Moving to MAINE and looking for work

**CCGREEN** · 07-14-2016, 08:36 AM

Moving to Maine from sunny Florida. Your asking have I lost my mind....we no. Im married.
My wife's folks live in central Maine and are in their med 70's and are getting to the point where they need help getting around and getting things done. Well my wife being the oldest of 5 kids, 4 of which are in Phoenix, all of them originally from Maine, she feels obligated to go take care of her parents.
We are both Florida licensed and Board Certified of which requires we both be ABOC and NCLEC certified. So we will both be looking for Employment be it with OD's, MD's, wholesale labs, big box stores, wholesale, retail. Pt care and pre-screening. You name it seems we have done it at sometime in our 20 plus years for her almost 40 for me.
Looking to see what kind of employment is in Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont area. What can we expect for money, job locations, housing ect.

**mervinek** · 07-14-2016, 08:52 AM

Good luck!

**becc971** · 07-14-2016, 08:52 AM

Whereabouts in Maine?

**dptyhilpert** · 07-14-2016, 11:11 AM

Truthfully, neither Maine or NH are licensed(NH has registration, no initial qualification needed, 8 CE's every two years,$150.00 registration fee). I have owned my own, worked for the chains, worked for OD's and now MD's been in Opticianry over 20 yrs. Even with your experience maybe $15-$20 hourly. MD's probably best bet with your levels of experience and training.

Be Blessed, good luck.

**rbaker** · 07-14-2016, 11:52 AM

Well . . . that's some kinda wicked pissah. I spent some of the best years of my misspent optical youth in Maine prior to 1980 so I can't comment on the current eye care workplace. Maine is populated by some of the nicest people that you will ever meet and some of the meanest most backstabbing thugs in New England. I guess that is just like anyplace else.

Shop around carefully for a new employer. If you are into this job thingy for the long term be very discriminating and thoroughly investigate your prospective employers. Check out stuff like employee turnover rates, the workplace management style and the businesses financial position and reputation. In short, don't rush into anything.

Maine - The way life is meant to be.

ps: Get a good fly rod and a 30-30 and enjoy.

**becc971** · 07-14-2016, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by rbaker

Well . . . that's some kinda wicked pissah. I spent some of the best years of my misspent optical youth in Maine prior to 1980 so I can't comment on the current eye care workplace. Maine is populated by some of the nicest people that you will ever meet and some of the meanest most backstabbing thugs in New England. I guess that is just like anyplace else.

Shop around carefully for a new employer. If you are into this job thingy for the long term be very discriminating and thoroughly investigate your prospective employers. Check out stuff like employee turnover rates, the workplace management style and the businesses financial position and reputation. In short, don't rush into anything.

Maine - The way life is meant to be.

I would have to agree with him on this one. Definitely thoroughly vet your place of work. I've found there are few places that truly value what an optician can bring to the table.

**rbaker** · 07-14-2016, 12:30 PM

Originally Posted by becc971

I would have to agree with him on this one. Definitely thoroughly vet your place of work. I've found there are few places that truly value what an optician can bring to the table.

I forgot to mention networking. Hopefully there is still some kinda opticians association in Maine. A bunch of us used to get together at the Sportsman's in Portland get drunker than skunks courtesy of some of the local lab owners but those days are surely gone. The independent labs are all gone and the old opticians are all in rehabs.

**dptyhilpert** · 07-14-2016, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by rbaker

I forgot to mention networking. Hopefully there is still some kinda opticians association in Maine. A bunch of us used to get together at the Sportsman's in Portland get drunker than skunks courtesy of some of the local lab owners but those days are surely gone. The independent labs are all gone and the old opticians are all in rehabs.

Alas the last I knew,(circa 2013), there is no Opticians Association in Maine. New Hampshire does have a State Optician Society

**rbaker** · 07-14-2016, 02:38 PM

Originally Posted by dptyhilpert

Alas the last I knew,(circa 2013), there is no Opticians Association in Maine. New Hampshire does have a State Optician Society

In 1971-72 I was the President of the NH/VT Opticians Society. New Hampshire and Vermont had a combined optician's association until 1973 when the two separated over the licensing issue. Vermont wanted State licensing and New Hampshire didn't. Live Free or Die! The licensing brouhaha started as an effort to keep a Pearle Vision franchisee from opening a store in Burlington, VT.

I guess Vermont still has licensing and New Hampshire has some form of Mickey Mouse registration. In any case it really doesn't matter.

**CCGREEN** · 07-14-2016, 09:04 PM

Good input here. And it is just what we expected. Going from Florida to Maine is like going back in time in our chosen profession. As long as I have been at this I may just go stock shelves at Home Depot but the pay cut would be awful. The pay cut between Florida and Maine would be awful. Getting burned out working with patients at times....but I have been at this all my life....its never been a job to me...its been a passion that I enjoy. We will continue to look....may just get lucky and fall into a bed of roses and a pile of money before I retire. Oh ya....the taxes in Maine are AWEFUL compared to Florida.

**Quince** · 07-15-2016, 01:34 PM

Check out our website to get a feel of our company. I run the lab for a locally owned retail provider. There are three locations for sales and dispensing and one for lab work.

http://www.provisioncenters.com/

I'd be happy to get you details of pay and such through private messaging if you are interested.

**CCGREEN** · 07-18-2016, 08:46 AM

Originally Posted by Quince

Check out our website to get a feel of our company. I run the lab for a locally owned retail provider. There are three locations for sales and dispensing and one for lab work.

http://www.provisioncenters.com/

I'd be happy to get you details of pay and such through private messaging if you are interested.

Thank you for your input Quince. I will be looking at your places this evening with my wife we may be touching base with you again.
We are in not big hurry just yet, maybe a few months out, Maybe not till spring. Just watching to see how things will play out for us yet. We have a house to get ready for the market.