Language Learning
Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English.
Since Malta was a British colony until 1964, English was widely used in administration, education, commerce and the media, although Maltese, related to Arabic but with many Italian loanwords, is still the native language of most people in the country. The island is largely English speaking and it offers an immersive English language learning experience, a good alternative to learning English in the UK.
It is also one of the most affordable places in the world to learn English. With dozens of language schools conveniently situated throughout the islands, a low cost of living, and hot, sunny weather, it’s easy to see why the island’s population consists in large part of English as a Second Language (ESL)/English as a Foreign Language (EFL) students.
Most ESL/EFL schools in Malta offer full boarding and self-boarding options. Program schedules include in-class time, as well as organized social activities, such as boat cruises, beach parties, BBQ’s, historical tours, football matches, and excursions.
There are over 40 language schools in Malta and Gozo, offering a range of courses and leisure-time activities. For a list of language schools.
FELTOM is Malta’s Federation of English Language Teaching Organisations, which brings together all accredited English language schools under one national association, whith the aim to advance the quality of English language education to international learners in Malta.
Maltese is quite a difficult language. With its Arabic, Italian, Sicilian, English and French influences, Maltese remains the only standardised Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet. For speakers of Latin based languages, it's hard to pick up the language from listening or reading without a fair amount of study. Still, free training courses are available through Jobsplus and it’s certainly not impossible to learn if you put in some effort.
Under EU law, the children of EU nationals migrating to another EU country for work are entitled to free language tuition.