Location is the deciding factor for optical professionals when choosing where to work which has led to the east of the country becoming the most lucrative region for employment.
The research, carried out by Optician among over 700 optical staff, and sponsored by Specsavers, showed that the average salary for those professional staff responding was £37,185. This represents a rise of 4.7 per cent in absolute terms since the last survey in 2008 when the average salary was £35,495. That figure had fallen from the 2006 figure of £36,184.
By job title optometrists were the best paid with an average of £43,808, followed by contact lens opticians on £29,808 and dispensing opticians on £27,747.
Those in independent practices could expect to earn on average more (£38,193) than those in multiple practices (£35,165). Men continue to earn more than women with both full time and part time salaries showing a higher figure for men than for women.
By region East Anglia proved to be the most lucrative area to work with an average salary of £40,714. It was closely followed by Yorkshire and Humberside (£40,058) and the North East (£39,130). The South East was the next highest at £39,592. The traditionally high salary area of greater London returned an average pay packet of £35,522.
When asked about the most important factor when choosing a job, a huge 97 per cent cited location as either very or fairly important. Three-quarters said their choice of work location was determined by where they live rather than their place to live being based on their job.
The survey also showed that optical professionals are not keen job seekers. Just 17 per cent said they were currently looking for a new job, 39 per cent said they didn't know when they would be looking and 16 per cent said they would never look for a new job.
