Pre-registration pay enters free market

The Optometric Fees Review Committee and the Department of Health have agreed to abolish the abatement rule, retrospectively from July last year, as there are adequate numbers of students to fill places, and 80 per cent are employed by the multiples.
Employers will continue to receive the supervision grant for taking on a pre-reg, but there will no longer be deductions for paying more than the notional salary of around £8,000.
Richard Edwards, head of professional resources at Boots Opticians, one of the biggest pre-reg employers, believes taking the cap off pre-reg salaries offered both positives and negatives for the profession.
'It gives employers the opportunity to create an element of performance-related pay for pre-reg students,' he said. However, it may lead some to choose a place based on salary only.
'I don't think this will be done by the current big employers, but perhaps other players may consider using salary to attract students. Also it may mean independent optometrists as well as the larger companies may not want to take on a student because of the cost, which will lead to placement shortages.'
Independent practitioner Susan Bowers takes on a pre-reg every year. She said: 'There is a big battle for training places as there are more students than posts.
'I think that students should go where they think they will pass and not to the highest bidder, even if they will pay off some of their student loan by earning more.'Employers are now free to set their own salary levels for pre-reg trainees, without being penalised by the Government.
The Optometric Fees Review Committee and the Department of Health have agreed to abolish the abatement rule, retrospectively from July last year, as there are adequate numbers of students to fill places, and 80 per cent are employed by the multiples.
Employers will continue to receive the supervision grant for taking on a pre-reg, but there will no longer be deductions for paying more than the notional salary of around £8,000.
Richard Edwards, head of professional resources at Boots Opticians, one of the biggest pre-reg employers, believes taking the cap off pre-reg salaries offered both positives and negatives for the profession.
'It gives employers the opportunity to create an element of performance-related pay for pre-reg students,' he said. However, it may lead some to choose a place based on salary only.
'I don't think this will be done by the current big employers, but perhaps other players may consider using salary to attract students. Also it may mean independent optometrists as well as the larger companies may not want to take on a student because of the cost, which will lead to placement shortages.'
Independent practitioner Susan Bowers takes on a pre-reg every year. She said: 'There is a big battle for training places as there are more students than posts.
'I think that students should go where they think they will pass and not to the highest bidder, even if they will pay off some of their student loan by earning more.'Employers are now free to set their own salary levels for pre-reg trainees, without being penalised by the Government.
The Optometric Fees Review Committee and the Department of Health have agreed to abolish the abatement rule, retrospectively from July last year, as there are adequate numbers of students to fill places, and 80 per cent are employed by the multiples.
Employers will continue to receive the supervision grant for taking on a pre-reg, but there will no longer be deductions for paying more than the notional salary of around £8,000.
Richard Edwards, head of professional resources at Boots Opticians, one of the biggest pre-reg employers, believes taking the cap off pre-reg salaries offered both positives and negatives for the profession.
'It gives employers the opportunity to create an element of performance-related pay for pre-reg students,' he said. However, it may lead some to choose a place based on salary only.
'I don't think this will be done by the current big employers, but perhaps other players may consider using salary to attract students. Also it may mean independent optometrists as well as the larger companies may not want to take on a student because of the cost, which will lead to placement shortages.'
Independent practitioner Susan Bowers takes on a pre-reg every year. She said: 'There is a big battle for training places as there are more students than posts.
'I think that students should go where they think they will pass and not to the highest bidder, even if they will pay off some of their student loan by earning more.'