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Malta Feedback
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More Western Europeans and a shorter length of stay are highlights of the trends revealed in this issue’s Feedback survey of the Maltese English language teaching market.
Malta feedback at a glance
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Total number of students: (female 41, male 27) 68
Average age in years: 26.5
Average length of programme in weeks: 4.8
Average number of students in class: 8.7
Average number of hours of language tuition per week: 20.8
% of students who found out about their course through an agent: 12
% of students who booked through an agent or adviser: 44
% of students who had been on another language programme: 50
% of students who would recommend their school: 93
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| Respondents by world region of origin |
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Top nationalities |
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1. W Europe 68%
2. C & E Europe 16%
3. Asia 9%
4. Latin America 6%
5. Africa 1%
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1. Spanish 22%
2. German 18%
3. Russian 9%
4. Austrian 7%
4. Swiss 7%
6. Czech 4%
6. Dutch 4%
6. Korean 4%
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| In my class there are... |
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How easy is it to practise your language skills with native speakers? |
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1. The right number of students (65%)
2. Too many students (15%)
3. Too many students who speak my language 12%
2. Too many students from one other country 4%
Unknown 4%
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1. Quite easy (62%)
2. Very easy (19%)
3. Quite hard (13%)
4. Very hard (3%)
Unknown 3% |
| How did you find your programme? |
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Did you book your course through an agent or an educational adviser?
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1. I found it on the Internet 53%
2. Recommended by a friend/relative (26%)
3. Recommended by an agent (12%)
4. I saw it advertised 9%
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Yes (44%)
No (53%)
Unknown (3%)
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Student reasons for school selection included:
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“The school had a good website with good offers”
“No visa was needed in advance”
“I can combine studying with a holiday”
“I liked the size of school and the price was good”
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| Before looking for your course, did you know where you wanted to study? |
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Country
Yes (75%)
No (24%)
Unknown (1%)
City/town
Yes (38%)
No (57%)
Unknown (5%)
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School
Yes (35%)
No (63%)
Unknown (2%)
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Student nationality
At 68 per cent, the proportion of Western Europeans who were studying in Malta this year was higher than last year, when only half of respondents were from this world region (see LTM, October 2008, pages 20-21), largely owing to the fact that a higher proportion of Spanish and German students were in Malta this year. Indeed, Spanish students, with a share of 22 per cent, made up the single largest nationality group, up from eight per cent last year. Similarly German students, who only made up seven per cent of respondents last year, were in second position this year, accounting for 18 per cent of students. Russians, meanwhile, had slipped from first place to third with their share dropping by three percentage points to nine per cent. The only Asian nationality of note was Korean, which accounted for four per cent of students.
Student motivation
Language travel students in Malta are enrolling on shorter courses, according to the results of this issue’s Feedback survey. Compared with last year, when the average length of stay was just over seven weeks, this year the average was under five weeks, and while the lengths of individual courses ranged from one to 32 weeks, a majority were enrolled on courses of only one or two weeks in duration. The average age of our respondents was up slightly on last year to 26.5 years, which may be owing to the fact that the proportion of university students had fallen, from 60 per cent last year to 49 per cent in this issue’s survey. There were slightly more business people and professionals learning English in Malta, accounting for 29 per cent this year, compared with 20 per cent last year. Nevertheless, learning the language for current or future work was the motivation for taking a language course for only 38 per cent of respondents compared with 45 per cent last year.
Student enrolment
The Internet plays a key role for Malta’s English language schools. Fifty-three per cent of students said they first found out about the school via this means, while only 12 per cent indicated that they had been recommended the school by an agency. When it came to booking a course, 44 per cent of students had used an agency. However, this was down from 67 per cent last year.
Standard of the schools
Class sizes ranged from two to 18, averaging out at just under nine students per class. Fifteen per cent of students indicated that they thought their class sizes were too big, and they were generally in classes of over 12 students. In addition, 12 per cent of students, predominantly Swiss and Spanish students, said there were too many students who spoke their language. Overall, however, students were satisfied with their schools, evidenced by the fact that 93 per cent said they would recommend their school to others.
Living in Malta
One of Malta’s draws as an English language destination is the fact that students can combine learning English with a fun beach vacation, a fact which a number of students mentioned when we asked why they chose their school. It is also easy to mix with the locals, with 81 per cent of students saying it was either quite or very easy to practise their English with native speakers. Forty-four per cent of students found the cost of living to be about the same as their home countries, while 25 per cent found it to be lower and a further 35 per cent said it was higher.
Thank you to the following schools for participating in our survey: Aclass Academy, Pembroke; Alpha School of English, St Paul’s Bay; AM Language Studio, Sliema; Britannia College, Valletta; Easy School of Languages, Valletta; EF School Malta, St Julians; Elanguest, St Julians; English Language Academy, Sliema; Global Village, St Paul’s Bay; NSTS, Valletta.
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Contact any advertiser in the this issue now
The following language schools, associations and accommodation providers advertised in the latest edition of Language Travel Magazine. If you would like more information on any of these advertisers, tick the relevant boxes, fill out your details and send.
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