Malta Feedback

Malta feedback at a glance

Total number of students: female 41, male 22, (unknown 7) 70 Average age in years: 26 Average length of programme in weeks: 10.3 Average number of students in class: 4.1 Average number of hours of language tuition per week: 21.8 % of students who found their course through an agent: 23 % of students who booked through an agent or adviser: 53 % of students who had been on another lang. programme: 29 % of students who would recommend their school: 84

Respondents by world region of origin		Top nationalities
W Europe (61%) Asia (10%) C & E Europe (26%) Unknown (3%)		1. German 23% 2. Russian 11% 3. Italian 9% 3. Austrian 9% 5. Turkish 6% 6. Spanish 4% 6. Swedish 4% 6. Swiss 4% 6. Korean 4% 6. French 4%

In my class there are...		How will you use your English in the future?
Too many students (7%) Too many students of my language (10%) Too many students from one other countries (6%) None of these (69%) Unknown (8%)		Coll. study in Malta (4%) College study elsewhere (20%) College study at home (28%) Current or fututre work (46%) For pleasure only (2%)

How did you find your programme?		Standard of the teaching
II found it on the Internet (50%) It was recommended by an agent (23%) It was recommended by a friend/relative (21%) I saw it advertised (6%)		Excellent (66%) Good (28%) Satisfactory (3%) Unsatisfactory (3%)

Standard of your academic programme		Standard of your accommodation
Excellent (23%) Good (50%) Satisfactory (13%) Poor (6%) Unsatisfactory (8%)		Excellent (10%) Good (36%) Satisfactory (23%) Poor (14%) Unsatisfactory (3%) Unknown (14%)

Standard of your social programme?		What is your accomodation while in Malta?
Excellent (14%) Good (50%) Satisfactory (19%) Poor (6%) Unsatisfactory (8%)		Host family (17%) Residential/single room (33%) Residential/dormitory (20%) Other/Unknown (30%)

Did you book your course through an agent or an educational adviser?
Yes (53%) No (40%) Unknown (7%)

Before looking for your course, did you know where you wanted to study?
Country Yes (62%) No (34%) Unknown (4%) City/town Yes (34%) No (62%) Unknown (4%)		School Yes (36%) No (60%) Unknown (4%)

Student motivation
The typical profile of a language student taking part in this year';s survey was a university student (37 per cent of the group) between the ages of 20 and 25 (41 per cent of respondents). A further 27 per cent of respondents said that they were either a business person or a professional and 24 per cent of students were over 30 years of age, showing that Malta is attracting students from a variety of backgrounds. The number of students currently using their English for work or study purposes was fairly evenly divided, with 34 per cent saying that they used their language skills for work and 39 per cent for study. The average length of stay among students was slightly lower this year at 10.3 weeks, compared with 13.2 weeks previously.

Student enrolment
Agent usage among language students in Malta was down this year. A measly 22 per cent reported that they found their course through an agency this year, compared with 43 per cent last year, when this was the most popular way to find a school. A higher 53 per cent of respondents enrolled in their course via an agency, but this was still a marked decrease on last year when 78 per cent of students indicated that they had booked this way. However, those who did use an agent valued their recommendation quite highly with "agency recommendation" featuring many times in the reasons given by students as to why they chose their school. Other reasons included price, school size and the fact that students received a quick response to emails.

Standard of the schools
School and teaching standards were generally quite high in Malta and of the 14 per cent of students who thought their accommodation was poor or unsatisfactory, accommodation options were split between residential (single and shared) and those who had made their own arrangements. With small average class sizes – 4.1 students compared with 8.6 last year – it is not surprising to note that very few students (seven per cent) thought that there were too many students in their class.

Living in Malta
Despite many students choosing to study in Malta because of its low cost, 41 per cent of respondents found that the cost of living was more expensive than at home. Of those who thought so, nationalities were fairly evenly spread across Europe, including German, Spanish and Turkish. Overall, 80 per cent of students found it very easy or fairly easy to practise their English with the locals.