Australia has always been a popular destination for migrants looking for a new home, and now there is a fantastic new resource available for the almost 200,000 people who arrive down under each year.
The unique Living Down Under DVD series offers immigrants and students all the information they need about living, studying and working in different regions within Australia.
And now Living Down Under creator Tessa Stevens is about to launch the series in the UK during an exciting media tour promoting the real Australian way of life.
This UK born Aussie go-getter is surprised no one has thought of the idea before and is eager to share her enthusiasm for Australia with students and migrants who are contemplating the move.
Tessa said it was her own harrowing experience moving to Australia in 2004 that sparked the initial idea of the Living Down Under DVD series and the dynamic website that followed.
“It was a difficult, long and complicated process, but after arriving in Australia and getting used to my surrounds, I started to see what an incredible lifestyle and spectacular facilities can be enjoyed here and thought, wouldn’t it have been great to have seen all this before I arrived?”
Armed with a handy-cam and a stack of entrepreneurial enthusiasm, Tessa ventured out with her two young children in tow, to film footage of her home town, the beautiful Sunshine Coast. Loading an unscripted DVD on eBay, Tessa was astonished to sell two copies the very first night.
“The success of those first, rough attempts at sharing my new found home with others really took me by surprise,” Tessa said.
“Before I knew it, I had four different DVD’s completed and the Living Down Under concept was born.”
Tessa had discovered a massive gap in the market and went about educating herself on website development, social networking skills and e-marketing, undertook voice coaching and filming lessons – while raising a young family.
“It has been a challenging journey but I have remained determined to make my dream a reality and I’m very proud that Living Down Under has grown to range 16 DVD titles and is becoming a popular online travel and educational resource.”
“I immerse myself in the culture literally setting off on road trips across Australia, filming and interviewing experts and migrants wherever I go, covering everything from beach safety and finding a job, to schools and a place to live to buying a car and even the wheelie bin system – all to bring to life visually what it is like to live in Australia and to answer the common questions most people have when embarking on such a big move.”
Tessa said Australia’s Immigration Department issues 300,000 visas each year, while the education sector represents Australia’s third largest export, bringing in 340,000 students every year.
“It goes without saying that the migrant and student markets are massive, and I believe the Living Down Under series can play a huge role in helping to boost the Australian economy by promoting Australia’s exceptional facilities and way of life to these audiences.”
“I can help you move to paradise and show you everything you need to know with practical, realistic and useful information.”
“My Study in Australia DVD for example shows real life footage of students and a variety of educational facilities from high school to university and provides information on everything from the Australian education system and preparing your visa to what is it like to home-stay with an Australian family.”
Tessa believes people should ‘prepare for their new Australian adventure BEFORE they get here’ and has been overwhelmed with positive feedback on both her DVD series and downloadable interviews with experts like doctors, lawyers, financial advisers, real estate agents, teachers as well as migrants who have settled into their new life.
“Fantastic feedback from people overseas has revealed the Living Down Under series has eliminated the need for them to go to the expense of flying here first to ‘check things out’.”
“I am excited by the potential of Living Down Under to genuinely help people settle by preparing them through other peoples experiences and having experts share their experiences gives them a true insight into Australian life before they leave their homeland,” Tessa said.
“I am so passionate about Australia and the wonderful lifestyle it has to offer and if I can assist one family in making the move or convince one student to embark on studies in Australia, then it has all been worth it.”
