispensing opticians (SOC 2020 code 3211). Placeivo matched this to ISCO-08 3254 by job title and duties; the UK and international occupation lists do not line up exactly. National figure for the whole United Kingdom, in pounds sterling (GBP), before income tax and National Insurance.
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) 2025 provisional, Table 14 (occupation by 4-digit SOC 2020): tables 14.7a (annual pay, gross) and 14.1a (weekly pay, gross), full-time employee jobs, United Kingdom. Weekly pay is for April 2025; annual pay is for the tax year ending 5 April 2025, employees in the same job for at least a year. Retrieved 2026-10-13.
UK Skilled Worker visa for this job
This occupation (UK code 3211, Dispensing opticians) is a medium-skilled job. GOV.UK says a new visa for a medium-skilled job is usually possible only if the job is on the Immigration Salary List or the Temporary Shortage List, with their own conditions; some people extending a visa they already hold have different rules. Check both lists before applying. GOV.UK says the lower going rate applies if you apply for a Health and Care Worker visa in certain occupations, or got the certificate of sponsorship for your first Skilled Worker visa before 4 April 2024 and have held one ever since. Going rates are for a 37.5-hour week and are pro-rated for other hours. Placeivo matched this UK code to ISCO-08 3254 by job title; the lists do not line up exactly.
This is a summary of official rules, not legal advice. Rules change and some people (for example those already on a Skilled Worker visa) have different rules. Always check GOV.UK before you apply.
Source: UK Visas and Immigration, GOV.UK tables "Skilled Worker visa: eligible occupations and codes" and "Skilled Worker visa: going rates for eligible occupation codes", updated 2025-07-22, retrieved 2026-10-15. General minimum salary from GOV.UK "Skilled Worker visa: Your job", checked 2026-10-15.
Compare UK visa going rates by job · Eligible occupations (GOV.UK) · Going rates (GOV.UK) · Salary rules (GOV.UK)
Latest dispensing opticians job ads
Real vacancies from the official public employment services, updated daily. Job titles are translated into English automatically; the full ad opens on the official site in German or Swedish (your browser's translate button turns it into English).
Germany
1,688 open ads- Optician
German title: Augenoptiker
Brillen Rottler GmbH & Co. KG · Korschenbroich · Posted 2026-10-16 - Optician
German title: Augenoptiker
Brillen Rottler GmbH & Co. KG · Herzogenrath · Posted 2026-10-16 - Optician
German title: Augenoptiker
Fielmann AG · Crailsheim · Posted 2026-10-16 - Optician
German title: Augenoptiker
Dodt Optikerei OHG · Gütersloh · Posted 2026-10-15 - Optician
German title: Augenoptiker
Brillenoptik Jenal GmbH · Saarbrücken · Posted 2026-10-15 - Optician
German title: Augenoptiker
Fielmann AG · Bonn · Posted 2026-10-14
Source: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (German Federal Employment Agency). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Germany
Sweden
4 open ads- Vendor - Optician Assistant
Swedish title: Säljare - optikerassistent
Glasögonmagasinet Optik Sweden AB · Göteborg · Posted 2026-10-15 - Store salesman/optician assistant at Niemis Optik in Kiruna
Swedish title: Butikssäljare/optikerassistent på Niemis Optik i Kiruna
Binokel AB · Kiruna · Posted 2026-10-05 - Seller to Specsavers Solna Centum
Swedish title: Säljare till Specsavers Solna Centum
E.R. Optiker AB · Solna · Posted 2026-10-05 - Optician assistant / assistant nurse to eye clinic
Swedish title: Optikerassistent / Undersköterska till ögonmottagning
3 Medicare AB · Malmö · Posted 2026-10-01
Source: Arbetsförmedlingen (Swedish Public Employment Service). Ads are written by employers; Placeivo does not check them. See all ads in Sweden
Where dispensing opticians are needed in Europe
| Country | EURES 2025 | Average gross pay, all technicians and associate professionals (2022) | 1-bed rent in the capital |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austria | Shortage | €3,816 a month * | Vienna: €1,250 |
| Belgium | Shortage | €4,368 a month * | Brussels: €1,150 |
| Denmark | Shortage | €5,731 a month * | Copenhagen: €1,800 |
| Germany | Shortage | €3,856 a month | Berlin: €1,350 |
| Greece | Shortage | €1,682 a month * | Athens: €1,150 |
| Netherlands | Shortage | €3,769 a month | Not yet verified |
| Latvia | Surplus | €1,618 a month | Riga: €870 |
| Slovakia | Surplus | €1,562 a month | Bratislava: €910 |
Pay: Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey 2022, mean gross monthly earnings of all technicians and associate professionals in each country, in euros. This is the average for the whole occupation group, not for dispensing opticians alone, and before tax. * Firms with 10 or more employees only. Rent: Eurostat, good-quality 1-bedroom flat in the capital, 2025.
What dispensing opticians do
Dispensing opticians design, fit and dispense optical lenses based on a prescription from an ophthalmologist or optometrist for the correction of reduced visual acuity. They service corrective eyeglasses, contact lenses, low-vision aids and other optical devices.
Typical tasks
- Examining and taking facial and eye measurements of clients for fitting of eyeglasses and other optical devices
- Providing advice to clients with selection and maintenance of eyeglasses and frames, types of contact lenses and other optical devices for performance, safety, comfort and lifestyle
- Interpreting optical prescriptions and preparing work order for optical laboratory for grinding and mounting of lenses in frames, preparation of contact lenses and other required work
- Verifying exactness of finished optical appliances and devices to the original prescription and fit of clients
Finding dispensing opticians jobs in Europe
- EURES is the official job portal of the EU public employment services. The search above looks for "Dispensing optician".
- Some jobs are regulated professions: before you can work, your qualification may need to be recognised in the new country.
- If you are not an EU/EEA citizen you will usually need a work permit or a visa such as the EU Blue Card. Check the rules of the country's immigration authority.
Cost of living where the jobs are
Take-home pay needed to rent a good 1-bedroom flat in the capitals of countries reporting a shortage:
About this data
- Shortage and surplus: European Labour Authority, EURES Report on labour shortages and surpluses 2025, annex table 21 (published 2026). Each country's public employment service reports which occupations it finds hard to fill or in oversupply. Countries not listed did not report this occupation as either.
- Definition, tasks and job titles: International Labour Organization, ISCO-08 structure and definitions.
- Pay: Eurostat, Structure of Earnings Survey 2022 (earn_ses22_48), by occupation group. United Kingdom, closest UK occupation: Office for National Statistics, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings, Table 14 (median pay of full-time employees).
- Job ads: Bundesagentur für Arbeit (Germany) and Arbetsförmedlingen (Sweden), refreshed about once a day.