About Royal College of Ophthalmologists
What is Royal College of Ophthalmologists?
The Royal College of Ophthalmologists (RCOphth) is the UK membership body and registered charity for eye doctors. Its About us page says: "We are the membership body for eye doctors." The College was granted a Royal Charter on 14 April 1988 and sets the ophthalmology curriculum, runs the FRCOphth examinations, publishes the journals Eye and Eye Open and develops clinical guidelines. Its careers page adds that its members manage over 8 million outpatients a year, which it puts at 10% of all outpatient appointments in the UK.
Where will I work?
The College is based at 18 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HD, a short walk from Euston station, and all three live roles are listed in London. The careers page describes "Hybrid working (2 days in the office, 3 from home)", and the adverts add that one of the two office days is Thursday. Some roles travel: the Examinations Delivery Manager advert includes attending examinations at UK and some overseas centres, and the Editorial Assistant advert says the post holder may occasionally need to work some evenings and away from home in the UK.
What is the Royal College of Ophthalmologists team like?
The Charity Commission register lists 39 employees, 14 trustees and 120 volunteers for the year ending 31 December 2025, so the staff team is small and works alongside many volunteer clinicians and committee members. The careers page reports that "Our 2023 staff engagement survey found that 89% of staff agreed that they were proud to work for the RCOphth and 79% agreed that they would recommend the RCOphth as a great place to work." The College's own jobs page gives a newer figure: "In our 2026 engagement survey, 71% of staff agreed that the College was a great place to work." Its stated values are Inclusion, Integrity, Innovation and Improvement. The three live adverts cover training and the ePortfolio, examinations delivery and journal editorial work.
Work-Life Balance
The wellbeing section of the careers page lists "Summer Fridays (staff can finish 90 minutes early from mid-July to the end of August)", and the same line is in all three live adverts, in training, examinations and editorial roles. The jobs page on the College website describes it as an early finish on Summer Fridays. The College does not state a weekly hours figure, and the wording does not say that every Friday in the period is covered, so this is a modest seasonal early finish rather than a shorter week. Annual leave is 25 days, rising to 30 days with length of service, plus bank holidays and the office closure between Christmas and New Year, and staff also get one day of paid leave to move house. Three days a week are worked from home under the hybrid arrangement.
Perks and Benefits
- Summer Fridays: finish 90 minutes early from mid-July to the end of August
- Hybrid working: 2 days in the office, 3 from home
- 25 days of annual leave, rising to 30 with length of service, plus bank holidays and the Christmas to New Year office closure
- One day of paid leave to move house
- Enhanced parental leave pay, and paid carer's leave according to the College website
- Employer pension contributions double the employee's, up to a maximum employer contribution of 12%
- Life assurance of 4x base salary
- Enhanced Employee Assistance Programme with access to free counselling sessions, plus a Health Cash Plan
- Learning and development opportunities for all staff, a comprehensive e-learning package and study loans
- Season ticket loan and a cycle to work scheme