From Australia to the UK and back: Emma’s journey to bring hearing care to the public 

Emma Evangelista has always wanted a career where she could focus on helping people. Passionate about music, psychology, science and technology, she found herself drawn to audiology after a career information session.   

Born in Perth and educated in Melbourne, once she qualified as an audiologist, Emma worked in adult rehabilitation in Australia for three years before moving to the UK to provide audiology services under the National Health Service.  When she returned to Australia, she spent some time working in the not-for-profit hearing sector, and then in the commercial/retail hearing care environment. 

 “There are several barriers the hearing healthcare space needs to overcome to help more Australians take positive action to address their hearing concerns. One of the biggest barriers I consistently found was price,” Emma says of her return to the retail audiology sector.  

 “Accessing a high-quality hearing device that met the needs and goals of the individual was simply unaffordable for most people I saw. As a result, many people who needed hearing help went without it, or chose a hearing device that was within their budget but insufficient for helping them in the situations that mattered the most.” 

Enter Specsavers. 

 “What attracted me to being a Partner at Specsavers was the value being offered to customers while maintaining high standards of clinical care and excellence. Being able to offer the full range of hearing device options, at the same quality, for thousands of dollars less than most providers working in the hearing space is a welcome disruption to an industry that needed to change. It feels good to help more people improve their quality of life, for less,” she says.  

 And while she didn’t know much about the business when she started her Specsavers journey, Emma was quick to discover that for once, it wasn’t an offer that was too good to be true.  

 “There seems to be a lot of misinformation about the Specsavers Audiology model being spread on the outside: from the quality of the products sold to the level of patient care that can be offered. In speaking to former colleagues who had made the leap to Specsavers, they had positive things to share that put my mind at ease and convinced me to take that first step applying as a JVP.”  

Emma, who is the partner in our Yokine WA store is also about to take a new leap in her career and business – opening her second store at Subiaco.  

“The optical partners and team at Subiaco have been wonderful and supportive so far,” she says. “They recognise the value of eye and ear health being treated with the same level of awareness and importance.” 

Emma says, when it comes to joining Specsavers, there is no risk, just reward.  

“The journey from making my first enquiries about potential opportunities to accepting an offer was four months,” she says. 

 “I had plenty of time to talk to the Specsavers support office about the JVP franchise model. I was also able to evaluate the opportunity independently with my own financial advisors and accountants. Before signing any contracts, I met with the optical partners at both sites to get to know them further and have peace of mind that the optical team were invested in making audiology an integral part of their optical practices.” 

And while she is the sole audiology partner in her business, Emma has never felt like she is going it alone.  

“The level of support and training provided by the team at Specsavers has been exceptional,” she says.  

“I felt confident starting at a new company and in a new clinic from day one. There have been ongoing training sessions months into the partnership as well, to develop the business and financial skills to operate the clinic at the level of director/partner. 

“I recommend becoming a Specsavers JVP if you are tired of feeling like a salesperson instead of a healthcare professional; if you want to be free of sales pressure and targets; if you want more autonomy and control of your day; if you are looking for growth and challenges in your career.”