Malta has quickly become one of Europe’s leading EFL destinations, as the island’s ties to the English language, coupled with its fantastic natural resources, have made it an attractive location for agents and private students alike.
With its rich history of being visited and often invaded by empires over the centuries, Malta as a nation has learned well the importance of resilience, communication and adaptation to new cultures and cultural influences. When Malta joined the British Empire in 1800, English, along with Maltese, began to replace Italian as the nation’s dominant language. By the time Malta gained independence from the British Empire in 1963, English had become one of Malta’s two official languages, the other being Maltese, and the judicial, medical and government services used English in addition to their mother tongue.
The effect of this on modern Malta is a legacy of island-wide language ability and familiarity, and EFL schools have been steadily increasing in number as word spread about the nation’s academic standards and its beautiful location in the southern Mediterranean. As the number of schools has increased, the major franchises have shared the market with a number of smaller private schools, and student choice has become broader and more comprehensive, which in turn has increased the appeal of the island both in Europe and in the rest of the world. . New markets, such as the Far East and South America, are discovering schools in Malta, and large numbers of students are coming to Europe to learn English.
In the past, Malta’s main language markets were located much closer to home, with European neighbors supplying most of its EFL clients, but today Malta has definitely expanded its reach, in line with the transition itself political and social of the nation towards the European Union in 2004. and the adoption of the euro as the official currency at the beginning of 2008.
The courses offered by the various English schools in Malta vary widely, but most offer a general English course, and many are Cambridge, IELTS and TOEFL accredited. Other courses include more specialized areas of English use, such as Elanguest Ltd in St Julians, which has worked to develop medical English courses with the European Union and offers Business English and Medical English courses alongside its General English curriculum. . Now that English is used as the ‘lingua franca’ of international business and medicine, schools in Malta have seen and begun to realize its potential to offer the best in EFL training and take advantage of Malta’s location and human resources. the island to face this new challenge.
Whilst the Maltese EFL market is growing, it is also well established, with many schools in operation for several decades, and the skills of local teachers, together with their natural language ability and the general character of the nation, will ensure that the training in EFL continue. prosper and expand in Malta in the coming years.